Summary

Summary Revision Notes: OCR A Level History, German Nationalism, Chapter 7 - War and Revolution 1915-19

0 purchase

Module
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...

[Show more]

Preview 2 out of 5 pages

View example

Uploaded on July 5, 2024
Number of pages 5
Written in 2022/2023
Type Summary

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.

The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:

Guaranteed quality through customer reviews

Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.

Quick and easy check-out

You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.

Focus on what matters

Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!

Frequently asked questions

What do I get when I buy this document?

You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.

Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?

Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.

Who am I buying these notes from?

Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller eit. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.

Will I be stuck with a subscription?

No, you only buy these notes for £4.99. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.

Can Stuvia be trusted?

4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)

69052 documents were sold in the last 30 days

Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 15 years now

Start selling