Position:Home>History> Germany in October 1918

I'd like to add a little something to Bearstirringfromcave's and Doc's answers!.

While it is correct that all the German people could see around them that the economy was suffering (close to a quarter million people in Germany would starve to death before the war ended), the government and the newspapers were constantly telling the same story, that the war was going well and victory would shortly be theirs!. For this reason (and because the German high command had assumed dictatorial powers, excluding the parliament or Reichstag), there was absolutely no planning for the parliament to assume responsibility!. In fact, the first the parliament leaders heard different was when the sailors of the fleet in Hamburg erupted in revolt, quickly spreading to the cities, and when General Ludendorff addressed them to report that the war was lost and that he had made arrangements to flee the country!. The Reichstag was being left to hold the bag for the defeated nation, and they would have to make peace with the Allies or see the country conquered and occupied!.

With very little time and absolutely no organization, the Reichstag set itself up as a defacto government and asked the Allied governments for peace!. When the peace treaty was presented to them many months later (after the German army had been already withdrawn from all occupied French and Belgian territory and all defensive positions abandoned), the terms were extremely harsh and they were told "Sign, or else!" the war would be continued within Geman territory while the army continued to evaporte under revolution!. The Reichstag, the only people who actually had NO blame for the defeat, were forced to accept all responsibility for the terrible surrender and excruciating terms!.

As a result of this, EVERYONE in Germany from that moment on would believe that the government was made up exclusively of traitors (the Nazis would shout that the government was made up only of Jewish traitors) who had sabotaged the army and begged for a humiliating peace when the country had been (they believed) only moments from total victory!. From 1919 until 1934 when Hitler was awarded total power, the government would be weak, divided and mistrusted by the people in general, who saw this inefficient gaggle of traitors and became convinced that democracy was the worst form of government that was ever imagined, because they believed it could so easily be manipulated by traitors and profiteers!. Periodically, in times of crisis, the Army would step in and seize power, often kidnapping and murdering legislators it did not appreciate, further heightening the public's sense of disgust with democracy!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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Germany faced a crisis in 1918 - - - - four years of War had left the citizens angry & confused - - - 'this' was suppose to be a short glorious war over & done with by 1915, that date pushed back to 1916 and then 1917 now it was late in 1918 and all seemed lost!. The Allies had successfully blockaded Germany cutting off vital food & material and after years of stalemate on the Western Front suddenly it looked as if the Allied Armies were about to roll over the German Border and into Germany itself!.
The threat was real because of a lack of leadership!. Actually it was the failure of leadership that plunged Germany into Wolrd War and a lack of leadership that prevented Germany from winning the War!. The average German was hungry dispirited, instead of rallying the cuitizens to endure German newspapers reported on shortages & strikes and spread tales of 'fat cats' profittering by their misery, and newspapers which had glorified the German Military in 1914 now spoke of mutiny & desertions as well as gross incompetence among the Generals & Officers, so it seemed that the Allied Armies would easilly smash what was left of the German Army!. There was one hope held out to the German people!. They had heard that the American President was a big fan of Democracy, and so the seed was planted that if the German people threw out the Monarchy and forged a Democratic Government that the Allies would treat them less harshly!. Above all there would be no foreign occupation of Germany and perhaps her pre-war borders would be respected!. That was the hope and so based upon hope the German people accepted a rudimentary Democracy!.
To their credit the Allies did not occupy all of Germany only the Industrialized Ruhr but the subsequent peace terms were harsh, Germany lost land and so the seed was planted that Democray was to be feared & over thrown but that is another story!.

Peace///////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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We should also mention the "Kaiser Offensive!." The war had been extremely brutal, on average, all combatants combined lost about 94,000 men per month!. The German military was losing ground, the best of the best fighter pilots were all gone (while militarily their contributions were almost non-existent, the media turned them into national heroes, giving the masses something/someone to which they could rally!. The leading generals knew they were in a losing situation and so, they opted to name their final big push the "Kaiser Offensive!." In naming it, they gave themselves an out!. If it was a success great!. But should it fail, they (the people) would blame the Kaiser!. It wasn't a bad plan really!. It had been his diplomatic ineptitude that had gotten them into the war and his constant meddling in military matters that had cost them a great deal in fighting the war!.
Add to this, the German high command had planted the seed of revolution in Czarist Russia!. By allowing Lenin to pass safely through the German lines they would watch him turn upside down the Russian war effort which would then allow then to shift the German forces to the Western Front!. As they began moving their troops from East to West, the Germans also announced unrestricted submarine warfare in the Atlantic!. This plan was to cut off the war materiel going to England and France from the U!.S!.!. It was clear that in doing this, they would also draw the Americans into the war!. But it was a calculated risk and they were betting that the Americans would not be able to muster up a viable military presence enough to make a difference!. The American effort was not truly so great that it would bring an immediate cessation to the war, it was however enough to tip the scales and bring a more rapid pace to that end!. Those Germans moving from the Russian front to the West, also brought with them that same fever they'd been able to infect their Russian opponents with -- Revolution!. It spread like a cancer and there was little anyone could do to stop it!.
The Kaiser Offensive failed, the people blamed the Kaiser and ousted him from power and ushered in haste, the Weinmar Republic!. The new constitution could easily be compared to that of Swiss Cheese: full of holes!. It was to say the least, weak!. The war ended and the German military returned home with its tail between its legs!. The people were devastated and bitter!. German pride was on the skids!. Unemployment sky rocketted, and under the strain of reparations demanded in the Varsailles Treaty, the economy would soon tank out!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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