Transcript Impact of the war on Germany by 1918

Impact of the war
on Germany by
1918
Germany was virtually
bankrupt
National income
was about onethird of what it
had been in
1913
War left 600,000 widows and 2 million
children without fathers – by 1925 the
state was spending about one-third of
its budget in war pensions
© Hodder Murray
Industrial
production
Was two-thirds
of what it had
been in 1913
© Hodder Murray
The war had
deepened divisions
in German society
There were huge gaps between the
living standards of the rich and the
poor
Many German workers were bitter at the
restrictions placed on their earnings
during the war while the factory owners
made vast fortunes from the war.
During the war
women were called
up to work in the
factories. Many
people saw this as
damaging to
traditional family
values and society
as a whole.
Germany had a revolution
and became an unstable
democratic republic
Stresses of war led to a revolution in
October–November 1918
How was Germany´s economy
before the war?
• It was a prosperous country.
In 1914, The German Mark, the British
shilling, the French franc, and the
Italian lira all had about equal value,
and all were exchanged four or five to
the dollar.
• In 1923, at the most
fevered moment of the
German hyperinflation,
$1 = 1 trillion marks
Prices doubled between
1914 and 1919.
What problems did Germany face at the end of
the war?
A. Economic problem:
Germany in bankrupt
British navy blockading Germany´s northern ports and
starving out the nation
Loss of labour power
B. Political problems: Near total disrespect for the
government
C. Social problem:
Many thousands of armed and disillusioned former soldiers
roaming the streets
Civilian population traumatised by the impact of the war.
Anger in Germany over the Treaty of Versailles
Spanish flu.
After Germany lost the First World
War, the Kaiser...
Adbicated
in
1918
• World War One had a devastating impact on Germany.
Throughout World War One, the people of Germany had
been led to believe by their government that they were
winning the war. Government propaganda had been used
to great effect.
• Adolf Hitler along with many German soldiers, was
convinced that Germany was not only winning the war but
was in the process of putting together a major military
assault on Allied lines.
• Only the military leaders such as Luderndorff and
Hindenburg knew the true state of Germany's military
plight
•Kaiser William II - had been forced to abdicate
• The blame was put on weak politicians rather than on
military exhaustion.
Weimar Republic
German history between 1919 and 1933
Democratic republic- constitution