Why did the Central Powers lose World War One? Causes for the Central Powers' loss of WW1 5.0 / 5 based on 1 ratingTeacher recommended ? HistoryInternational Baccalaureate Created by: RosaCreated on: 23-02-11 23:15 Failure of the Schlieffen Plan 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 1 of 4 Loss of the War at Sea 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 2 of 4 The Home Front 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 3 of 4 Failure of Ludendorff Offensive 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 4 of 4
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