The end of World War One, 1918-1919
By autumn 1918 it was clear that Germany would lose the First World War. From November onwards a series of events occurred which became known as the German Revolution.
The Kiel Mutiny
On 3 November at the main German naval base in Kiel, frustrated German sailors Rebel or refuse to obey the orders of a person in authority. instead of following orders to attack the British Royal Navy. The sailors鈥 mutiny sparked rebellions all over Germany and in a matter of days led to the collapse of the German government which forced the ruling monarch, Kaiser Wilhelm II, to When a Monarch resigns and gives up the throne. on 9 November. Friedrich Ebert, leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) became In the Weimar Republic, the Chancellor was the head of the government, appointed by the President. (the equivalent of Prime Minister in Britain) and took power over Germany.
End of World War One - Germany surrenders
On 11 November 1918 World War One ended when an An end to the fighting in a war. was agreed with the During World War One, from 1917, the Allies were Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Japan and the USA. In World War Two the Allies initially included France, Poland and the UK but they were joined by USSR and USA. France was defeated in 1940 and further nations joined the group. However, Italy and Japan were enemies. (Britain, France and the USA) and Germany surrendered.
The Weimar Republic
In January 1919 Ebert and a group of members elected to represent the German people, a National Assembly, met to draw up a new constitution (a set of rules and laws) for Germany. They met in the town of Weimar as Berlin was deemed too unsafe after the An attempt by Communists to seize power in Germany in January 1919. earlier in the month.
The new constitution was agreed in August 1919 and the first elections in what became known as the Weimar Republic took place in June 1920, electing Ebert as Germany鈥檚 new President.
The Treaty of Versailles
In early 1919 the victorious Allies met to discuss how to punish Germany and on 28 June 1919 the new German government was forced to sign a peace settlement called the Treaty of Versailles. The main terms of the treaty, and the impact of them, were as follows (remember BRAT):
| Category | Terms of the Treaty | Impact of these terms |
| Blame | Germany was forced to accept the blame for starting the war under article 231 of the treaty, known as the War Guilt Clause | By accepting blame Germany accepted responsibility for the damage caused during the war. It therefore had to pay the Allies for this damage |
| Reparations | This was the name given to the money Germany had to pay for the war damage it had caused. In 1922 the amount to be paid was set at 拢6.6 billion | This put a huge strain on the already massively weakened German economy, which was still shattered after the war. Germany struggled to pay the monthly instalments when they began in 1922 |
| Armed Forces | Germany鈥檚 army and navy were significantly reduced in size and its air force abolished. This meant that a maximum of 100,000 troops were allowed in the army and conscription (compulsory service) and tanks were banned. Germany鈥檚 navy was reduced to 15,000 personnel, allowed only 6 battleships and no submarines | These terms were humiliating for Germany, which prided itself on the strength of its military. It also left Germans feeling vulnerable to future attack 鈥 it was surrounded by former enemies: France in the West and the newly communist Russia in the East |
| Territory | Germany lost land on all sides of its borders as well as its overseas colonies. It was also forbidden from stationing troops west of the river Rhine (next to its border with France) creating a de-militarised zone | Germany was reduced in size by 10 per cent. It lost 12 per cent of its population, 16 per cent of its coalfields and half of its iron and steel industry. Its colonies were given to the Allies as 鈥榤andates鈥, to prepare them for independence |
| Category | Blame |
|---|---|
| Terms of the Treaty | Germany was forced to accept the blame for starting the war under article 231 of the treaty, known as the War Guilt Clause |
| Impact of these terms | By accepting blame Germany accepted responsibility for the damage caused during the war. It therefore had to pay the Allies for this damage |
| Category | Reparations |
|---|---|
| Terms of the Treaty | This was the name given to the money Germany had to pay for the war damage it had caused. In 1922 the amount to be paid was set at 拢6.6 billion |
| Impact of these terms | This put a huge strain on the already massively weakened German economy, which was still shattered after the war. Germany struggled to pay the monthly instalments when they began in 1922 |
| Category | Armed Forces |
|---|---|
| Terms of the Treaty | Germany鈥檚 army and navy were significantly reduced in size and its air force abolished. This meant that a maximum of 100,000 troops were allowed in the army and conscription (compulsory service) and tanks were banned. Germany鈥檚 navy was reduced to 15,000 personnel, allowed only 6 battleships and no submarines |
| Impact of these terms | These terms were humiliating for Germany, which prided itself on the strength of its military. It also left Germans feeling vulnerable to future attack 鈥 it was surrounded by former enemies: France in the West and the newly communist Russia in the East |
| Category | Territory |
|---|---|
| Terms of the Treaty | Germany lost land on all sides of its borders as well as its overseas colonies. It was also forbidden from stationing troops west of the river Rhine (next to its border with France) creating a de-militarised zone |
| Impact of these terms | Germany was reduced in size by 10 per cent. It lost 12 per cent of its population, 16 per cent of its coalfields and half of its iron and steel industry. Its colonies were given to the Allies as 鈥榤andates鈥, to prepare them for independence |
Excerpt from the Treaty of Versailles, 1919