Germany in World War I: Causes and Mood

Germany in the First World War

• Kaiser Wilhelm II wanted Germany to be a powerful and respected country, following a policy called "Weltpolitik"
• This policy made other European countries nervous and suspicious
• His aggressive approach heightened tensions among European nations, making war more likely
• Other European countries were also building up their armies and forming alliances
• France, Britain, and Russia formed the Triple Entente to counter Germany's power
• The alliance system meant that if one country went to war, its allies would likely join, leading to a larger conflict
• Many European nations prepared for war due to militarism and rising tensions

Mood in Germany in 1914

• Many Germans were happy and optimistic when war was declared in 1914
• It as believed that the Kaiser was right to protect Germany's allies
• The German army were thought be superior and would easily win the war
• Some military leaders expected Germany to win within 40 days

Factors Contributing to Germans Tiring of the War

• By 1918, Germany was in political and economic chaos
• The naval blockade prevented food from reaching German ports
• In 1914, the British Navy used its dominance to block food and supplies
• By 1918, thousands of Germans had died from starvation
• Rationing and shortages of key supplies were widespread
• Millions of Germans were in poor health because of a lack of food
• The war impacted Germany's economy as funding the war effort was expensive
• Germany was already in debt and the war worsened it
• Fighting on two fronts led to labour shortages
• The blockade and fighting made trade difficult
• By October 1918, steel production was 80% lower than in early 1914
• Workers were paid less due to the lack of trade
• By 1918, Germany was close to economic collapse
• Trench warfare and new military technology resulted in high casualties
• By 1915, around 600,000 Germans had died
• By 1918, over two million soldiers had died
• From 1915, Germans began protesting for the end of the war
• Stories about the trauma of war became known on the home front
• By 1916, over 10,000 people attended anti-war demonstrations
• By 1918, people were dying at home, and a flu epidemic spread through Germany
• Food shortages weakened people's ability to fight illnessess, leading to more deaths

Reasons for Germany's Defeat in World War I

• Germany was not militarily defeated on the battlefield by November 1918
• The Spring Offensive failed to push back Allied forces
• The German Army was retreating in October but not defeated
• Military leaders lost faith in winning the war
• In October, General Ludendorff told the Kaiser that Germany could not win
• He advised the Kaiser to introduce democratic reforms for a kinder post-war treaty from Allies
• Germany's economy was close to collapse
• War weariness led to high numbers of desertions and protests

Political Impacts of the First World War on Germany

• The abdication of the Kaiser became inevitable by the end of World War I
• The Kaiser had lost control over the military and the people
• In 1918, Germany was losing the war, and there was widespread unrest on the home front
• German soldiers and sailors were tired of fighting and civilians were suffering from food shortages
• In the Kiel Mutiny, German sailors refused to attack the British navy
• The Kiel Mutiny quickly spread to other parts of Germany
• Soldiers and workers protested and demanded an end to the war and the Kaiser's rule
• The Kaiser had lost the support of the German army, so generals wanted to negotiate peace
• Generals knew negotiations would be difficult with the Kaiser in power
• On November 9, 1918, Wilhelm II abdicated and fled to the Netherlands as uprisings spread
• The abdication marked the end of the German monarchy
• A new government, the Weimar Republic, was established

Kiel Mutiny

• War leaders ordered sailors from Kiel to fight British ships
• The German fleet was hopelessly outnumbered
• Many soldiers wanted to concede defeat
• On November 3, sailors in Kiel mutinied
• Eight soldiers were shot and killed
• By November 4, around 40,000 sailors, soldiers, and workers took control of Kiel
• The Kiel Mutiny sparked rebellions across Germany, sometimes called the November Revolution
• Workers and soldiers' councils held many cities across Germany
• On November 9, they held the police headquarters in Berlin
• The Kaiser lost control of Germany because the army no longer listened to him, and he could not stop the uprisings

Abdication of the Kaiser

• The Kaiser could no longer rule Germany
• Many towns had set up workers' councils to replace the Kaiser's official local authorities
• Military advisors told him he must abdicate to stop the civil unrest on November 9, 1918
• Max von Baden, announced the Kaiser's abdication without consent on October 3, 1918
• The Kaiser was 700km away at the Army's headquarters in Spa, not in Berlin
• On November 10, the Kaiser escaped from Germany by train and arrived in the Netherlands
• The Allies wanted to bring the Kaiser back to Germany and held him accountable as a war criminal
• Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands refused to allow the Allies to take the Kaiser out of the country
• The Kaiser remained in the Netherlands until he died in 1941

Creation of the Weimar Republic

• The SPD's aimed to control Germany after the Kaiser abdicated
• Von Baden resigned as Chancellor of Germany on November 9
• He offered the position of Chancellor to Friedrich Ebert, the leader of the SPD
• Ebert ran Germany temporarily and stopped Germany from a communist revolution
• He ordered his colleagues to surrender to the Allies, ending World War I
• On January 19, 1919, Germany elected their new government
• The SPD won 40% of the vote and the Centre Party gained 20%. The parties were moderate
• Friedrich Ebert was elected as Germany's first president in February 1919
• Ebert declared the Weimar Republic and created a new constitution

The Weimar Constitution

• The government met in February 1919 in Weimar, the term 'Weimar Republic'
• The constitution took six months to complete. It was passed by 262 votes to 75
• Defined the powers and responsibilities of each elected official

