birth of a democratic germany

what did the German nation appear to be at the onset of WW1?

it appeared to be politically and socially united in a way that hadn’t been achieved since its foundation

past 1916, what happened to the German nation?

the old fractures in the German system began to show

how did these fractures begin to show?

worker strikes and class divisions accentuated by arguments concerning Germany’s war aims and heightened by starvation became much more prominent.

by August 1918, what was evident?

that Germany had lost the war

why did the military leadership implement political reform?

to ensure that a revolution didn’t happen

who was the first chancellor of the Weimar government?

Friedrich Ebert

what did WWI bring an end to in Germany?

a long period of peace and economic growth that stretched back to 1871

what was the reaction of the German people to the first world war?

there was a strong patriotic feeling, however this was also mixed with anxiety at the economic consequences of the war - many people hoarded food and withdrew savings

what overall did the war seem to do in regards to German society?

at the start of the war, it seemed to erase many of the divisions that still plagued Germany at this point.

what was the largest party in the Reichstag in 1912?

the SPD.

how did the German elite view the popularity of the Reichstag?

they viewed it with considerable alarm, as the SPD went against the social order

what were the Kaiser and his government concerned that the SPD might not do?

they were concerned that the SPD might not support the war

what were the Kaiser and his government planning to do to destroy the threat that the SPD might have posed to the beginning of the war?

they were planning to arrest SPD members and close down socialist newspapers

instead, what did the SPD do?

the SPD acknowledged that war was necessary as a German defence against the repressive Tsarist regime of Russia.

on the 4th August 1914, what did the SPD vote for?

they voted for war credits. 

what was the spiritual and political togetherness that war created known as?

Burgfriede

what did Burgfriede mean?

Germany had supposedly swept away the old divisions emanating from 1871 and had instead forged a new unity founded on patriotic fervour.

what was the Kaiser’s statement after the war credit vote which backed up the policy of Burgfriede?

‘I know no parties anymore, only Germans.’

what did the German High Command do that helped Burgfriede stay strong for the first two years of the war?

they ensured only positive news about the war was available in Germany

in 1916, how was the war progressing in Germany?

it had undergone some significant military failures, particularly on the Western front. 

by winter 1916, how was the war impacting the social divisions?

the war was beginning to reopen the key divisions within German society that were present before 1914

what divisions in Germany became worse than before 1914 in this period?

the divisions between the rural and urban areas of Germany

what led to rising food prices and growing shortages ?

an allied naval blockade, combined with the depletion of agricultural workers and the military requisitioning of food, accentuated by poor government policies

what did the government do in 1915 which led to a meat shortage and the high price of meat?

the government had killed 35% of the country’s pigs in order to save grain.

what did the very cold winter of 1916 - 1917 result in?

the failure of the potato crop and what was then named the ‘Turnip Winter’

what did the food shortages lead to?

it split rural and urban areas of Germany - starving urban populations believed that rural areas were hoarding food and were able to live off their own animals and produce, whereas rural areas were angry at the labour shortages they faced and the growing prices associated with farming and the government’s searches for possible hidden food.

what did the poor diet lead to a considerable rise in among the population?

a growth in malnourishment, disease and rising mortality rates among the young and ederly

during WW1, how many Germans died of diseases related to starvation?

750,000