impact of war Germany

• In 1914 Germany was proud, the Kaiser was celebrated and the army was the strongest in the world with businesses flourishing.
• 1918= 600,000 widows and 2 million fatherless children. National income was 1/3 of 1913 and industrial production 2/3 of 1913.
• The sharks of industry made huge profits
• 293,000 died of hypothermia in 1918
• infant mortality increased by 50% in war years
• in the 1918 the Spanish flue had killed 20-40 million and people were in bad living conditions making them susceptible to the disease
• average prices double however wages only rose 50-75%
• The October reform in 1918 where Ludendorff pushed for changes; he wanted a constitutional monarchy to: get the best peace terms from the allies, prevent the outbreak of political revolutionary disturbances and shift the blames away from military leadership.
• 3rd October 1918 Prince Max of Baden was appointed chancellor. He was democratic and well established. Germany into a parliamentary democracy in the next few months which meant: Kaiser gave up his powers over the navy and the Reichstag, the chancellor and government accountable to the Reichstag not the Kaiser and armistice negotiations began.
• The German revolution began when a mutiny of sailors began in Keil, discontent spread and on the 9th November Prince Max announced the Kaiser would abdicate and a new coalition government led by Friedrich Ebert would be formed.
• what is a constitutional monarchy ?

  The monarchy shares power with organised government
• Changes in the Weimar republic?

  all over 20 could vote (including women, very radical for the time), German people were unenthusiastic, Ebert's party won the January 1919 elections.
• Key features of the treaty of versailles?

  lost 10% of land, and all colonies, 12.5% population, 16% coal and 48% iron.
• Land lost in the treaty of versailles?

  Northern Schleswig, Danzig (made free city under the league of nations), Memel was seized by Lithuania in 1920, Eupen Malmedy transferred to Belgium, Saar controlled by the League of nations until 1935, Alsace-Lorraine was given to France after Germany annexed it in 1871. Germany was cut in 2 to give Poland access to the sea and thus being called the polish corridor. Eastern upper Silesia voted to become Polish however Western voted to remain German
• effects on German army

  army was limited to 100,000 men, Navy limited to 6 battleships but allowed no submarines
• Germany had to accept article 231 saying Germany had all war guilt
• Germany had to pay reparations of 6.6 billion marks
• The estimated costs of the war:

  Allies= 29,000 million while Germany was only 8,500 million. Germany lost 2 million soldiers, while the British Empire lost 1 million and France lost 1.3 million
• Germany thought the treaty of Versailles would be based of Woodrow Wilson's 14 points, some including: 'arms reduction', 'self determination' and 'a league of nations to be created' however France was much harsher in punishing Germany due to the catastrophic events of the war which happened in France
• called a 'diktat' treaty as negotiated peace