The impact of the First World War
Recap
The First World War began in August 1914. Germany and Austria went to war against France, Britain, Russia, Belgium and Serbia. More countries joined over the next four years.
Timeline: Germany’s reaction during the war
| 1914 (what Germany was like before the war and in the early stages) |
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| 1915-16 (a huge social change, especially in attitudes towards war) |
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| 1917-18 (the country becomes more politically unstable as the Kaiser begins to lose his authority) |
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How was Germany affected by WWI?
- British blockade - the British navy stopped supply ships getting to Germany. This caused terrible food shortages; food was rationed and prices rose quickly. There were also shortages of clothes, medicine and fuel, and power cuts as coal ran short. The average adult was living on 1,000 calories a day - half the amount needed for a healthy diet.
- Disease - in 1918, Spanish flu swept across Europe. Nearly half a million German citizens and 200,000 German soldiers died of it. The food shortages had made them too weak to fight the disease.
- War weariness - people turned against the Kaiser and the government. In 1915, 500 women gathered outside the Reichstag demanding their men back from the trenches. In 1916, 10,000 workers protested in Berlin, shouting "Down with war, down with the government!"
- Unexpected defeat - in October 1918, General Ludendorff told politicians Germany could never win. Only the Kaiser could end the war, but he ignored advice and fought on. When Germany lost, people were shocked and humiliated, as they hadn’t known how badly the war was going.
- Mutiny and revolution - support for the Socialists and Communists grew, and people talked of revolution (a complete change of government). Even some soldiers refused to fight.
Key words
- Mutiny - refusing to follow orders
- Republic - a country with no king or queen, usually ruled by a president
- Abdicated - gave up the throne
- Armistice - a truce; an agreement to stop fighting
- Blockade - sealing off a place to stop goods or people from entering or leaving
Defeat and the end of the monarchy
By autumn 1918, it was clear that Germany would lose the war. A British naval blockade had led to severe food shortages. In 1918, 293,000 Germans died from starvation and hypothermia.
28th October 1918: The German navy mutinied at their base in Kiel. The mutiny spread. Soldiers sent to deal with protests also joined the sailors and workers. In just 6 days, workers’ and soldiers’ councils were governing towns and cities all over Germany. The Kaiser realised he had lost control. His army generals refused to support him.
9th November 1918: The Kaiser abdicated and secretly left Germany for Holland, never to return. Ebert, the leader of Germany’s largest political party (the SPD), took over Germany temporarily. He promised to hold elections and ended the war.
11th November 1918: Germany surrendered. The armistice was signed at 5am in a railway carriage at Compiègne, France, and the guns stopped at 11am. The First World War was over.
Why did the German people feel "stabbed in the back"?
Two days after the Kaiser left, the new government led by Ebert signed the armistice. Because they had surrendered, Germany would later have to accept the blame for the war and face punishments. Many Germans hadn’t known how badly the war was going, so they felt betrayed by the politicians who surrendered and called them the "November Criminals".
The impact of the war
If you get a question on the impact of the war, try to discuss the social/political/economic impact. Use the evidence below. Make sure you EXPLAIN how they would have affected Germany.
| Virtually bankrupt (economic) | Society divided further (social) | Politically unstable (political) |
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Exam tip: "In what ways..." [8 marks]
e.g. In what ways were people in Germany affected by WWI in the years 1914-1918? Focus on change: what was life like before, and how did it change? Write two PEE paragraphs, each on a different way (political, social or economic):
- Point - One way the war affected the lives of people in Germany was...
- Explain - This affected people’s lives because... (say what life was like before; at least 3 sentences)
- Evidence - For example... (at least 3 sentences of facts)