Anyone doing A2 EDEXCEL Kaiser to Fuhrer for June? (2013)

Guys, do we need to know the bit about the course of the First World War?

I would say so. Because some were the turning points, and it shows what failed, no. of deaths etc. I made notes on them already. They are pretty easy to remember. It's somewhere in this thread.

And the thing is this was the first essay (From september) i have done and the first topic i have revised (Three weeks ago) so i remember nothing at all!

Impact of WWI hasn't come up so you should do that.

I've done:

And, im reading over my Nazi consolidation essay just incase.

Thanks, so are you not doing any on the holocaust etc. I'm just tryna think what questions they could possibly ask about the holocaust?

Also, impact of WW1, is that a factor based question? Cause to me that just reminds me of pure descriptions and facts, so what would we argue etc.

Isn't that the Final solution? If so, they have asked that and the oppositions of the Nazi's already. Leaving War Economy left from the last chapter.

The different types of impacts, i.e.

Political - initial unity but growing resentment, particularly amongst SPD after US entry. The abdication of the Kaiser?
Social - hunger, turnip winter, shortages etc.
Economic - debt from war

Just one more question (I think!). Has Nazi Consolidation come up before? A friend told me it hasn't and is focusing on that?!

For causes of WWI, what if the 'causes' are not mentioned in the sources? Can i still talk about them??!

I'm looking at a question 'WWI born out of a german desire to solve their domestic problems and tensions''.

Source 1 = Primat Der Innenpolitk = Agree with question.

Source 2 = Weltpolitik = Elements of support and go against the viewpoint.

Source 3 = Weltpolitik.

What about the Fear of encirclement, actions of other powers etc etc.. Can i not talk about those? :////// -- Or do i specifcally have to say that ''these are not mentioned in the sources but are however important for the outbreak of war''..? -- But then there's no source analysis.....

My teacher gave us a sheet saying:
''You can use your own knowledge to put forward an interpretation not mentioned in the sources but draws information provided by the sources.''

I dont get what the bold bit means. Proper confused atm.

Hey, don't worry. Causes will and should be mentioned, that's what the controversy is about! For example, no matter how they phrase the question, for example one like this: 'Those sitting in Berlin were responsible for the outbreak of WW1'. That just simply means, was Germany responsible, the decisions they made. 'Draws information provided by sources' means you discuss the Source's interpretation, you expand on it and then you can challenge/agree with it with additional facts and information! Hope that helps

Guys, do we need to know the bit about the course of the First World War?

So what controversies are likely to come up in sections A and B?
Any help guys would be great!

I think that for controversy B (nazi) it will be on the popularity section as for the past couple of years it has been on the efficiency side. But you never know what's going to come up!


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The Impact of WW1:

Politically

Economically

Socially

Impact of impending defeat

There was evidently initial unity when the war broke out. The Burgfriede, a political truce pressed for unity. The Kaiser himself said to the Reichstag "I know no parties anymore, only Germans". Even the party that was viewed as unpatriotic 'enemies of the state', the SPD, promised their support for a defensive war. They did however seek some benefit from this, to gain political recognition and in the long-run they had believed there was a possibility of Gremany becoming a democratic state. Of course, doubts began to be expressed once the losses at Verdun and the Somme in 1916 were apparent.

There were economic limitations which contributed to German failure in the First World War. Particularly the imposition of the naval blockade by Britain created enormous economic strains. It caused the disruption of German banks and export industries also Germany's capacity to produce enough to feed the population was limited. The War Raw Materials Department or the KRA was created by Walther Rathenau within the War Ministry. It's job was to distribute the most vital raw materials in the interests of the war effort. The KRA had successfully prevented the looming munitions crisis.

