The consequence of the first world war

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  • Consequences of the First World War
    • Impact on the German People
      • Increasing food shortages caused by a naval blockade
      • The navy disagreed with an armistice and ordered the fleet to sea but it led to a munity
        • This was followed by the establishment of soviets in many German cities
    • Political Impact
      • On 9 November the Kaiser abdicated and power went to a temporary government under Ebert, the leader of the SPD, until a national assembly
        • It appeared as if Germany was on the verge of a revolution
      • Ebert and the SPD did not want a revolution like Russia because it would:
        • Lead to civil war
        • Disrupt demobilisation
        • Disrupt the distribution of food
        • Hinder peace negotiations
      • Ebert was able to prevent a revolution because:
        • He maintained the support of the army by no reformation or new force
        • He kept the support the industrialists, with trade unions so he established a workers' councils and gave them an 8 hour day
        • The working class was divided between the KPD and the SPD
    • Economic Impact
      • The war had a considerable economic impact on Germany with these results in 1918:
        • Industrial production was only two-thirds that of 1913
        • National income was one- third that of 1913
        • There were 600,000 widows and 2 million children without fathers, by 1925 the state spent 1/3 of it's budget on war pensions
    • Social Impact
      • The war deepened divisions within German society, with huge gaps in the living standards between rich and poor
      • There was restrictions placed on workers' earnings during the war
        • Factory owners were able to make large profits
      • During the war many women had worked in factories
        • Some believed this damaged family views
    • The Establishment of a Republic
      • Following the abdication, Ebert signed an armistice which announced the Republic would guarantee:
        • Freedom of speech
        • Freedom of worship
        • Better working conditions
      • The new constitution was a change from the old autocratic system to the new democratic government
        • This led to opposition and the 'stab-in-the-back' myth which claimed people like Ebert used this to prevent Germany from winning the war

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