WW1 Home Front Flashcards
(79 cards)
What are problems with the continuation of the German warfront longer than expected?
Maintaining the food supply- there is a smaller agricultural industry already as Germany has developed their mechanical side etc, tends to import food (trickier during war)
Smaller workforce as people continue to join the army
What are the main issues of economic strain on Germany?
Raw material shortage due to British Naval blockage
Industrial Labour Shortage
Trade unions
Grain Shortage
Bureaucratic mess
Other Food Shortages
Financing the War
What cannot Germany do about the Raw material shortage due to British Naval blockage?
- Cannot attack as they already loss naval arms race. British are too powerful, cannot risk losing ships and giving them opportunity for invasion
- Raw materials cannot be taken from households and businesses as people will become unhappy and won’t keep them united, more likely the war will not be tolerated and last less
Cannot rely on using France’s resources as the Schlieffen plan failed
- Raw materials cannot be taken from households and businesses as people will become unhappy and won’t keep them united, more likely the war will not be tolerated and last less
What did Germany do to resolve the Raw material shortage due to British Naval blockage?
Set up separate organisation to sort out the issue- Kreigsrohstoffabteilung, War Raw Materials Department
What did the Kreigsrohstoffabteilung, War Raw Materials Department do?
- Oversaw range of companies with aim of acquiring storing and distributing vital raw materials
- Established chemical section to department to manage supply of nitrates
Why didn’t Germany use the women to fill the Industrial labour shortage?
German’s don’t believe women are worthy to work- Conservative ideals of German society,
What did Germany do to resolve the Industrial Labour Shortage?
Created the December 1916 Auxiliary Service Laws to force all other men into work- essentially forces labour
Local bodies responsible to sort out local labour issues
Increase working hours and make existing work force work harder
What is the December 1916 Auxiliary Service Laws?
law for all German males aged 17-60 to work for the war effort if required
- Lack of work force as many men were already employed or in the army
- Working hours increased
- Local War Board were created made up of representatives of management and labour to deal with production
- Pre war Germany was too conservative to consider mass mobilisation of women
By end of war, around 1/3 of industrial workers were women, mainly women who were already working other job (ie domestic service), not those previously unemployed
Why couldn’t the German government use propaganda against the Trade Unions?
Cannot use propaganda- German people are beginning to challenge the ideas spread by the government
What did Germany do to resolve issues with the Trade Unions?
Concessions were made to trade unions
- Given rights to collective bargaining
- Union official was allowed to sit on boards that designated workers to various factories
- Arbitrations boards were set up to mediate in companies with over 50 employees
What were the cons of giving rights to Trade Unions?
It makes production less efficient
What did Germany do to resolve the grain shortage?
Set up several government bodies ie the Imperial Grain Corporation 1915 to deal with distribution and rationing of different foods, more attention on each type of food and the specific issues found
Why may rationing not be as effective?
Rationing may not be as effective as it is being put in place later in the war (as the war wasn’t expected to last this long)
Why wasn’t the food distribution and rationing measures equal and effective?
Wealthier Germans still had more access to food as they had more money, could access more things on the black market that poorer Germans couldn’t
What is the Imperial Grain Corporation- January 1915?
- 40 different bodies set up by Bundesrat to administer rationing + distribution of food
- Competed with federal, state and regional governments to administer food supply
- Government wanted more men to go and work in agriculture, but there was no men left (all in the work force or army force already)
What did Germany aim for after getting themselves into a Bureaucratic mess?
Concerned about morale and keeping a united Germany
What did Germany do to resolve their Bureaucratic mess?
Created one central body, the War Nutrition Office, to deal with it, rather than many others
What were issues of their Bureaucratic mess?
Problem as lack of grain, so 9 million pigs were slaughtered with lack of feed
Led to pork and fertiliser shortage
What is the War Nutrition Office?
Set up in 1916 to deal with the mess of earlier corporations, had powers to exert control over all other agencies
What was the cause of other food shortages?
1916-17 poor weather, cold winter-> failed potato crop
What did Germany do to resolve the other food shortages?
Introduced rationing
Encouraged people to find alternatives to staples (Ersatz)
Set prices for food
Get powerful agricultural landowners to agree to let government to regulate food supply
When was rationing introduced?
Rationing for bread was introduced in January 1915, followed by other foods
What alternatives were found for food?
People found alternative s(Ersatz) for certain foods
Ie Ersatz coffee made from tree bark
Turnips usually used as animal fodder, but eventually replaces potatoes in winter of 1916-17- known as Turnip Winter
What happened when the Government tried to regulate food prices?
Prices set for food, government attempted to regulate supply, but powerful agricultural lobby resisted, measures were inadequate