Structure of the Weimar Constitution

• Head of State: President
  • Head of the Weimar Republic
  • Elected by the people every seven years
  • Played no role in day-to-day politics
  • Chose the chancellor
• The Government
  • Chancellor: Head of government in the Weimar Republic; chose all government ministers
  • Cabinet: Important ministers worked closely with the chancellor; main decision-making body
• The Parliament
  • Made up of two houses: the Reichstag and the Reichsrat
  • All laws had to pass through both houses
  • Reichstag: Created Germany's laws on matters such as taxation; elected by the people every four years.
  • Reichsrat: Representatives from local government elected every four years -Electorate: All men and women over 21 could vote

Strengths of the Weimar Constitution

• The people gained more rights, such as voting
• Proportional representation (PR) ensured the Reichstag represented smaller parties
• Designed to prevent one person from taking ultimate power
• The president chose the chancellor, but the public elected the president every seven years

Weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution

• Proportional representation made it hard for a political party to gain a majority
• Caused an increase in elections and weakened the public's enthusiasm for voting
• Increased the need for coalition governments; nine between 1919 and 1923 -Policies lacked vision and took longer to pass -Article 48 allowed the chancellor to ask the president to pass emergency laws without the Reichstag's support -Ebert used the Article 63 times from 1923 to 1924, and it continued abuse into the 1930s

Economic Impacts of the First World War on Germany

• Germany borrowed money to fund its military and industrial growth before World War One, going in to significant debt
• Germany spent money on weapons, supplies, and soldiers during the war.
• Germany had a large debt, and the Treaty of Versailles worsened the situation by demanding reparations
• Economic pressure and debt led to hyperinflation.

Treaty of Versailles

• Signed in 1919
• Prices rose so fast that people needed wheelbarrows of money to buy basic goods
• Savings became worthless, and many ended up in poverty
• Treaty Versailles created resentment among the German people. The economic chaos undermined people's trust in the government, leading to political instability

Agreement Terms

• The armistice only ensured temporary peace
• Allies agreed on the terms of Germany's defeat within an official peace document
• Discussions began in January 1919 and the Palace of Versailles, Paris
• The treaty was signed on June 28, 1919
• German representatives were not allowed to attend the peach talks
• The treaty meant the losing side ahd terms of peac imposed. the Alleis denied every concession the Germans requested to

Military Terms

• Rhineland demilitarized, Allied troops stationed until 1930
• Made them venerable to invasion from France
• Army restricted to 100,000 men
• Making many ex-soldiers unemployed
• Navy restricted to six battleships, no submarines
• The country became weaker
• Could not develop miilitaty technology that other countries
• The country was not allow an air force

Territorial Terms

• France given Saar area with coalfields for 15 years, which affected there economy
• Alsance Lorraine becaùe part of France, meaning Germany did not have buffer between thenselves and Franxe
• Anchluss. or union, between Austrian adn Germnay was forbidden
• Territory lost posed creating of Polish corridor divided Germany where 1 million people were under polish rules
• France and German possessions wree destfoyed as a result

Political and Economic Terms

• The country felt excluded from world politics and that the country was more likely resort to violence to resole disputes
• Article 231 made them feel that they unfairly took blade for the war
• This mean the aount was so big that territorial terms restricted their ability to trade

Negative Gernan Reactions to the Treaty

• Germans thought Weimar government had lied to them, and the acceptance of treaty amounted to a prime against the state
• Government was criminalising Weimar politicians, and the terms in the Treaty detroyed economy

Why Could the Country Not Pay off the Resperations

• Econmoic repsetrarions ehigh
• Indsutry could not make food stuff for export
• Took vlauble idsutrial land
• Paying resperations with goods created shortages
• France accused the country od mot send goods as required
• French and belgium troops encouregd and took to protests with the support of goverment
• Govmernt could not do mor because treat restricted army personel
• Treaty created pubnlic oppionion

Hyperinflation

• The term means prices increase
• It happens overtime in economy
• Iflation grows fast for a number of reasons
• Iflation and goverment can print money for effect

Effect of Ruhr on Hyperinflation

• Began when contry coaled in 1920

• Prices rose do to snortgaes

• goverent aggrevted situaiotn

• continyed to pay wages

• had to purchaase coal

• Goverment to printed more

• There were 2,00 mills created in the 3230s soemthing printer currency

• People filled wheelbarrows with money to buy essential items and basic food.

  • The weimer government decided to print more money
  • By November paper mills printerd currency
  • Made workers had basic goods before wages fell
  • Wheebarrows where used to for basic goods

Political Unrest in Weimar Germany

• The weimer goverment was challegned by spactacus who wanted to turn comunist but had to rely on free corups

• There 1,000 assassinations

• 1919 to 1922

• Political

• The goverment were dependent

• One major revent was -Kapp Putsch

• The Putsch eventually the workers had public support and callpased the demoncraczy

• Revaled extreme

• Group in germany

Spartacist Uprising, 1919

• The Spartacist League was a German, communist group and theKPD supported their cause.
• Spartscist comes of slave revol
• Was lead byRosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht
• Friedrich Ebert sacked Emil Eichhorn, Berlin's police chief . Eichhorn
• popular with workers that took over by Liebknecht saw this as an opportunity to challenge the Weimar government
• Berlin was in chaos
• Liebknecht encouragesd strike while goveremnt didnt know wwhat to do adn frist was had wekeanded reichwuege

-Freikorups

• Ebert ordered
• Extreeme people where against communists

End

• Fight unmarred comuuntnsut
• January liekneyht

-Kapp Putsch

Freikorps members where against democracy and wanted overethrow

The Freikorps was a right-wing group of German ex-soldiers, from dangerous organisation from Free Corps' in German

After army Extreme Goverment Memvers

• Pusch meant uprising
• They took
• -Berln losst

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-Munic pisch

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• Hitler to began to make speeches as wekeele
• The nAFI GANEH SUPPORTERS BY ARGUN TO ECNAGE TREAT To took to extremism

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