WWI in Germany

Germany in the First World War

During World War I Germany's geographical position in Europe is argued by many that it was the biggest part of its demise at the end of the war.  As we had seen in early parts of the course mostly regarding the 19th Century during Bismarck's rule of the German Confederation, it was vital to never put yourself in a position that concludes with the country fighting on two fronts (i.e. Russia & France).  Bismarck put an enormous emphasis on this and in return saw much military success during the late 19^th century.  However, Germany did not see the same fate during the First World War as the found they fighting the French on the western front and the Russians in the east.  Many seem to believe that this was the main reason Germany lost the war, but I tend to believe that it was not the deciding factor.

In my opinion, it was the industrial revolution of warfare that is the biggest factor of Germany’s devastating loss.  It’s not question that World War I was had the worst amount of deaths and casualties along with introduction of ‘total war’ which desperately changed the social structure amongst all European countries.  It was Germany’s inability to gain ground on western front against France and brought tens of thousands of soldiers to their deaths.  Along with the country’s diminished support of the war due to the lack of success against the French that too me was the biggest factor in Germany’s failures of the war.

Without the popular support of the German citizens and soldiers that would come about during the second half of the war enabled the illegitimacy of the German government to arise.  Without popular support it was impossible to keep the Soldiers morale up, an example of this is the deployment of troops without weapons due to the fact that their were sure to be dead soldiers in the trenches that would supply them with the vacant weapons.   This technological revolution of warfare allowed new weapons, war tactics, and other ways of brutality such as the trenches that resulted in the amount of atrocities.