Impact of War

Impact of War

1. War weariness

   • Germany close to collapse
     • Surviving on turnips and bread
   • Mutiny
     • 28th October
       • Sailors refused to follow orders
       • Towns taken over
         • Hamburg
         • Munich
         • In six days

2. Economic problems

   • Factories exhausted
     • no money
     • Produing weaponary not exports
   • Loans
     • Money from America
     • Money to allies would not be repayed
   • Pensions
     • 60 000 war widows

3. Defeat

   • Ludendorff told the goverment that they could never win the war
     • October
   • Surrendered on 11/11/1918

4. End of monarchy

   • Advised they would be treated more fairly without a monarch
   • Goverment formed
     • Weimar republic
     • Friedrich Ebert took the Kaiser's place
       • Leadser of SPD
       • temporarily
   • Kaiser abdicated the throne
     • 9/11/1918

5. Reperations

   • £6.6 billion
   • Treaty of Versailles

6. Occupation of the Ruhr

   • French invaded the Ruhr
     • Failed to pay reperations
     • Took their payement in goods

7. Hyperinflation

   • Workers went on strike
     • Orders of goverment
     • Continued to get paid
       • Spent more
       • Shopkeepers raised prices
         • German goverment printed more money
           • Money lost value
           • Prices inflated so much it was known as hyperinflation
   • Winners
     • Debts could easily be payed of
     • The rich who also owned land and possessions
     • Rich buisnessmen
       • Took over small companies
   • Losers
     • Fixed wages
     • Pensions
     • Small buisnesses