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I need to know what the government of Germany was like during World War 1, the culture, the religions and the currency. Please help. I have looked all over the internet and I cannot seem to find anything about Germany during the war on the topics listed above.

2007-01-08 11:25:11 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities History

4 answers

The Empire flourished under Bismarck's guidance until the Kaiser's death (March 1888). In this so-called Dreikaiserjahr (Year of Three Emperors), Friedrich III, his son and successor, only lived 99 days, leaving the crown to a young and impetuous Wilhelm II, who forced Bismarck out of office in March 1890.

Within Germany, the opposition Social Democratic Party (SPD) rose to become for a time the strongest socialist party in the world, winning a third of the votes in the January 1912 elections to the Reichstag (imperial parliament). Government nevertheless remained in the hands of a succession of conservative coalitions supported by right-wing liberals or Catholic clerics and heavily dependent on the Kaiser's favour. The rising militarism that was implemented by Wilhelm II caused many within Germany, particularly males, to flee Germany in order to avoid military service. Most fled to the United States.


The shaky European balance of power broke down when Austria-Hungary, Germany's ally since 1879, declared war on Serbia (July 1914) after the assassination in Sarajevo of the heir to the Austrian throne. Germany supported their one loyal ally's objectives in Serbia and gave them a "blank cheque" to pursue whatever means they found necessary there. Serbia was supported by Russia, which in turn was allied with France. Following Russia's decision for general mobilisation (i.e. against both Austria-Hungary and Germany) Germany declared war on both Russia and France in what it called a preventive strike. Britain declared war on Germany on August 4.

This was the beginning of World War I. Despite its early successes under the Schlieffen Plan, Germany and its allies suffered economic defeat in the face of an enemy strengthened after 1917 by the intervention of the United States. The Kaiser Wilhelm II was driven into exile (November 1918) by a revolution led by elements of the opposition SPD and communist groups, who later organised their own abortive bid for power (January 1919).

In June 1919, the Treaty of Versailles formally ended the war. It was signed in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles; the same place where the Second Reich had been proclaimed nearly a half century before. Germany lost its territories to France, Belgium, Denmark and the reinstated nation state of Poland. Britain and France also forced Germany to give up all of its overseas countries and required it to pay reparations until the year 1986 for its alleged sole responsibility for the war. These expectations, however, proved quite unrealistic. The ravages of the war had destabilized the German economy through uncontrolled inflation and crushed its infrastructure; thus leaving much of the German populace devastated. The grim situation was only exacerbated by the reparations payments Germany now owed to the other victorious European nations. The conditions of the treaty (largely drawn up by the victorious European nations) have been cited by some historians as contributing factors in the mounting civil, social, and economic unrest present in post World War I Germany during the period of the Weimar Republic.

2007-01-08 11:42:18 · answer #1 · answered by aaron m 1 · 1 0

Germany's government was somewhat of a constitutional monarchy, with the Kaiser being the Monarch, and still holding a great deal of power, Kaiser is the equivalent "Ceaser" in english. Germany elected a parliment or Reichstag, I believe, which was led by a Chancellor, basically the structure of Britains government. The culture, religion, and currency is no different than today.

2007-01-08 11:51:14 · answer #2 · answered by asmith1022_2006 5 · 0 0

During the First World War (1914 - 1918) Germany was under a monarqui
The German Empire was governed by the "Hohenzollern" dynasty.

See in the Internet : "Hohenzollern Government Germany"

You will find all you need, its pretty long.

2007-01-08 12:43:22 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

Try "The Guns of August" by Barbara Tuchman. Also good is "All Quiet on the Western Front," by Erich Maria Remarck.

2007-01-08 11:52:46 · answer #4 · answered by steve_geo1 7 · 0 0

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