In terms of Labour,the War Ministry decided who should be conscripted or exempted from military service also the creation of War Boards was an attempt to prevent industrial unrest. There were also attempts to control consumption by means of rationing, in the short-term these measures reasonably successful however military victory was not forthcoming in 1915-16. There was still two underlying economic weaknesses which continued to erode Germany's capacity to maintain the fighting. This was the government budget and the provision of food.
Germany sold war bonds to help finance the war however only 16% of the cost of the war was met from taxation and the rest was from fundings such war bonds and the printing of money which would be heavily detrimental to Germany in the near future. It started inflation and further reduced the value of the mark internationally. Germany was in a dire shortage of food due to the effects od the blockade, conscription of farmers for example only caused the decline in grain supply and production. A war Nutrition Office was set up in an attempt to resolve the issue however it was met with massive resistance from the agricultural lobby.
In December 1916 the Auxiliary Service Law was set up as part of the Hinden burg programme. It was to achieve "the mobilisation of the entire civillian population for war service". The Hindeburg Programme attempted to massively increase arms production, the Supreme Army Command were determined to intensify the war effort. Regardless of this, problems of labour and production continued to hinder the German war effort. The concept of 'total war' forced Germany to use state power as a means to mobilise its economic potential. Ironically, although the German took authoritarian measures to ensure this, it did not reach the same degree of mobilisation as the democratic Britain.

The Kaiser appeared to have exerted no real control over political andmilitary affairs during the war. He was no more than a figure head. The military leasdership became increasingly involved in political affairs. By 1916 Supreme Army Commanders (appointed on 29th August 1916) Generals Ludendorff and Hindenburg were essentially runniing the country through what is characterised now as the 'silent dictatorship'. As a result of their appointance, there was a conspicuous turning point as several opportunities for a negotiated peace was turned down. The Auxiliary Service Law was introduced to militarise society and Bethmann Hollweg was forced out of office. A military government exacerbated/intensified political and social tensions.

The impact of the war on the home front was severe as shocking statistics exemplify. Germany's war dead totalled 1.8 million leading to a decline in military morale. The british blockade of Germn ports led to the Turnip Winter of 1917 where turnips became the staple food due to shortages, Germans had to thus rely on mere turnips for survival. Infant deaths increased by over 50 per cent in the course of the war years. Also shockingly, the number of civillian deaths from starvation and hypothermia increased from 121,000 in 1916 to 293,000 in 1918. What worsened the situation was the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic which hit Europe killing between 20 and 40 million people. Living standards fell by 20-30 per cent and there was justifiably a wave of resentment and discontent amongst the German people.

There was growing disunity on the concept of siegfriede which was the idea that Germany would expand and establish supremacy in Europe. 42 deputies of the SPD broke away to create the anti-war group of the USPD by 1917. The peace resolution of July 1917 arised from mounting concern about the war, it urged the government to try to negotiate a peace settlement. Matthias Erzberger, the leading Centre Deputy, persuaded a majority in the Reichstag by 212 votes to 126 in favor of an idea that promoted peace without annexation of land. The war may have started by unifying the political scene but by 1918, political polarisation was greater than it had been before the war. In September 1917, for example, the Fatherland Party was founded supported by Ludendorff, Tirpitz and other leading military figures. The pressure group promoted peace through siegfriede, excessive annexation of territory. By 1918 it boasted 1.2 million members. On the left was the foormation of a rival group the Peace League for Freedom and Fatherland which proposed the opposite. In August 1917, Richard Von Kuhlmann became German Foreign Minister and hope to bring a negotiated peace without annexation. The Supreme Army Command helped engineer his dismissal in July 1918, reaffirming the silent dictatorship in Germany.

Another impact of the war was the 'stab in the back myth'. Due to the german defeat on the 8th of August when Ludendorff described it as "the blackest day of the German army", he decided to make constitutional changes to the monarchy, aiming to establish a more democratic government. He knew that the Allies would be more sympathetic to a democratic regime in Berlin and he hope it would prevent further unrest. However, there was a third andmore cynical ulterior motive, he intended to shift the blame and responsibility away from the military leadership and instead onto the new democratic one. This was to play a vital part in the future of the Weimar Republic. What pushed Germany in such a short space of time was the widespread realisation that war was lost. The prospect of defeat sparked of mutiny on the 29th October 1918 when soldiers refused to obey orders. Also on 2nd November in Keil sailors refuse to go to sea and fight the Royal Navy.