Why did the Central Powers lose World War One?

• Belgian resistance was unexpected; took Germany over 2 weeks to capture Brussels
• Allies were given time to organize
• Brought Britain into the war through the attack on Belgian neutrality
• Some of the German troops were diverted to the Eastern Front to fight Russia
• September 1914: A stalemate developed at the Battle of the Marne, lack of food/ammunition

• By the end of 1914, almost all German battleships had been destroyed
• Allies imposed blockades on Germany, maintained control of the seas
• 1917: Adopted unrestricted submarine warfare - initially successful until Allies developed convoy system, brought USA into war
• By 1918, Germany had lost 69 U-boats and were unable to replace them

• Economic crisis meant it was difficult to supply the troops
• Agricultural production fell by 70% in some areas
• Average daily calorie intake fell from 1 500 - below 1 000 from 1915-17
• Walter Rathenau failed to nationalize industry
• They relied on winning the war and taking reparations to pay back war-debt

Contrasting w. Allies

• Successfully introduced women into the workplace by 1915
• British gov't nationalized coal minng and shipping and regulated wages and prices
• Britain increased taxation by 20% to pay for the war

• Germany risked everything for a quick victory in 1918
• They almost reached Paris (80km away) but were overstretched and had no reserves
• They were encircled by Allied forces and cut off
• August 8th - Allies advanced and Germans were in full retreat

11th November 1918: Armistace signed ending fighting