Section 1: Germany before and during the First World War
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- Created on: 01-05-15 15:21
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- Section 1: Germany before and during the First World War
- The Constitution
- The Chancellors powers
- He could shape Reich policy, appoint state secretaries, and was independant of the Reichstag
- The Kaiser's powers
- Commander in chief, Appointed and dismissed chancellors, directed foreign policy, could dissolve the Reichstag
- The Reichstag's powers
- They could debate and approve legislation
- The Chancellors powers
- Economic and social changes 1900-1914
- Industry growth
- Industry made up 45% of Germanys GDP by 1914
- Urbanisation
- Marxism and socialism gained ground among workers
- Union membership at 2.5 million by 1914
- Overcrowding in many cities
- Marxism and socialism gained ground among workers
- Average annual economic growth was 4.5%
- Growth in steel production fuelled expansion of the railways
- In the Urban workforce real wages increased.
- Industry growth
- Germany during the First World War
- Politics
- Initial party cooperation under the Burgfriede of August 1914
- The Reichstag unanimously votes to support the 'war credits'
- A peace resolution was passed by the SDP and ZP in July 1917
- The high command ignored it
- October reforms and November revolution
- Increasing polarisation of the parties
- Initial party cooperation under the Burgfriede of August 1914
- Economics
- Labour
- war boards set up of representative for labour
- Auxilliary service law 1916
- Production
- Germany's capacity to produce enough food was limited
- Attempts to control consumption through rationing and price controls
- ability to import raw materials needed for production limited by blockade
- Government finances
- Only 16% of war costs met through taxation, the rest from war bonds and printing money
- Rising inflation
- Labour
- Society
- Black market flourished as goods became hard to come by
- 'Ersatz goods'
- 1.8 million war dead - low morale
- Declining living standards on the home front
- Civillian deaths from starvation and hypothermia increased by more than 100,000
- Infant mortality increased by 50% during the war years
- Civillian deaths from starvation and hypothermia increased by more than 100,000
- Discontent grew in the final two years of the war
- Black market flourished as goods became hard to come by
- Politics
- The Constitution
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