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War & Peace 1918

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Starter

From your prior knowledge, how diddefeat in WWI affect Germany

immediately and in the next fewyears after the war?

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Learning Objectives:

To understand how Germany wasaffected by the First World War

Success Criteria:

To know the impact of the Treaty of

Brest-Litovsk on the warTo understand how defeat imapcted on

the political organisation of Germany

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In January 1918 a series of huge strikesgripped Berlin and other industrialcentres. Munitions factories stopped work.

The strikes had been inspired by the USPD

but because of the size of thedemonstrations (1million + workers), theleadership of the SPD and the tradeunions attempted to seize the initiative.

The strikers wanted: An end to the war More food Democratic rights

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However, the political initiativequickly swung back to themilitary with the settlementthat followed victory in theeast. The type of annexation

Hindenburg and Ludendorffwere keen to see written intothe Treaty of Brest-Litovsk,which was signed by theRussian government in March1918. It handed over to theGermans the regions of Poland,Lithuania, Finland, the Baltic

provinces, part of the Caucasusand the Ukraine. To put thisinto perspective, Germanyseized three-quarters ofRussias coal and iron, virtuallyall of its oil and cotton, and athird of its population.

Bolstered by the victory of thewar in the east, all parties inthe Reichstag except the USPDvoted in favour of the Brest-Litovsk Treaty.

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The Ludendorff Offensive

The military significance of the treaty was that it allowed half a milliontroops to be transferred from the east to the western front inanticipation of the great offensive in order to ensure the Allies wouldwithdraw from the war. However, this was wishful thinking as the Alliesalready had superiority in men and and materials and America had yetto deliver their ful potential of resources.

On 21st March, the Germans unleashed their attack, pushing Allied troops

back considerable distances. By July the had advanced 80 miles andwere spent. They were exhausted, having suffered half a millioncasualties, Ludendorffs last throw of the dice had failed.

The Allies counter-attacked, and by September the German army had beenthrown back to the Hindenburg line. By this point, German morale hadbeen severely dented. Ludendorff described the day of 8th August, whenthe German army was pushed by Amiens by the British, as the blackestday of the German army.

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What was the impact ofdefeat?

The news of the surrender of Bulgaria in late Spetember seems tohave shaken Ludendorff. On 29th September 1918 GeneralLudendorff of the German High Command demanded of hisgovernment that it should enter into armistice talks with the Alliesand the United States. By late 1918, Germany and her allies wereexhausted by four years of bitter war. On 4th October, Prince Maxof Baden was chosen as Chancellor and immediately formed acoalition government, which included members of the Centre andProgressives Parties and the Socialist SPD. It was at this point, andonly at this point, that the Kaiser was prepared to concedeconstitutional change:

Parliament was able to consider foreign and military affairs The vote to the Prussian parliament was to be democratic

Cabinet government was to be recognised by the consitutionPrince Max began the process of negotiations with the Allies and the

United States. Ludendorff resigned his command on 27th Octoberto be succeeded by General Groener.

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The prospect of defeat and peace spaked off mutiny in the naval ports ofWilhelmshaven on 29th Oconer 1918 and Kiel on 2nd November.

The mutiny soon spread to other ports as sailors refused to go to sea to fight theRoyal Navy.

Councils of workers and soldiers (called soviets) were set up in towns and ports,including Rostock, Bremen, Hamburg and Lubeck.

In Munich, a revolt on 8th November headed by socialist Kurt Eisner led to theproclamation of a democratic and socialist republic in Bavaria.

The Allies had demanded as a coalition of an armistice that the Kaiser be forced toabdicate. This call was now taken up by the socialist members of Prince Maxsgovernment. On 10th November the Kaiser slipped into Holland after his abdicationwas announced by Prince Max.

Despite the Kaisers abdication, the leading members of the SPD withdrew theirsupport from Prince Maxs government , and Friedrich Ebert of the SPD became the

chancellor of a new government consiting solely of members of the SPD and USPD.Meanwhile at Compiegne, near Paris, the members of the German armisticecommission was forced to agree stiff ceasefire terms:

The German army was to withdraw east of the Rhine.

The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and the Treaty of Bucharest (Romanias surrender)were to be renounced, and German troops were to be withdrawn from Russia,Romania, Austria-Hungary and Turkey.

Germany was to surrender 150 submarines and a number of large nanval vessles.

On 11th

November German delegates met with representatives of the Allies atCompiegne and signed the armisitce that ended four years of war.

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Unit ReviewWhat have we learned?

How WWI was fought and lost Impact of the war on Home front and how shortages

of labour and raw materials had an impact on the wareffort

Roles of Hindenburg and Ludendorff and how militarygambles did not pay off

How the socialist movement supported the war formuch of its duration

Growth of oppostion and political polaristaion Radicalising of opponents to the war due to labour

and food shortages Only in the last weeks of the war was constitutional

reform seriously offered.

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Timed Essay

14th December Period 1

What factors led to Germany losingWWI when they seemed set to win aseemingly quick military victory?