Political Impacts of the First World War on Germany (AQA GCSE History)
Revision Note
Written by: Zoe Wade
Reviewed by: Natasha Smith
Was the abdication of the Kaiser inevitable? - Timeline & Summary
The abdication of the Kaiser became inevitable by the end of the First World War. He had lost control over both the military and the people. In 1918, Germany was losing the war and there was widespread unrest on the home front. German soldiers and sailors were tired of fighting and civilians were suffering from food shortages. One of the key events was the Kiel Mutiny, where German sailors refused to follow orders to launch a final attack against the British navy. This rebellion quickly spread to other parts of Germany. Soldiers and workers joined protests and demanded an end to the war and the Kaiser’s rule.
At the same time, the Kaiser had lost the support of the German army, which he had once relied on to maintain control. Generals and military leaders realised that Germany could not win the war and wanted to negotiate peace. They knew that this process would be difficult as long as the Kaiser remained in power. With uprisings spreading across Germany and even his own army no longer supporting him, the Kaiser had no choice but to step down. On 9th November 1918, Wilhelm II abdicated and fled to the Netherlands. This marked the end of the German monarchy and led to the establishment of a new government, the Weimar Republic.
The Kiel Mutiny
Germany's war leaders ordered sailors from Kiel to fight British ships
The German fleet was hopelessly outnumbered
Many soldiers believed that Germany was close to defeat
On 3rd November, the sailors in Kiel mutinied
Eight soldiers were shot and killed
By 4th November, around 40,000 sailors, soldiers and workers took control of Kiel
The Kiel Mutiny sparked rebellions across Germany
This is sometimes called the November Revolution
Workers and soldiers' councils held many cities across Germany
On 9th November, they held the police headquarters in Berlin
The Kaiser realised that he had lost control of Germany
The army was no longer listening to the Kaiser
This meant that the Kaiser had no way of stopping the uprisings across Germany
The abdication of the Kaiser
The Kaiser could no longer rule Germany
Many towns had set up workers' councils. These were to replace the Kaiser’s official local authorities
On 9th November 1918, the Kaiser’s military advisers told him he must abdicate to stop the civil unrest
Max von Baden, who the Kaiser had appointed to be Chancellor on 3rd October, announced the Kaiser’s abdication without his consent or knowledge
The Kaiser was not in Berlin at the time. He was roughly 700km away at the Army’s headquarters in Spa
On 10th November, the Kaiser escaped from Germany by train and arrived in the Netherlands
The Allies placed pressure on the Netherlands to bring the Kaiser back to Germany
They wanted him to stand trial as a war criminal
Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands refused to allow the Allies to take the Kaiser out of the country
The Kaiser remained in the Netherlands until he died in 1941
The creation of the Weimar Republic
The SPD aimed to bring Germany under control after the Kaiser abdicated
On 9th November, von Baden resigned as Chancellor of Germany
He offered the position to Friedrich Ebert, the leader of the SPD
Ebert ran Germany temporarily
He stopped Germany from a communist revolution
He ordered his colleagues to surrender to the Allies, ending the First World War
On 19th January 1919, Germany elected their new government
The SPD won 40% of the vote and the Centre Party gained 20% of the vote
These were both moderate parties
In February 1919, Friedrich Ebert was elected as Germany’s first president
This allowed Ebert to:
Declare the Weimar Republic
Create a new constitution for Germany
Worked Example
Why might the authors of Interpretations A and B have a different interpretation of the November Revolution?
Explain your answer using Interpretations A and B and your contextual knowledge
[4 marks]
Interpretation A - A list of demands made by the soldiers' councils in the Kiel Mutiny, 4th November 1918.
The Kiel Mutiny began when sailors refused to fight the British navy. In the next few days, over 400,000 workers and soldiers joined the sailors' protest.
"Comrades!
Yesterday will be forever remembered in German history. For the first time, political power has been placed in the hands of the soldiers.
There is no turning back anymore!
Great tasks lay before us. But we need unity and agreement within the movement in order to fulfil them.
You have appointed a Soldiers’ Council, which is working closely with the Workers’ Councils.
Follow its instructions and decisions, strive for order and calm so that nothing happens that can be used against us. Also make sure to maintain order in the barracks"
Interpretation B - An extract of Mein Kampf, written by Adolf Hitler in 1925.
Hitler was in hospital around the time of the November Revolution. In 1925, he was the leader of the Nazi Party and became the Führer of Germany in 1934.
"And then one day, suddenly and unexpectedly, the calamity descended. Sailors arrived in trucks and proclaimed the revolution; a few Jewish youths were the ‘leaders’ in this struggle for the ‘freedom, beauty, and dignity’ of our national existence. None of them had been at the front... I could not imagine that the madness would break out in Munich, too. Loyalty to the venerable House of Wittelsbach seemed to me stronger, after all, than the will of a few Jews. Thus I could not help but believe that this was merely a Putsch on the part of the navy and would be crushed in the next few days."
Answer
Interpretation B differs from Interpretation A due to the author's background and occupation. The author of Interpretation B is Hitler, who hated the fact that the Kaiser was overthrown and the Weimar Republic was created (1). Therefore, it is more likely that he would underplay the organisation of the revolution and blame the Jewish people for it happening (1).
However, Interpretation A is more likely to show a positive and organised perspective of the November Revolution. Interpretation A was written by the soldiers' council responsible for the Kiel Mutiny (1). Therefore, it emphasises core aims such as power to the soldiers and workers councils. As a result, it is likely to highlight that the revolutionaries have political ambitions, rather than being a disorganised mob (1).
Examiner Tips and Tricks
In a "Why are the interpretations different" question, you should only focus on the provenance of each of the interpretations.
The provenance is the background information of sources. For the example question, here is a breakdown of the provenance of Interpretation B:
Who - Adolf Hitler, the leader of the Nazi Party and eventual Führer of Germany
What - An extract from Mein Kampf, Hitler's autobiography
When - 1925
Where - Hitler was in hospital at the time of the November Revolution
Our exam skills pages give further guidance and advice on comparing interpretations questions
The Weimar Constitution
The government met in February 1919 to write the constitution
They met in the town of Weimar because of the unrest in Berlin. This is where the term ‘Weimar Republic’ comes from
The constitution took 6 months to complete. It was passed by 262 votes to 75
The constitution outlined each elected official's power and responsibilities in the Weimar government
Structure of the Weimar Constitution
Strengths & weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution
Strengths
The people gained more rights such as voting
Proportional representation (PR) ensured the Reichstag represented smaller parties
The system was designed to stop someone from taking ultimate power
For example, the president chose the chancellor but the public elected the president every seven years
Weaknesses
Proportional representation made it hard for a political party to gain a majority. This caused:
an increase in elections
This weakened the public’s enthusiasm for voting
more coalition governments
There were nine coalition governments between 1919 and 1923 alone
Policies lacked vision and took longer to pass
Article 48 meant the chancellor could ask the president to pass emergency laws without the support of the Reichstag
Ebert used the Article 63 times from 1923 to 1924
The abuse of the article continued into the 1930s
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