Group+4+-+WWI+DBQ

The defensive warfare that was used in World War I lead to a stalemate until the winter of 1916-1917. Total war broke the stalemate and lead to the cessation of fighting because it split up Germany making Germany weaker, it took Russia out of the war, and Britain and America proved able to withstand total war and eventually become victorious. The affect of total war demoralized the German population which allowed ideas of socialism to come in, and split up the German army, greatly weakening it. Russia could also not keep up fighting a total war and soon because they kept loosing battles, their government was overthrown and they were forced to withdrawal from the war. The United States and Britain on the other hand proved able to withstand total war and because of that they were able to easily defeat Germany and end the war. A demoralized Germany was falling behind in the war; decisions on how to survive needed to be made quickly. In its desperation, Germany felt the only thing they could do was to break the blockade illegally by using submarines. Its population was starving and its army didn't have any supplies, so Germany felt like it had no choice. This move let the rest of the word know how desperate Germany was, as well. However, when the U.S. joined the war, new technologies were developed that could neutralize the submarine attacks. Germany did not know what to do next, but the idea of a socialist government was gaining popularity. Some leaders like Karl Liebknecht used the existing Nationalist feelings to ignite a new Socialist movement, calling on Germany's army and workers to stand against its corrupt government leaders and stop supplying weapons to a war that will not lead to any good. This movement divided Germany deeply, leaving half of them wanting to finish the war, while the other half wanted to withdraw and become a Socialist country. This left Germany too weak and corrupt to continue on; it was forced to sign a harsh armistice in 1918. Total war had a significant and negative impact on the Russian government and the role of their military in World War I, which helped break the stalemate between the Allies and the Central Powers. The Russian army, although being very large in number, was at a great disadvantage to the rest of the participating militaries because of the lack of industrialization in Russia; they were very primitive compared to the British or German armies, so they sustained huge casualties. The lack of advanced weaponry and modern ways of mobilizing were also a part of the Russian army's downfall. Because the army was doing so poorly, the war affected the Russian home-front; the citizens became angry with their government for allowing so many Russian soldiers to die at the hands of the Germans, consequently causing a revolution. The tsar Nicholas was overthrown, but the government that was put in place instead of him did not do much better; it was only in 1917 when the Bolsheviks took over the Russia government that a change in Russia's role in the war happened. The Bolsheviks wanted to get Russia out of the war to prevent more damage to the military and home-front, but by doing so, they had to give up a huge amount of land to their enemies, the Germans in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. This treaty helped break the stalemate because it gave Germany an advantage; Germany had one less enemy than before. This advantage allowed the Germans to move on with the fighting, although in the long run, the fact that Russia dropped out of the war did not significantly help Germany with the war. America entering the war had a drastic impact on the German ability to sustain total war. Britain had already established a working blockade, which in effect had completely cut off Germany’s supply routes. This led to a lack of food for citizens and soldiers, and a lack of resources with which to produce ammunition and weaponry. With the ground military rapidly deteriorating, the submarine was the only viable weapon that the German still possessed; however, with the addition of the American Navy, these submarines were rendered utterly useless. Americans had developed new technology to combat the submarines: hydrophone detectors and depth charges, which could respectively track and destroy the German submarine. With submarine warfare neutralized, it was only a matter of time before Germany’s lack of resources forced them to agree to the armistice. America and Britain proved their ability to sustain total war was much better than that of Germany, and as a result victory was theirs.  total war was the ultimate factor in deciding the war. It is directly responsible for the socialist movement in Russia and Germany, and also   for the western countries's ability to starve out the Germans. As the war drew to a close, these factors led to Germany's signing of armistice, and the end of the Great War.