Effects of World War One

During the early years of the Weimar Republic, the German Government experienced a number of problems which threatened its existence. After the end of World War One, it struggled from crisis to crisis.

The new German Government was blamed for Germany’s defeat in World War One by many Germans such as Hitler.

The end of the war

The Government needed to end the war and make peace for a number of reasons:

  • Germany’s allies had surrendered.
  • The USA had entered the war in 1917 against Germany.
  • Many German civilians were starving and there were severe food shortages.
  • Germany was running out of raw materials.
  • Revolts had broken out across Germany amongst sailors, soldiers and workers.

German officials agreed a truce on 11 November 1918. As a result, they were nicknamed the 'November Criminals'.