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Political authority 1914 - 1929 - Coggle Diagram
Political authority 1914 - 1929
Political change and breakdown by 1918
Reasons why Germany lost the war
Fighting on two fronts
Poor German leadership - Kaiser abdicated all responsibility onto Hindenburg 1916. Arguably allowed military dictatorship
USA's entry into the war
Effects of the British blockage
Failure of the Schlieffen Plan
Germany military mistakes
Naval weaknesses
domestic political instability
domestic shortages
Germany lacked the resources of an empire
Political breakdown
Increasing popular disturbances, strikes, and clamours for peace
calls for reform of German constitution, and of the government of Prussia and Lander
escalated after 'turnip winter' 1916
escalated after Russian revolutions 1917 - establishment of communist government by Bolsheviks
Split in SPD April 1917
breakaway minority formed Independent Social Democratic Party with a commitment to end the war
Spatacists broke away 1916
founded by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht
opposed war and aimed to redistribute wealth
'peace resolution' 1917
first direct Reichstag intervention into war
proposed by Matthias Erzberger (left of Zentrum)
called for end to war, without annexations
passed by 212 votes to 126 - SPD, USPD, Zentrum voted in favour, Conservatives against
Bethmann Hollweg replaced by George Michaelis
persuaded Reichstag to vote for more war credits
Michaelis removed Nov 1917
Fatherland party 'Vaterlandspartei'
established under Wolfgang Kapp and Admiral Tirpitz
supported by donations from industry Sep 1917
attracted conservatives, right-wing liberals, middle class, and army high command
1918 - party grown to 1.2 million members
appointment of Count von Hertling 1917
promised to reform the Prussian three-stage franchise and seek peace resolution
Ludendorff suggested Chancellor seek armistice based on Wilson's '
fourteen points'
The 1918 revolution
Revolution from above
30th September
- Kaiser accepted Hertlings resignation and proclaimed a parliamentary gov
1st Oct
- Prince Max von Baden (moderate conservative) forms gov with ministers from Reichstag. representatives from majority parties incl SPD
3rd Oct
- Max asked Pres Wilson for armistice based on fourteen points
24th Oct
- Wilson would only accept a total surrender as Germany was an 'autocratic dictatorshp.) Increased calls from SPD, USPD and Zentrum for removal of Kaiser
26th Oct
- Ludenhorff forced to resign after tried to order army generals to resist surrender
28th Oct
- Germany became parliamentary monarchy with the agreeent of Bundesrat and Emperor
Chancellot of ministers were to be responsible to Reichstag as well as Bundesrat
Kaiser's powers over army and navy were curtailed and all military appointments were to have the counter-signiture of minister of war
Prussian three class-voting system was abolished and parliamentary reforms introduced in a number of lander
Revolution from below
29/30th Oct - Kiel Mutiny.
Naval crews refused to make suicidal attack against British ships blockading North Sea Ports. Sailors raised communist flag & mutiny spread
Karl Liebknecht (spartacists) called on soliders, workers and other sailors to begin a communist revolution.
3rd Novembe
r - High Seas Fleet at Kiel mutinied: eight soliders dead and others injured
4th Nov
- Kiel held by 40,000 rebellious soliders, sailors and workers
6th Nov onwards
- elected councils of workers, sailors and soliders modelled after the 'soviets' set up in Russia 1917, were established in several major cities, establishing military and civil control
7th Nov
- King of Bavaria fled and independent socialist Republic proclaimed
9th Nov
- workers and soliders councils formed in Berlin, police headquaters occupied, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators. Schiedemann (SPD leader) procalimed republic from Reichstag window. Liebknecjt procalimed 'workers republic' in Berlin
Prince Max announced Kaiser's abdication and transferred authority to SPD leader Freidrich Ebert to create sense of legitimacy. Kasier left for Holland
'people's revolution'
establishment of socialist republic
not as revokutionary as upper and middle classes feared
Sparacus League - barley 1000 members
The establishment of democratic government in the Weimar constitution
The political authority of WW1 on Germany
'Burgfriede' - political truce
all parties - including SPD - pledged to support war effort
trade unions promised not to disrupt wartime production by strike action
unanimous Reichstag vote to grant war credits
Siegfriede
1915 Pan-German propaganda encouraged support
land annexations that would establish Germany's supremacy in Europe
promised acquisition of new farming land in the East (Poland, Ukraine,) industrial sites in West, (Belgium,) and colonies in Afria
supported by artistocrats, middle class
Bethmann Hollweg issues a 'prgramme' to this effect Sep 1914, until 1917 majority in Reichstag supported actions
SPD opposed, anti war feelings grew from 1916.
1916 - attempted to bring socialists 'on side' with war by persuading Wilhlem II to promise to reform Prussian constitution