WW1

Question 1

What is the Burgfriede?

Answer 1

Political truce
- All political parties put differences aside to fully support the war effort

Question 2

What is the Schlieffen plan?

Answer 2

Germany’s plan to avoid prolonged 2 front war
- Involved massive German offensive in Northern France and Belgium to defeat France in 6 weeks, before turning attention to Eastern Front where Russia was likely to be slower to mobilise

Question 3

How did all political parties come together to support the war efforts?

Answer 3

• Laws for necessary loans to finance the war were passed unanimously
  
  • Even SPD promised to support the war (would give them political recognition and increase changes of future German democracy)

Question 4

How did the public feel about the war efforts?

Answer 4

• Public were confident and lulled into false sense of security by military censors and government propaganda as war went on

Question 5

How long did the Burgfriede last?

Answer 5

lasted well over first 2 years. No real opposition from the people or the Reichstag. Critics were few in number

Question 6

Why are people more critical of long term wars compared to short term wars?

Answer 6

Due to the high costs

Question 7

How did the socialists help the war efforts?

Answer 7

• Trade unions refrained from striking, SPD voted for war credits in the Reichstag and the parties agreed not to criticise the government and the war

Question 8

Why did the SPD support the war efforts?

Answer 8

SPD believed was their patriotic duty to support the war, afraid of government repression if they protested + hoped to achieve political reform after war by cooperating with government

Question 9

What was the small example of rebellion from the SPD against the Burgfriede?

Answer 9

• Karl Liebknecht was the only SPD member in parliament to vote against war credits, Otto Ruhle joined him later

Resistance to Burgfriede politics led to the expulsion of Liebknecht (only SPD member of parliament who voted against war credits), going onto found Spartacist League, Independant Social Democratic Party of Germany, Communist Party of Germany.

Question 10

How did SPD rebellion change over the course of the war?

Answer 10

Over course of war, number of SPD politicians opposing increased

Question 11

Who did Italy side with in the war?

Answer 11

part of Triple alliance (Germany, Austria, Hungary)
- But came against Germany with the allies- didn’t like war

Question 12

Who did America side with in the war?

Answer 12

Isolationist Americans
- Changes by WW2 but didn’t really have a standing army by 1917

Question 13

Who do Conservative Nationalists hand power over to?

Answer 13

The socialists

Question 14

Why was the handing of power to the Socialists beneficial to the Conservatives?

Answer 14

they have to make reforms which is easy to criticise and therefore blame the socialists for the loss of war

Question 15

What happened in Germany during the war as a result of industrialisation and globalisation?

Answer 15

• Couldn’t feed itself, Germany relied on import from USA

Question 16

What was a problem with allowing merchant ships into Germany?

Answer 16

Some boats disguised as merchant ships

Question 17

How did Germany try to solve the issue of disguised Merchant ships?

Answer 17

Therefore in 1915, declared Germany could sink any ship by submarines

7th May 1915
Sunk HMS Lusitania by German Submarines
- 1198 dead

Question 18

How did the British and American’s feel about the war?

Answer 18

British felt the Americans had to declare war on Germany
US President Woodrow Wilson refused to over react

Question 19

What helped push the Americas to support the allies?

Answer 19

A German decision on 9th September 1915 stated attacks were only allowed on ships that were definitely British, and no attacks on passenger liners were to be permitted at all

Question 20

What was the Treaty of Brest Litosvk + its importance to Germany?

Answer 20

• Under treaty, Russia lost Riga, Lithuania, Livonia, Estonia and some of White Russia
  
  • Areas had great economic importance as were some of the most fertile farming areas in Western Russia
  • Germany was allowed by terms of the treaty to exploit these lands to support her military effort in the West

Question 21

Why did Germany lose WW1?

Answer 21

Failure to achieve rapid victory in 1914
- No guarantee of success with Schlieffen Plan (relying on it to win)
Stalemate put too much pressure on Imperial Germany, not prepared for prolonged war
Strengths of allies (British and French empires, addition of USA etc)
Limitations to the German War economy.
- Government finances wrecked and social tension increased as war went on
Casualty count

Question 22

What does Siegfriede mean?

Answer 22

‘Victory peace’

Question 23

What were Germany’s War Aims?

Answer 23

Siegfriede
Peace without victory

Question 24

What was Siegfriede?

Answer 24

• Germany would use position of strength to win control over Europe
  
  • Ideas supported by many political parties (except SPD), most of middle and upper class
  • Some saw it as the only way to maintain peace and stability at home

Question 25

What was Peace without Victory?

