Impact of the First World War

Annotations:

• The First World War began in August 1914. Germany and Austria went to war against France, Britain,Russia, Belgium and Serbia. More joined over the next 4 years

1. Timeline : Germany’s reaction during the war
   1. In 1914
      1. The war was popular and patriotic Germans thought it would end quickly
      2. Soon the British navy stopped ships getting food into Germany,leading to food and other shortages
   2. In the 1915-16
      1. In Germany, protesters demanded an end to the war. Demonstrating increased from 500 to 10,000 people. War weariness
      2. On the front line, soldiers were worn down by bombs, gas and machine fire
   3. Politically unstable
      1. Germany was close to defeat. A flu epidemic killed many already weak from poor diet
      2. In October, Army General Ludendorff stated Germany could not win the war. He advised the Kaiser to make the country more democratic so the winning Allies ( France, Britain and the USA) would treat Germany more fairly
      3. The Kaiser allowed the main political parties to form a new government, and transferred some of his power to the Reichstag. But the German people were not satisfied and more demonstrations followed
2. Impact of the war on Germany by 1918
   1. Virtually bankrupt
      1. Owed vast sums of money that it had borrowed to pay for the war
      2. Lent some of its own money on its allied
      3. Factories were exhausted
      4. War pensions would cost the government a future
   2. Society divided further
      1. Some factory owners had made a fortune during the war, while workers had restrictions placed on their wages
      2. Women worked on the factories during the war. Some people thought this damaged Traditional family values
   3. Politically unstable
      1. There was mutiny and revolution all over Germany
      2. Many ex-soldiers and civilians felt that politicians had betrayed Germany by ending the war
3. The woman republic
   1. Temporary leader Ebert declared that Germany would be a democratic republic and arranged for elections for a new parliament to take place in January. A group of communists in Germany to be run by small councils of soldiers and workers. On 6 January 1919, the Spartacists seized power in Britain
      1. Ebert sent in a group of 2000 tough ex-soldiers, Known as the Free Corps ( Freikorps ), to attack the Spartacists
         1. After three days of brutal street fighting, the free Corps recaptured buildings and arrested ( and later killed) the Sparticist leaders