The German Revolution

1. Using the documents in Chapter 1 as evidence, list the ways in which conditions in Germany worsened during the war.

a. There was a food shortage

b. There was awful weather and it wiped out the potato crops.

c. People were sick of being in war. They wanted to have their men back at home.


2. Give two reasons why the war caused such bad conditions for German civilians.

World War One caused bad conditions for German civilians. The British blockade of the German coast made it so that Germany could not get food imported. Also, the soldiers didn't like the war they were fighting, so they revolted.



3. After reading Chapter 2, give two reasons why Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated on November 10, 1918.

Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated the throne for a couple of different reasons. One was because of his refusal to change the government. The US said that in order to improve their government and situation, they needed to become more democratic. However, he refused to do that, so the Communists and Socialists started to talk about revolution. Also a cause of Kaiser Wilhelm's abdication was the mutiny in the navy. There was nothing the Kaiser could do to control his country and his Generals would not support him.



4. Using the information you have read in this chapter, give evidence to support the statement that there was "revolution all over Germany."

During World War One, there was a revolution all over Germany. IT started with the women, who were tired of having to pay too much for their food. Then it spread to the navy, where there was a mutiny, causing a revolt in ports all around Germany. This caused the revolution to spread through out Germany.

5. Study the information about the German Socialists in Chapter 2, page 5. What did the three Socialist groups have in common?

The three groups all had the same goals. They all wanted to improve workers conditions and give all Germans the right to vote.


6. In what ways were the Socialist groups different.

The methods of the socialist groups were what set them apart. The social democratic Party wanted to use Parliament to get the ball rolling and start to fix the wrongs. On the other hand, the Independent Socialist Party wanted to oppose the government through organized strikes. The Spartacists wanted to overthrow the government by revolution. Counsils of workers would then make reforms.

7. After reading Chapter 3 make a time chart of the events of the German Revolution from Nov. 10, 1918 to Jan. 15, 1919. You should be able to find six events.

• November 10, 1918- Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated the throne by fleeing to Holland.
• December 23, 1918- 1,000 underpaid and hungry sailors broke into government offices and held Elbert at gunpoint
• December 31- The Spartasists begin to work toward Communist revolution
• Janauary 6, 1919- The Spartacists begin their revolution.
• January 15, 1919- Rosa Luxemborg is arrested and murdered
• February 11, 1919- Elbert is elected president of the new Weimar Republic.

8. At what time would you say the Communists had their best chance of seizing power? Explain your answer.

I think the Communists had their best chance of seizing power right after Kaiser Wilhelm left. When this happened, it showed that Germany was really falling apart, and that something needed to be done. At this point, the German people would be willing to try anything to get their government to work properly for them, and if this meant Communism, they would probably be open to it.