Impact of WWI on Germany

Political Challenges
fighting political opposition from both the left and the right.
fighting

Social Challenges

• huge gap bewteen rich and poor
• women working in factories
• opposition from soldiers

Economic Challenges

• worthless currency
• industry at 66% of normal
• income at 33% of normal
• huge gap between rich and poor

Germany is "Punished" by the Big Three at Versailles

1. Using information and sources on pages 14 - 17, summarize the aims of the three leaders at the Paris Peace Conference.

Georges Clemenceau (France)

Attitude towards Germany:

Clemenceau saw Germany as an ever growing threat to France.

Main Aim:

Even though he personally disagreed with it, public opinion forced him to take a strong stance against Germany, namely, crippling it so it could never attack again.

How he felt about the treaty
He knew that he would need to compromise, but he took the stance anyway.

Woodrow Wilson (United States)

Attitude towards Germany:

He believed it should be punished, but not too harshly.

Main Aim:

To strengthen the democracy in Germany and achieve world peace.

How he felt about the treaty

He saw it as an opportunity to argue his 14 point plan.

David Lloyd George (Great Britain)

Attitude towards Germany:

He believed that Germany should be punished, but not too harshly

Main Aim:

He wanted to punish Germany, but not so much that Germany wants revenge. he also wants to begin a trade relationship with Germany.

How he felt about the treaty:

He saw the treaty as necessary, but didn't want to take it too far.

Main Terms of the Treaty of Versailles against Germany

2. Read pages 18 - 19. Summarize the main terms of the Treaty of Versailles:

War Guilt:

Germany had to take the blame for the war.

Reparations:

Germany had to pay for damages caused by the war, a figure of 6,600 Pounds.

German Territories and Colonies:

Germany's overseas empire was taken away, and were placed under the control of the League of Nations.

Germany's Armed Forces:

The army was limited to 100,000 men, no armored vehicles, subs, or aircraft, only six battleships, no conscription, and the Rhineland became a demilitarized zone.

League of Nations:

The League of Nations was the "International Police Force". Germany was not allowed to join until it showed it was a "peace loving country". 

The German Revolution

1. Using the documents in Chapter 1 as evidence, list the ways in which conditions in Germany worsened during the war.

British Ships had cut off the people from food imports, and due to the cold winter, potatoes were destroyed, forcing people to live off turnips instead. there were many protests, and several were shut down by police brutality.

2. Give two reasons why the war caused such bad conditions for German civilians.

British ships had cut off all trade by sea, and there was a coal shortage.

3. After reading Chapter 2, give two reasons why Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated on November 10, 1918.

Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated for several reasons. The first reason was because none of his generals supported him. The second was because the entire nation had gone through a revolution against him.

4. Using the information you have read in this chapter, give evidence to support the statement that there was "revolution all over Germany."

Almost every city in Germany underwent a revolution against the established order of Kaiser Wilhelm. It all started in the city of Kiel. It then spread throughout Germany.

5. Study the information about the German Socialists in Chapter 2, page 5. What did the three Socialist groups have in common?

All three groups had the same objectives: improving workers' conditions, and giving democratic rights to all Germans.

6. In what ways were the Socialist groups different.

Each of the groups had a different way of completing their objective. The Social Democratic Party wanted to support the government and pass reforms through parliament. The Independent Socialists wanted to oppose the government, forcing it to make reforms through organized strikes. The Spartacists wanted to overthrow the government in a revolution, setting up councils of workers and soldiers.

7. After reading Chapter 3 make a time chart of the events of the German Revolution from Nov. 10, 1918 to Jan. 15, 1919. You should be able to find six events.

November 10, 1918: Friedrich Ebert takes power.

November 12, 1918: Friedrich Ebert issues a statement promising freedom of speech and religion and an 8 hour work day.

December 23, 1918: Friedrich Ebert is taken hostage by 1000 hungry and underpaid sailors.

December 31, 1918: The Spartacists renamed themselves The German Communist Party and decided to work for a revolution.

January 6, 1919: The German Communist Party begins its revolution.

January 10, 1919: Two thousand members of the Free Corps. attacked the German Communist Party in Berlin.

January 15, 1919: The Free Corps. arrest the leaders of the German Communist Party. They are savagely beaten, then executed.

8. At what time would you say the Communists had their best chance of seizing power? Explain your answer.

I think that the weeks preceding December 23, 1918 were the Communists best chance of seizing power. This is because, even though Friedrich Ebert had issued his statement, the people were still hungry and underpaid. If the Communists had used this anger and turned the people against Friedrich Ebert, they could have used them to orchestrate a successful coup.

Russia, 1861-1905

1. List the general goals of the:

a. socialists

The socialists sought the creation of a classless society, thus ending the exploitation of the workers and the working class.
b. liberal reformers

Liberal reformers believed that they could put in place western constitutional practices and the rule of law to solve Russia’s problems and correct the injustices of the past.

2. List three characteristics of serfs' lives.

The serfs were poor, they had to farm the land for the nobles, and they generally uneducated.

3. List four reforms of Tsar Alexander II.

Alexander II created more railways, liberated the serfs, relaxed censorship laws, and introduced jury trials.

4. Why did the populists go "to the people" in 1873-1874?

The populists went "to the people" in an attempt to form a connection with them and gain their support for a coup attempt.

5. List two consequences of the famine of 1891.

More than 500,000 peasants died of famine and disease, and many communities staged small revolutions.

6. Why was Karl Marx important to Russian intellectuals?

Karl Marx argued that through the efforts of the working class, a classless society would develop. His ideas also seemed to explain the causes of the famine.

7. What were the Goals and Methods of the following political groups in early twentieth century Russia? (see page 8 of the reading)
a. Liberal Democrats

Not Mentioned

b. Socialist Revolutionaries

The Socialist Revolutionaries wanted socialize all land and transferring it to the communes, and creating a democratic republic from the ashes of the monarchy.

c. Social Democrats

The Social Democrats wanted to turn Russia into a workers utopia.

8. How did Bloody Sunday change people's attitudes toward the Tsar?

People began to realize that he was an inneffective leader who didn't really care about his people.

9. List four reforms in Tsar Nicholas's October Manifesto.

Expanded civil liberties, a limited monarchy, a legislature elected by universal sufferage, and legalization of trade unions and political parties.

The Seeds of Conflict

1. Define "The West." Make sure you could identify several countries as examples.
The West is the term givent to the capitalist countries of wesern Europe and North America during the Cold War. The USA, Britain, and France were several countries representing the West.

2. Explain the differences in the economic ideology between the West and the USSR.
The West believed that people were entitled to run their own buisnesses and retain the profits, while the USSR believed that the government should sustain and run buisnesses for the benefit of the people.

3. Explain the differences in the political ideology between the West and the USSR.
The USSR believed that political parties were the result of conflicting classes, and so became a single party system. The West valued Democracy, because it granted freedoms such as the freedom to vote, freedom of speech, and free press.

4. What was the Comintern (Communist International) and why did it concern the West.
The Comintern was an organization that was set up by the USSR to aid the collapse of capitalism. Its role was to coordinate communist groups all over the world and support attempts to undermine capitalism by any means nessessary.

5. What occurred during the Russian Civil War (1918-21) that solidified the opposition between the West and the Communists? (Be specific and use key details.)
The Whites (a group of conservative Russians) rebelled against the Bolshevik rule, and Western powers rallied to its aid. They wanted to reverse Lenin's decision to pull out of Germany in WWI, but when WWI ended, support for the Whites died out.