To what extent did the social and political tensions that existed in the second Reich continue during the first world war? Flashcards
What are the four factors that need to be discussed?
1) Burgfriede / Erzberger Peace Resolution / Poltical
2) Hindenburg/Ludendorff Political
3) Regional divides
4) Class
What was the Burgfriede?
A term used in WW1 to signify that political opponents were putting aside their differences for the defence of Germany against its enemies. Industrial, upper, middle and working class germans were united in their support for the war, supposedly sweeping away the divisions of the old system and forging a new Germany based on a patriotic unity.
What notable group did the Burgfriede include tat suggests that division got less?
Polish people, portrayed as enemies of the state from 1871
Even which party supported the Burgfriede?
SPD
What did the Kaiser about war begin necessary?
That war was necessary as a defence against the Tsartist regime of Russia
When did the SPD vote for war credits?
August 4th 1914
What did the Kaiser say after the war credit vote of August 4th 1914 about German unity?
I know no parties anymore, only Germans
When was Erzberger’s peace resolution?
1917
What did Erzberger’s peace resolution call for?
An end to the war without the achievement of the Kreuznach Programme
When was Erzberger’s peace resolution approved by the Reichstag?
July 19th 1917
What was the Peace resolution supported by?
Inter-party committee
What did the war re-ignite after the Burgfriede collapsed?
Political divisions
What was lost after the end of the Burgfriede?
‘spirit of 1914’ that had fuelled the Burgfriede
How did the hunger problems of WW1 cause class division?
During WW1 750 000 Germans died from starvation, however a Prussian elite including Junkers was increasingly using its influence to gain food that others in Germany did not have access to.
During WW1 750 000 Germans died from starvation, however a Prussian elite including Junkers was increasingly using its influence to gain food that others in Germany did not have access to. How did this end the Burgfriede?
An idea fundamental to the Burgfriede was that all in German society were making equal sacrifices for the war effort. By 1917 this notion was lost and the divisions of the Kaiserreich returned.
What had Hindenburg been?
Hindenburg had been commander of the German forces during the Battle of Tannenberg in 1914, where the German Army had completely destroyed the second Red Army.
What had Ludendorff been?
second in command
How were Hindenburg and Ludendorff widely viewed?
heroes amongst the German people and widely respected for their military victories
How was the popularity of Hindenburg and Ludendorff a problem?
Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg was distinctly limited in what he could do.
What term describes what existed between August 1914 until the end of the war in 1918 under Hindenberg and Ludendorff ?
Silent dictatorship
What were H & L both?
prussian aristocracy
What did they do to the Chancellor and Kaiser?
The Kaiser and the Chancellor were sidelined by them and the country’s political system became suspended in favour of an unofficial military dictatorship.
What military plan did they push through?
expansionist Kreuznach programme
How did the expansionist Kreuznach programme get through?
Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg was forced to sign it even though he thought that it was a terrible idea and overly ambitious
When did Ludendorff help to force the resignation of Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg?
July 1917
Who did Ludendorff force the kaiser to appoint to replace Bethmann-Hollweg?
George Michaelis, a weak figure who the silent dictatorship could easily control.
What party did Ludendorff help to found?
The Vaterlandspartei
Who supported the Vaterlandspartei?
conservative and middle class industrials, supported by the military, industrialists and media tycoons
How many members did the Vaterlandspartei have by 1918?
Over a million
What did the Vaterlandspartei do?
With the assistance of the media and the army’s own propaganda machine, it disseminated a strong anti-Erzberger message, despite that having been passed in the Reichstag.
The winter of 1916/17 was so cold that it was known as what?
Turnip winter
What meant that Germany was ill-equipped for the self-sufficiency of war?
Before the war Germany had relied on imports for ⅓ of its food supply
What combination meant that food prices rose as shortages grew?
A combination of the Allied naval blockade, the depletion of agricultural workers and the military requisitioning of food
How did the lack of food antagonise rural and urban divides?
Starving urban areas felt that the rural areas were hoarding food and were able to live from their own produce. Poor, rural workers were angered by the urban criticism as well as growing prices and a shortage of labourers caused by the war
What did workers in the cities resent?
Workers in the cities resented the growing controls and demands that government placed on them.
Who did those in rural areas blame for their problems?
Those living in the cities
In 1917 how many million people were striking across the country and by what event was this provoked?
1.5 million, bolshevism in Russia
What did the middle classes get upset about?
Servants became harder and harder to find and wages stagnated
The wartime economic incentives provided to big business and the focus on mass production meant that who felt threatened and felt that the government was not working in their favour?
Mittelstand
What two things did the Prussian elite enjoy
The Prussian elite enjoyed taxation privilege until 1916 and used their status to acquire food not available to the normal german.
How did the fat that the Prussian elite enjoyed taxation privilege until 1916 and used their status to acquire food not available to the normal german cause unity?
people were united in their anger towards the junkers
