Write an account of how Germany became republic in 1918 (15)
This example is constructed using appropriate themes.
Militarily, by November 1918, it was evident that Germany was facing military defeat. The Spring offensive had failed and the Allies, now supported by the addition of US troops from April 1917 had launched their successful 100 days counter offensive and driven the Germans back on the Western front to their defensive Hindenburg line. Morale was collapsing both among soldiers and civilians leading to much discontent with pressure mounting on the Kaiser. Sailors at Kiel began to mutiny late October and these spread to other ports such as Wilhelmshaven.
On the home front German society was disillusioned, demoralised and exhausted because of war. The British naval blockade had contributed to the 750,00 civilian deaths, food and fuel shortages were rife and living standards were dreadful. In addition, 1.5 million soldiers would soon be returning to Germany looking for employment of which there was very little. The war had created 600,00 widows and 2 million orphaned children that would need supporting. These terrible conditions made German citizens question their government and the leadership of the Kaiser.
Economically, Germany emerged from war is a very precarious (unstable) state. The war had been financed through borrowing and they had spent c. 170 billion on the war and by 1918 Germany was almost bankrupt. Industrial production was 2/3ds of what it had been pre 1914 and national income was down by a third. The new Republic was faced with some challenging fiscal and economic circumstances.
The realisation that the war was lost had political implications. With military discipline collapsing and the home front in disarray Generals Hindenburg and Ludendorff exerted pressure on Kaiser Wilhelm to abdicate, which he did, reluctantly, on 9 November 1918. This left a political vacuum. There was a brief power struggle between the socialists and moderate socialists (the SPD) before Philipp Scheidemann, a leading member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), proclaimed Germany a republic from the Reichstag building in Berlin, thereby marking the end of the German Reich (empire). An armistice was then signed on 11 November to end the war. Germany would have its first 'free' elections in January 1919 and a new democratic constitution would be drawn up with Friedrich Ebert of the SPD elected as the Republic's first President.
