Summary Revision Notes: OCR A Level History, German Nationalism, Chapter 7 - War and Revolution 1915-19
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Course
A2 Unit F966 - Historical Themes
Institution
OCR
These revision notes provide a detailed summary of the seventh chapter of Vivienne Sanders' 'Access to History, The Unification of Germany and the Challenges of German Nationalism' - the OCR recommended textbook for the Historical Themes 'The Challenges of German Nationalism' paper. I used these r...
War and Revolution, 1914-19
Germany at War, 1914-16
How united was Germany during the War?
1914
Political Unity
In 1914, all political differences disappeared in the face of patriotic
fervour.
All of the political parties promised their support for the war.
They then unanimously passed war credits (which would fund the war) and
then dissolved, leaving the government to conduct the war.
1917 – Unity
By 1917, the war was going badly for the Germans, as unrestricted submarine
warfare and the Zimmerman telegraph had brought the US into the war.
Social
There was a fuel and food crisis in the winter of 1917.
Workers resented working extra hours due to the Auxiliary Service Act
(December 1916).
There was anger towards industrialists who had profited from the war.
Evidence – there was starvation and strikes whilst huge profits were being
made.
The left organised an increased number of strikes.
The right blamed the Jews and the socialists for Germany’s problems.
Political
There was a political split between the left, who wanted peace, and the
right who wanted to keep fighting to win victory.
As evidence, the SPD and the Centre Party passed a peace resolution in
the Reichstag, but it was ignored by the government.
There was also a split between the civilian political government and the
military government.
Evidenced by the fact that Bethmann-Hollweg was dismissed by
Hindenburg and Ludendorff, and he was replaced with Michaelis – an anti-
democrat.
1917 – Nationalism
There was increased political radicalism, and new extreme nationalist
parties were created.
Evidence – the new Fatherland Party had 500,000 members. They wanted
territorial annexations and military rule.
The SPD split into:
o The moderates – the Majority Socialists under Ebert.
o The Radicals – the USPD with the Spartacists under Luxemburg and
Liebknecht.
, 1918 – Unity
Social/military
Social cohesion had been broken along class lines, especially in urban
areas.
There were splits in the ‘German’ identity – Prussia was blamed for the
war, and Bavaria had a brief independent republic.
Sailors in Keil mutinied, as did the dockworkers, and set up
workers/soldiers’ councils.
By November, these councils had spread to nearly every major Germany
city, demanding peace and assuming control of food supplies.
Political
Very divided.
The kaiser was gone.
There was an SPD government who upheld democracy and who wanted
moderate reforms.
The Spartacists wanted a complete revolution.
The presence of the Freikorps, a far-right nationalist group, made the
situation tense.
There was tension between the councils and the government.
Nationalism
This was a weak point in nationalism, but nationalism was still a powerful
force (the Freikorps).
The Events of November 1918-1919
The Ebert-Groener Pact
In this, General Groener agreed to support the government as long as
Ebert resisted Bolshevism and preserved the officers’ authority against the
councils.
The Stinnes-Legien Agreement
This further strengthened Ebert’s position, as it satisfied the workers.
The agreement meant that:
o Trade unions wouldn’t interfere in private ownership.
o Employers guaranteed full legal recognition to the trade unions.
o Workers’ councils would regulate wages and working conditions.
This agreement was endorsed by the government.
The All-German Congress of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Councils
Over 300 of the 500 delegates supported the majority Socialist
government.
Even so, delegates demanded the nationalisation of key industries and the
democratisation of the army.
They also wanted Germany to be a parliamentary democracy and decided
that elections were to be held in January.
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