ANALYZING GERMANYS DEFEAT What were Germanys weaknesses and

ANALYZING GERMANY’S DEFEAT What were Germany’s weaknesses and failures in relation to the Allies strengths and successes?

GERMANY • Overconfident- gambles that didn’t pay off • Schlieffen Plan (quick victory) • Verdun (wear down the Fr/GB forces) • Unrestricted submarine warfare • How did these go wrong? What effects did their failure have? • Weak allies • Sept – Oct. , 1918: Bulgaria + Serbia + Austria + Ottomans fall/surrender

• Failure of Ludendorff Offensive • supply issues, low morale/will to fight, loss of manpower • German army in 1918 “broken” from strain, hopelessness • + Spanish flu • “desperate desire for peace” in October • “No reliance can be put on the troops any longer. . . The High Command the German Army are finished. ” • Homefront in Germany • Poor economic situation push for revolution (why? econ + milit failures) • Role of Allied blockade • German gov. not efficient at organizing nation for war • Supply issues + lack of effort to provide for civilians • AG production down

THE ALLIES • In a nutshell- more men and more resources • War of attrition benefitted Allies • Maintaining control of the sea • German blockade • Convoy system • Mobilization of Fr/GB economies

• Spring, 1918 counter-offensive success • Better coordination, use of technology/tactical developments • Germany (Ludendorff) distracted by TBL w/ Russia • Allied use of tanks, artillery, aircraft, infantry TOGETHER • US entrance into war (300 k men/month) • Men, money, weaponry, warships • “American participation spelled the defeat of German ambitions. ” (Akira Iriye)

TOTAL WAR? Let’s review. Go back to the handout that discusses the characteristics of total war. Do you think WWI qualifies as such?

TOTAL WAR • Both CP & Allies fought for total victory • vs. limited aims • Both use all weaponry at their disposal to win war • Air, land, sea • + new technologies, weaponry • All people of major nations involved • Soldiers & civilians • Civilians targeted, suffered from economic warfare • Women play role on homefront • Increase of Gov. power • State had to be united, efficent at making war • Gov. controlled economy & population • changes in gov, soc, econ practices

GERMAN WAR AIMS • “September Memorandum” • “security for the German Reich in west and east for all imaginable time” • How? Territorial expansion + economic control • Africa- combine Fr, Belg, Port colonies into C. Africa economic region (Mittleafrika) • Europe- develop customs union (A-H, Belg, Den, Fr, NE, Poland) for econ control • + annexation of parts of Belg, Fr, Lux • Russian grant of self-determination to Polish • Increase naval power & area of control to challenge GB economic supremecy

• France • Regain A-L • Fr + GB • “crush Prussian militarism” • Propaganda to reinforce nationalism, justify war, demonize Germany • Compromise not easy after selling war in this way • 1917 calls for peace • Pope, Lenin, Wilson, Lord Lansdowne (GB Conservative, former Foreign Sec) • Failure…both sides think victory is still possible • “Only victory will do and only victory could justify the sacrifices made in the war. ” (P. M. H. Bell)

USE OF WEAPONS • CP & Allies use full arsenal of weapons + new tech on land, sea, air • Why? Break deadlock, achieve total victory • Broke Hague Convention (1899) agreements • Ex: Poison gas

CIVILIANS • Affected by fighting • Western Front • Affected by fighting: cities shelled by heavy artillery, German planes/Zepplins over GB, GB planes over Germany • Eastern Front • Civilians caught in battle (war more mobile) • Targeted attacks of Jews, deportations of Germans, Turks, Gypsies, Hungarians in Russia • Massive loss of life • Military conscription

THE WAR OF THE WORLD • ”The Western Front had revealed a new level of industrialization of warfare- had seen the introduction of machines of death comparable in their lethal effectiveness with those Wells had imagined in The War of the Worlds. But the Eastern Front had seen an equally important transformation of warfare. There the death throes of the old Central and East European empire shad dissolved the old boundaries between combatant and civilian. This kind of war poroved much easier to start than to stop. ” • Niall Ferguson, The War of the World, 2006

GENOCIDE • Ottoman Empire use propaganda to show Armenians as aiding Russia, sabotaging war effort • Why? • Xn w/in Muslim state, possible independence if aid Allies, Ottoman resentment of success • “deportations” from eastern Anatolia (E. front war zones) to Syrian desert from 1915 -1916/1922 • April 24 th- arrest, execution of several hundred • Death marches through desert w/o food, water • “Turkification” campaign “Special Organization” and killing squads • “the liquidation of the Christian elements” • Women, children, economic impact

ECONOMIC WARFARE AND CIVILIANS • Supplies to both CP/Allies cut off, trade routes disrupted • Food, raw materials blocked via minefields, attacks on merchange ships • GB blockade food shortages in Germany • Caloric intke down 500 cal. Within two years of blockade (@ 1 k cal/day) • German u-boat campaign shortages in GB • Less impact thn in Germany • Ottoman/CP blockade supply issues in Russia • ALL lead to rationing w/in nations at war

CIVILIANS AND THE WAR EFFORT • Rapid growth of industry to keep up w/ demands of total war • demand for more workers • GB, Fr, US, Germany = women join workforce • BUT… most resistant to idea through 1915 -1916 • Recruitment ramp up as war continue, BUT employers, unions unhappy • GB had to negotiate agreements on women in “men’s jobs” (munitions, engineering) • Work only temporary, no full training • Wages lower than male counterpart (but higher than traditional work) • By 1917 - 1 of 4 workers a woman

GROWTH OF GOVERNMENT • Centralized gov power increased • Gov need max use of human & economic resources more gov control • GB • Defense of the Realm Act (DORA)- 1914 • Police daily lives (hours of restaurants, use of binoculars, lighting of fires) • France • “State of Siege” declared • = gov departments under direct control of President, subject to military law • Russia • Tsar Nich. Use as excuse to reassert autocratic power, suspend Duma

GOV CONTROL OF. . . • Manpower • Conscription • To take in soldiers AND deny those who worked in industries necessary for war (ex: coal, shipyards) • = controlled direction of manpower • Necessary so industry & armed forces function

• Production • Industry efficiency important for war effort increase of gov control • Nationalize industries (coal, shipping), regulate wages, regulate prices • New gov. agencies, departments, committees • Morale • War propaganda to emphasize reason for war • Start as “defensive” (defending soil, nat’l pride), then to ”justify” a drawn-out war in face of opposition groups. • Show enemy as inhuman, evil, brutal- must defeat at all costs!

• Economy • Increase taxation to pay for war + borrowing of money + war bonds • Free trade halts, tariffs increase • Russia, Fr, Italy borrow from GB & US, GB heavily from US • Russian issues w/ inflation • Circulation increase from borrowing (contribute to Rev) • Germany stuck w/ loans and bonds (vs. tax) • Harsh treaties after German victory would help pay back loans