You will need to know the following vocabulary terms in order to fully understand this reading: kaiser. armament mutiny. armistice communist.

Transcription

1 DRAFT Section 4: Germany in the 1920s 5 Resource 9.1: Reading: Germany and the End of World War I Creating Context World War I ( ) was fought between the Allied Powers which included France, Great Britain, Russia, and later the United States and the Central Powers which included Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire. Germany, as well several other nations who fought, entered the war with a nationalistic confidence in the superiority of its leaders and military forces. Many Germans expected the war to be short and easily won, but it did not turn out that way. Instead, World War I lasted four years and inflicted enormous casualties and hardships on the countries of Europe, Germany included. To the shock of the German public, their nation was defeated by the Allied Powers in November Prior to the war, the German government was a monarchy, led by the Kaiser (German for emperor) who appointed a Chancellor to run the affairs of the government. This reading describes how Germany surrendered at the end of the war and instituted a new government in the form of a republic. What is the difference between a monarchy and a republic? What distinguishes a republic from other forms of democracy? Record your thinking in your journal before you begin to read. You will need to know the following vocabulary terms in order to fully understand this reading: kaiser republic chancellor armament mutiny armistice communist abdicate monarchy traitor democracy civilian An enhanced version of this reading is available on the Facing History & Ourselves website. By early September of 1918, the Germany s top military leaders were aware that the nation would soon be defeated in World War I. The generals therefore reluctantly asked the kaiser (German for emperor), Wilhelm II, to seek a peace agreement and he reluctantly agreed. His chancellor, Prince Max of Baden, secretly informed the Americans that Germany wanted to end the war. The military generals, the kaiser, and the prince all worked behind closed doors. Not a word of the approaching defeat appeared in print. The German people had no idea that they were about to lose the war. They believed what they were told, and official announcements remained optimistic. By November, that faith was beginning to shatter. German sailors stationed in Kiel mutinied rather than carry out what they considered a suicidal attack on the British navy. At the same time, Communists, members of an emerging political system that had just caused a

2 DRAFT Section 4: Germany in the 1920s 6 revolution in Russia, began to openly plot a revolution in Berlin and a number of other large German cities. In the belief that the Americans would be more sympathetic to a democratic government than a monarchy, the generals asked the Social Democrats, the largest political party in Germany, to form a republic. Friedrich Ebert, the party s leader, shared the generals feelings about the need for order. A saddlemaker by trade with little formal education, Ebert considered himself a reformer not a rabble-rouser. He and other Social Democrats respected authority and tried to avoid drastic changes. They were more than willing to promise that the new government would preserve German traditions and allow the nation s army officers, bureaucrats, judges, and teachers to keep their jobs. All of these groups and many others demanded power in the new government. Like other discussions, these negotiations took place in secret. The German people knew nothing until November 9 the day the kaiser fled to the Netherlands and the Social Democrats declared Germany a republic. That same day, the nation s new leaders learned that the Allies expected Germany to give up its military forces, including its navy, and evacuate all troops west of the Rhine River. If the Germans did not accept those terms within seventy-two hours, the Allies threatened to invade the nation. Germany s new leaders turned to the military for advice. When Matthias Erzberger, of the Catholic Center Party, met with General Paul von Hindenburg, the commander of the German Armed Forces, the general tearfully urged him to accept the truce. German soldiers could not hold out much longer. So early on the morning of November 11, 1918, three representatives of the new republic traveled to France to sign an armistice agreement. They made the trip alone. The generals chose not to attend the ceremony. The kaiser s flight and Germany s surrender marked the end of what is referred to as Germany s Second Reich. (Reich roughly means empire in English.) The First Reich, also known as the Holy Roman Empire, was formed by the emperor Charlemagne in the year 800 and lasted until The Second Reich was formed by Kaiser Wilhem I after the Franco-Prussian War, during which several smaller states unified to form the country of Germany. Now the Second Reich had been defeated, and Wilhem II had abdicated. As soon as the armistice agreement was signed to end World War I (thus ending the Second Reich), people in many countries rejoiced, but there were no celebrations in Germany. People there were in a state of shock. How could they possibly have lost the war? Many were convinced that the loss had to be the work of traitors and cowards. Erzberger, who had long opposed the war, was an early target for their anger. He and the other signers of the armistice were later characterized as the November criminals who had stabbed Germany in the back. The charge was unfair, but the generals who knew the truth did not set the record straight. Indeed, they encouraged the belief that civilians had double-crossed the army. Within just forty-eight hours, Germany was turned upside down. The stunned nation lost its monarch, its empire, most of its military, and the war itself. To make matters worse, there was now fighting in the streets of many German cities, as the Communists tried to bring about a

3 DRAFT Section 4: Germany in the 1920s 7 revolution. Berlin was so unsettled that the nation s new leaders met in the city of Weimar which is why the new government became known as the Weimar Republic. 9.1 Comprehension & Connections 1. This reading summarizes the complex events that ended World War I in Germany. Go back and underline two facts about the end of the war that you think are particularly significant or noteworthy. Why did those two facts stand out to you? 2. What actions by Germany s leaders would make Germans surprised they lost the war? Support your answer with evidence from the text. 3. How significant was the decision by Kaiser Wilhelm, Prince Max of Baden, and the German generals to keep the news of the approaching defeat from the public? Did the people have a right to know? 4. Why did German leaders choose to replace monarchy with democracy? What evidence does the reading provide to explain this shift? 5. How might a country go about replacing one form of government with a different one? Is it possible to do so while, as Friedrich Ebert desired, avoiding drastic changes? Is creating a new constitution enough? Is it necessary to persuade the citizenry to go along? 6. How might the sudden news defeat and surrender affect the nationalism of the German people after World War I? How easily might the members of a nation give up the idea of their superiority over other nations? What other explanations might they seek to explain their defeat? 7. How did the generals react when the new republican leaders of Germany were accused of stabbing Germany in the back? What was the impact of their response? Using Resource 9.1 Pre-reading: Define democracy and republic Before students can analyze what happened to democracy in Germany, they need to have a solid understanding of what democracy is. Begin this exercise by having students discuss or write about the questions, Where does the authority the power to lead a nation come from? How has

