Why did Germany collapse in 1918?

Discussions on all aspects of the First World War not covered in the other sections. Hosted by Terry Duncan.
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CJK1990
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Why did Germany collapse in 1918?

#1

Post by CJK1990 » 28 Jun 2014, 00:40

I have never really understood why Germany collapsed in 1918. America had entered the war, but that was balanced by the fact that Russia had left it. Moreover the American presence was limited in 1918.

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Terry Duncan
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Re: Why did Germany collapse in 1918?

#2

Post by Terry Duncan » 28 Jun 2014, 22:39

CJK1990 wrote:I have never really understood why Germany collapsed in 1918. America had entered the war, but that was balanced by the fact that Russia had left it. Moreover the American presence was limited in 1918.
Germany had effectively run out of men and supplies for home and the army. It was no longer possible to sustain the war, the injection of US manpower was far more important in making HL decide to launch the Spring Offensives than it was in deciding the war via actual combat. This extra manpower would have been decisive in 1919, so the war had to be won before that point by Germany. The Russian exit from the war did not end a need for troops in the east to secure that frontier and prop up the new governments, nor did it cure the acute problems the Germans were starting to suffer, where many divisions were viewed as only reliable to defend - the static divisions. The offensives cost Germany the best of her troops, once they had been lost only the less reliable remained.


YM
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Re: Why did Germany collapse in 1918?

#3

Post by YM » 29 Jun 2014, 04:25

Holzer in his book about the First World War points out that the collapse of Germany's allies Bulgaria, Turkey and Austria had a devastating effect on German morale because it made them feel alone and it potentially brought Allied troops much closer to the eastern and southern borders of the Reich.

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