Answer 25

- Germany was fighting a purely defensive war and not one aimed at conquest - View mostly held by SPD - Peace should be based on compromise and reconciliation - No territorial gains wanted or needed

Question 26

What is mobilisation?

Answer 26

CALLING FOR BACKUP

Question 27

What were reasons for growing divisions in Germany?

Answer 27

Worsening conditions in Germany - Food shortages, poor living conditions, civilian deaths, criticisms of war began to show Entry of USA into war in April 1917 - Not natural enemy for those who wanted greater democracy in Germany - Added to feeling that war couldn't be won Russian revolution was an inspiration to the discontented and those opposed to war

Question 28

Why did Germany need Mobilisation?

Answer 28

- Made war for Germany, not for Russia - Threatening the Schlieffen plan, so Germany is out of time to conquer France

Question 29

What happened in August 1914?

Answer 29

War begins. Germany begins war against Russia, France, Britain and other European countries. Italy and the US declare neutrality. Germany signs alliance treaty with Turkish Ottoman Empire. By late August the Allies were in retreat.

Question 30

What happened in September 1914?

Answer 30

The British bolster the French and Belgian lines, and Russia is quicker to mobilise than anticipated. Moltke makes some changes to the Schlieffen plan. The Battle of the Marne ends in a German retreat. Moltke has a nervous breakdown and is replaced by Falkenhayn. War appears to be at a stalemate.

Question 31

What happened in Feb 1915?

Answer 31

In response to Britain’s naval blockade which severely limited Germany’s ability to import raw materials and food, Germany begins policy of unrestricted submarine warfare – sinking all ships bound for Britain irrespective of their nationality.

Question 32

What happened in September 1915?

Answer 32

Sinking of the passenger liner Lusitania with the loss of 1098 lives. Policy of unrestricted submarine warfare dropped.

Question 33

What happened Mid-1916?

Answer 33

Battles of Verdun and the Somme. Both Germany and the Allies suffer heavy losses and neither wins and decisive victory.

Question 34

What happened in August 1916?

Answer 34

Failures on the Western Front lead to Falkenhayn’s dismissal. Replaced by Hindenburg and Ludendorff, who were determined to win the war but were unable to offer any new military strategy.

Question 35

What happened in February 1917?

Answer 35

Unrestricted submarine warfare restarted, despite objections from Bethmann-Hollweg (he was too politically isolated by this point to offer effective opposition). Britain introduces convoy system to successfully reduce the losses, minimising the impact of the German attacks.

Question 36

What happened in April 1917?

Answer 36

Entry of the US into the war.

Question 37

What happened July 1917?

Answer 37

Centre Party deputy Matthias Erzberger calls for a negotiated peace without territorial gains. The Reichstag passed the Peace Resolution by 212 votes to 126. This led to the resignation of Bethmann-Hollwegg, but made little impact on the Supreme Army Command.

Question 38

What happened in March 1918?

Answer 38

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. The establishment of a Bolshevik regime in Russia following the revolution of November 1917 resulted in Russia seeking an armistice with Germany. Under this treaty, Germany annexed Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, and Russia had to pay 3 billion roubles reparations. War in the east ended.

Question 39

What happened in the Spring of 1918?

Answer 39

‘Ludendorff offensive’ in the West makes considerable progress, but Allied lines never decisively broken. German Supreme Command still kept 1.5 million men on the Eastern Front to maintain control over the gained territory.

Question 40

What happened on August 8th 1918?

Answer 40

‘Black day’ of the German army. Allies counter-attack with assistance of fresh US troops, and German army begin retreat. By mid-September the final German defensive positions had been broken and Germany faced real possibility of invasion in the south.

Question 41

What happened on the 29th September 1918?

Answer 41

Hindenburg and Ludendorff advised Kaiser that Germany must request an armistice. The war had been lost.

Question 42

What happened in November 1918?

Answer 42

Kaiser abdicates. Armistice signed.

Question 43

When did Germany have the greatest chance of Victory?

Answer 43

1914

Question 44

When did the Burgfriede begin to break down?

Answer 44

When the war began to go on for longer than what it was supposed to. Crumbling in 1916, split in 1917

Question 45

Who did the German people blame for the loss of the war?

Answer 45

Some people blame the Kaiser Some people blame those that stopped the war, should’ve continued fighting Depends if they are nationalist Some blame socialists + communists, which stabbed Germany in the back by betraying Germany Blamed the Jews as a scapegoat- extreme right views blame religious groups