4 DRAFT Section 4: Germany in the 1920s 8 this question been answered in the past? They could do this as a think-pair-share. As students will soon learn, the Germans called their first democratic government the Weimar Republic. Before defining democracy, you can first introduce the term republic. A republic is a system of government that gets its power (its ability to govern) from the people, rather than from god, hereditary or tradition. Many republics, but not all, take the form of a democracy. Demos is Greek for people and kratia means power. In a democracy, the "people," as opposed to only an individual or a small group, have power. All democracies are not structured in exactly the same way, but all democracies have some mechanisms for citizens to have a voice in how they are governed (e.g. who the leaders should be, what laws should be passed, etc). Have students to discuss the ways that people (or citizens) have power in the United States. Say Something Literacy Strategy This reading introduces a significant amount of new history (especially for those who have not yet studied World War I) in a few paragraphs. Some students may find that the density of information in this reading makes it challenging to comprehend. Therefore, you may need to allow for extra time to read and process this reading in class. One strategy that is designed to improve comprehension of challenging texts is Say Something. 2 Have students read the text together in pairs. At the end of each paragraph, the students will pause and do one of the following: Make a prediction Ask a question Clarify something that is confusing Comment on what is happening in the reading Connect what is happening the reading to something else they know about If students are unable to accomplish any of these tasks, then that is a sign they need to reread the paragraph, then ask for help. Designing a Short Lecture You may also choose to provide students the essential information from this reading in a brief lecture. Before moving on, it is important that students at least understand the following points: Germany suffered a humiliating defeat in World War I. News of the oncoming defeat was kept secret from the public, so most Germans were surprised and shocked by the news of the armistice. While the German military encouraged politicians to end the war, they did not publicly support the armistice after it was signed. This led to resentment towards the politicians, November s Criminals, but not the military generals. As the war ended, Germany replaced its monarchy with a republic, known as the Weimar Republic, but public support for the new government was uncertain. Extension: Exploring World War I and It s Consequences

5 DRAFT Section 4: Germany in the 1920s 9 The devastating consequences of World War I had a profound effect on the development of the Weimar Republic. Have students review what they remember about the consequences of World War I. You might also give them the opportunity to do some online research about the consequences of The Great War and then present their findings to the class. Examples of useful sites include: World War I casualty and death tables (PBS, The Great War) Aftermath of World War I (UK National Archives) The Heritage of the Great War (This is not an academic site; it is published by a Dutch journalist for the purpose of preventing war by showing its consequence. This site purposefully contains graphic images of the human costs of World War I.) Video: The Great War & The Shaping of the 20th Century This eight part documentary about World War I contains several clips that might deepen students understanding of the events in this reading. The last 10 minutes of Episode 6: Collapse describes the end of the war, the Kaiser s flight, and the varying reactions to the armistice. The first 30 minutes of Episode 7: Hatred and Hunger describe the immediate aftermath of the war in both Russia, where the Bolshevik Revolution was underway, and Germany, where communist and social democratic paramilitary groups battled in city streets. This video series is available on VHS from the Facing History library. Most episodes can also be found in their entirety on YouTube.

6 DRAFT Section 4: Germany in the 1920s 10 Resource 9.2: Chart: Casualties of World War I Country Allied Powers: Total Killed or died* Wounded mobilized forces Prisoners Total casualties or missing Russia 12,000,000 1,700,000 4,950,000 2,500,000 9,150,000 France** 8,410,000 1,357,800 4,266, ,000 6,160,800 British Empire** 8,904, ,371 2,090, ,652 3,190,235 Italy 5,615, , , ,000 2,197,000 United States 4,734, , , ,518 Japan 800, ,210 Romania 750, , ,000 80, ,706 Serbia 707,343 45, , , ,106 Belgium 267,000 13,716 44,686 34,659 93,061 Greece 230,000 5,000 21,000 1,000 27,000 Portugal 100,000 7,222 13,751 12,318 33,291 Montenegro 50,000 3,000 10,000 7,000 20,000 TOTALS 42,188,810 5,152,115 12,831,004 4,121,090 22,104,209 Central Powers: Germany 11,000,000 1,773,700 4,216,058 1,152,800 7,142,558 Austria-Hungary 7,800,000 1,200,000 3,620,000 2,200,000 7,020,000 Turkey 2,850, , , , ,000 Bulgaria 1,200,000 87, ,390 27, ,919 TOTALS 22,850,000 3,386,200 8,388,448 3,629,829 15,404,477 GRAND TOTALS 65,038,810 8,538,315 21,219,452 7,750,919 37,508,686 Source: Department of Defense. * Includes deaths from all causes. ** Official figures. 9.2 Comprehension & Connections 1. How might the data in this chart help you form a hypothesis about which countries were most impacted by World War I? Which statistics in the chart are most helpful in estimating the impact? Why? 2. A casualty is a soldier who, because of events related to the war (such as a battle), is killed, dies from another cause, is wounded, is taken prisoner, or goes missing. A country s casualty rate is the percentage of its total mobilized forces that end up as casualties. Which countries had the highest numbers of casualties in World