German Defeat in the First World War - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages 1999). Things however turned out differently and this was the very first factor that led to Germany's eventual defeat. This article identifies and discusses this and other key factors that led to Germanys defeat in the First World War as well the reasons and impact of the United States entry into the war.
Even though the defeat at Marne came very early into the war, its importance as a factor that led to Germanys defeat cannot be undermined. This is because it meant the failure of the Schlieffen's plan and a smash to any hopes of a quick victory and therefore a short war. The German force was not prepared for a lengthy war and by eliminating the possibility of a short war the chances of winning began to decrease. This was general and Helmuth Vou Mottke' biggest mistakes.
Initial strategy of the Germans was to take France before Russia could mobilize effectively and then move by railroad and use united and excessive force on Russia. This would have allowed the Germany forces to take their enemies one by one. The Schlieffen plan had not anticipated later developments such as the three-day resistance by Belgium. The fast move by British authority to enter into war and the fierce resistance by the French army. All these factors slowed Germany's progress significantly and the effects of a lengthy war eventually wore them down.
The war put a lot of strain on the Germany economy that heavily relied on external trade. Trade activities were strained to an extent that Germany experienced short supply of essential goods. These shortages led to the riots and the German mark devaluated greatly. The labor market was not left unscathed as the armed forces scrambled for all available human resources. All this could not be sustained in the long term.
Increasing defeats.
As the war progressed the German force continued to lose more and more manpower starting with the battle of Morne through to the battle of Verdun in February 1916. By 1918 the losses were monumental. This greatly affected the momentum of the war and morale of the German soldiers. The allies now outnumbered the earlier flamboyant German army.
Starvation at home.
As the war progressed Germany became more and more isolated in terms of external trade. This resulted in shortages of foodstuff especially wheat flour for bread. This problem became acute as the German mark devalued so much that the ordinary people could hardly afford to feed themselves. This put a lot of strain on the people and they began to be very discontent with the war. This discontent reached to the peak in 1918 and the government could no longer ignore the voices but was at loss as to the decision to take, whether to heed to the pressure from civilians mainly women or to continue holding on to the benefits of war and the status quo.
Mutiny in the navy.
Initially the Germany navy was largely underutilized. They used cruisers to launch a tax on the allied civilian ships. Later on in 1916 a battle called the battle of Jutland (battle skagerrak in German) turned into a full-scale naval war where German navy was pinned down by the superior British naval fleet. This left the Germany navy inactive ...Download file to see next pagesRead More