Impact of war

• Lasting impacts from the war include the Spartacus Uprising, the Great Depression, the Ruhr Crisis, and more
• World War One
• Germany was one of the combatants in World War One
• Most of the war was not fought on German land, but in France and Russia
• Germany was economically ready after the war due to minimal damage to their country
• Germany was seen as the aggressor due to committing war crimes like using gas and bombing civilian targets
• Treaty of Versailles
• Article 231 states that Germany accepts responsibility for causing all loss and damages of the war
• Germany had to accept the war guilt clause declaring responsibility for starting the war
• Impacts of the Treaty of Versailles on Germany:

  • Lost all territory in Europe, cutting off four million people
  • Lost all overseas markets
  • Army was severely reduced to 100,000 soldiers
  • Obliged to pay heavy reparations of 132 billion gold marks
  • Forced to accept the war guilt clause
• Weimar Republic
• The new government that signed the Treaty of Versailles
• Struggled with the aftermath of the war, economic crisis, social divisions, and political weaknesses
• Had to deal with uprisings, divisions between the right and left, and reintroduction of anti-semitism
• Transition period marked by the abdication of the previous king of Germany and the challenges faced by the German people