Social and economic effects of WWI on Germany

Social

1.      Revolution against the old regime broke out in Germany even before the armistice was signed.

a.       Sailors in north Germany mutinied and took over the town of Kiel.

                                                              i.      This triggered other revolts and socialist uprisings of workers and soldiers.

                                                                                i.            In Bavaria, an independent socialist republic was declared.

b.      The Kaiser abdicated his throne and fled to Holland on November 9 1918.

2.      Germany signed the November armistice because they thought it would be modelled after Wilson’s Fourteen Points.

a.       In reality the terms of the armistice were tough, for example: Germans had to evacuate all occupied territory including Alsace-Lorraine; and they had to lose all their submarines, much of their surface fleet and their air force.

b.      Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg commented as a result, “The German Army was stabbed in the back.”

                                                              i.      Blame was put on ‘internal’ enemies—Jews, socialists, and communists. This was based on their attempts at revolution before the armistice was signed.

3.      Results of Versailles

a.       Clause 231, the War Guilt Clause.

                                                              i.      This clause allowed moral justification for other terms of the treaty.

                                                            ii.      The Germans hated this clause because they thought all nations should take some responsibility for outbreak of the war.

b.      Versailles was seen as a diktat by the German people.

                                                              i.      Animosity grew because Germans felt the treaty was too harsh. Furthermore, they felt cheated because the Treaty did not reflect Wilson’s Fourteen Points.

c.       The Germany army could not have more than 100 000.

                                                              i.      Germans thought this was unfair and a small army could not defend themselves against further invasion. The German Navy sank its own fleet at Scapa Flow in Scotland in protest.

                                                            ii.      Traditionally the Germans were very proud of their army so this clause angered them.

4.      By the end of the war, 1.7 million men died and 4.2 million were wounded.

5.      Those who signed Treaty became known as the “November Criminals”

Economic

1.      The war effort cost Germany $37 775 000 000.

2.      By the end of the war Germany lost 187 000 tons in merchant shipping.

3.      Territorial losses by the Treaty of Versailles resulted in loss of industry.  The loss of industry meant that Germany had no means of paying for its huge reparations. It was also a severe blow to rebuild her economy

a.       Alsace-Lorraine was claimed by France.

                                                              i.      This was an important industrial area.

b.      The Saar was claimed by France.

                                                              i.      This was a coal-rich area. Also its seizure displaced a large German population.

c.       Eupen and Malmedy were claimed by Belgium.

                                                              i.      This area was rich in coal and iron.

4.      Anschluss was forbidden between Germany and Austria.

a.       This was seen as an attempt to keep her economic potential to a minimum

5.      Reparations were sat at £6,600 million.

a.       It seemed clear to Germany that allies wanted nothing else but to bankrupt her.

6.      In 1922 Germans signed the Treaty of Rapallo with Russia.

a.       Poor economic conditions bred cooperation between Germany and Russia.

7.      Hyperinflation due to inability to pay reparations reached its height in 1923.

a.       Bread cost upwards of 1,000,000 marks

How the Fourteen Points were Ignored
Fourteen Points	Treaty of Versailles
Open Diplomacy	The ‘Big Three’ made all the decisions at Versailles, so the treaty was a ‘diktat’.
Freedom of the Seas	Germany could not enjoy freedom of navigation because her navy was so reduced.
Multilateral disarmament	Only Germany disarmed at Versailles. It was enforced unilateral disarmament. Also, to humiliate Germany further, she had to build ships for the Allies (Allies rearmed)
National-Self Determination	NSD was applied unfairly at Versailles, e.g. Poland. Poland was given Posen-West Prussia, and therefore, the Germans on this land were now under foreign rule. Also the Anschluss of Germany and Austria was not allowed, and so the German speakers in these lands were denied NSD.

JM Keynes, The Economic Consequences of the Peace (1919).
Versailles was a “Carthaginian peace.”
“…by aiming at the destruction of the economic life of Germany it threatens the health and prosperity of the Allies themselves.”

WH Dawson, Germany under the Treaty (1933).
Germany’s borders “are literally bleeding. From them oozes out the lifeblood, physical, spiritual and material of large populations.” Germany lost 6 million of its people due to territorial losses.

WR Keylor, The Twentieth Century World and Beyond (2006).
“…the Treaty of Versailles proved to be a failure… because it was never put into full effect.”

Sun Tzu, The Art of War (unknown date, 6^th century BC).
“So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak.”

“War makes thieves and peace hangs them.”  George Herbert, English poet.