What was the impact of

WWI on Germany 1914 –

1918?

Key Questions
What were the social & economic
effects in Germany of WWI?
How did the war polarise Germany
politically?
 Starter
Use just 5 words to demonstrate
German feeling on the eve of war in
Europe in 1914.

Now, use 5 words to describe the

feelings 4 years later.
 Learning Objectives:
To understand how Germany was
affected by the First World War

Success Criteria:
To ascertain what the main problems
for Germany were in two areas: War
plans & Home Front
What does this image show us
about the German experience
of war?

Triptychon Der Krieg (War Triptych) by Otto Dix, painted between

1929 & 32
 Overview
WWI was a catastrophic event for Germany. The beginning
of the war in 1914 was welcomed by a broad spectrum
of public and political opinion in the country. However,
the war effort was managed by a chaotic bureaucratic
system which highlighted Germany’s shortcomings.
Huge casualties drained morale as did food shortages at
home. Strikes and a restless Reichstag challenged the
military leadership of Hindenburg & Ludendorff. The last
two years of war were marked by growing political
polarisation. By 1918, the nation was exhausted by war
and faced defeat.
German reaction to the
outbreak of war

Odeonsplatz, Munich, 2nd August 1914

Initially, the feeling around Germany as war approached was one of
dread leading to huge demonstrations against this course of action.
However, once war had broken out and the Government portrayed it
as a defensive action against Slav agression, the mood changed.
On the 4th August, the Kaiser addressed the nation, summarising his
feelings of national unity said
‘I know no parties any more, only Germans’.
To the relief of the political nation, the socialists also fell into line. The
political divisions of the pre-war era were over. On the same day as
the Kaisers announcement, the Reichstag also passed an enabling act
known as Burgfrieden. The terms of this act were to reinforce the pre-
war institutional structures rather than challenge them, although
there were some differences.
The Reichstag delegated all of its legislative powers to the Bundesrat,
which was to rule the Home front by emergency legislation. The
Reichstag had the power to review that legislation, but not once in the
duration of the war, and 800 laws, did it change anything.
The War Ministry took over the bureaucratic function of running the war,
which very much strengthened the hand of traditional bureaucracy.
Corporations were set up under the control of the War Materials Section
of the War Ministry to ensure the supply of raw materials for the war
effort. Also under the wing of the War Ministry, the War Committee for
German Industry advised the bureaucrats on industrial policy. Despite
this raftof initiatives, most enterprises stayed in private hands for the
duration of the war because it was felt the economy would be more
efficiently run that way.
 War 1914
On the night of August 4th the Germans launched the Schlieffen Plan.
Throughout August the German armies made strong progress,
advancing through Belgium and all but wiping out the British
Expeditionary Force. However, the advance slowed as supplies failed
to keep up with the armies progress, limiting the effects of the
Schlieffen Plan.
In the East, they won two great battles at Tannenburg & the Masurian
Lakes, under the command of Hindenburg & Ludendorff.
The defining moment came at the end of Sept. At the first battle of the
Marne the German armies were halted within shelling distance of
Paris. They withdrew to the River Alsne and started to dig in. For the
rest of the year, both sides attempted to outflank each other. The
result was a stalemate: hundreds of miles of trenches and around
650,000 German casualties on both fronts by the end of 1914.
Germany’s best opportunity for military victory had passed.
 War 1915
• With the Schlieffen Plan a failure, new Chief Commander of
the General Staff, Erich von Falkenhayn, had the responsibility
to devise an alternative strategy.
• He knew that fighting on two fronts was a war Germany could
not win.
• The decision was to win a decisive victory on either of the
fronts and it was chosen to be the east.
• While successful victories over the Russian army forced them
back 250 miles it was not enough to put them out of the war.
• On the western front, the Allies had suffered greatly for little
gain and Falkenhayn saw that German victory lay in knocking
the British out of the war using an aggressive submarine
campaign. Eventhough the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915
drew America closer to the war.
• At the end of 1915, German troops were stretched across
Europe and deployed in Asia & Africa.
 Questions
1. After two years of war, what military
problems did Germany face for the
future?
2. Why did the Schlieffen plan fail?
 Food
The German war effort was hampered throughout by the
shortage of raw materials and consumer basics. On
the 4th Feb 1915, the German government announced
a submarine blockade of Britain. The British responded
by ordering the Royal Navy to sieze all goods
presumed to be destined for Germany.
Germany was not self-sufficient and imported 25% of
what it consumed.
With the military taking priority meant suppiles to the
cities were hit. The states response was to assume
control for the regulation and distribution of food.
 German responses
• In Jan 1915, the Imperial Grain Corporation was set up to
administer the rationing and distribution of grain.
• This was followed by the creation of over 40 different Imperial
Corporations who competed with federal, state and regional
governments to administer the food supply.
• To try to bring order, the War Food Office was set up in 1916 but
they did not have the power to exert control over all the other
organisations and agencies.
• The chaos that ensued, led to counter-productive decsisions
being made.
• In early 1915, the bureaucracy decided to kill 9million pigs,
primarily because they were a major cosumer of grain. The
consequences were less pork and less fertiliser, both of which
were to have a damaging effect on food production.
 Shortages
• There was also a shortage of labour in the countryside.
• Mobilisation in 1914 led to a loss of a third of its workforce and
by the end of 1914 around half its workforce had been called up,
impacting further on the production of grain.
• The conservative nature of the state meant they did not
consider using women to remedy this problem and they were
not conscripted to work.
• This didn’t mean they didn’t work. By the end of the war, a third
of all industrial workers were women who sought work in
indusrty due to better pay.
• In Jan 1915, the state introduced the rationing of bread and
other items soon followed. This led to the introduction of Ersatz
(substitute) goods.
• Ersatz Coffee – Tree Bark; Ersatz Sausages – No meat.
• Those who lived in the countryside suffered no immediate
effects due tot their access to food. For urban Germans, the
black market provided some relief.
• Added problems were shortages in animal fats (government took
them for the manufacture of glycerin for explosives).
 Task:
Put yourself in the position of civil
servants running the Home Front in
Germany during 1915.

1. From your point of view, what are

the main problems facing Germany?
2. What could you do about them?
 Plenary
Draw a flow chart mapping out the war
so far for Germany highlighting
successes and problems for the
years 1914 & 1915.