PBS VIDEOdatabase Resource:The Great War: Module 6: Collapse

Americans rally to support their nation, their troops and their
allies against "Kaiser Bill". The National Archives

VIDEO PROGRAM

Volume 188

CONCEPTS AND THEMES

Abdicate, Mutiny, Blockade, Misery, War Mad, Peace, Collapse, Victor, Vanquished, Armistice

KEY GENERALIZATIONS AND IDEAS

Individuals and groups may withdraw their support for particular actions and conditions; this withdrawal may result in the collapse of those actions or conditions.

The withdrawal of support for particular actions and conditions may mean that support has been withdrawn from the leaders responsible for those actions and conditions.

The withdrawal of support for particular actions and conditions may or may not bring about the expected results.
While people have specific reasons for withdrawing support from existing conditions or actions, different reasons may guide their actions in shaping new conditions.

STUDENT LEARNING EXPECTATIONS

1. Define "collapse," and state the conditions in 1917 and 1918 that directly contributed to the collapse of the German war effort in 1917 and 1918.

2. Describe critical events in Germany during the last months of 1917 and throughout 1918, and describe the attitude of the German people during this period.

3. Explain how the events in Germany and attitudes of the German people in 1918 contributed to the lack of support for the Kaiser and for continuing the war.

4. Describe the actions of the Kaiser during 1917-18, and explain how these weakened his support among civilians and top government officials.

5. Explain why the German government decided to resort to unrestricted submarine warfare in February 1917, and identify the possible positive and negative effects of this decision.

6. Explain the positive impact the war had on the U.S. prior to its entry into the war.

7. State three of President Woodrow Wilson's ideas about war and about this particular war, and explain how these ideas may have contributed to his reluctance to enter the war.

8. Describe the contents of and circumstances surrounding the Zimmermann note and how these contributed to the U.S. decision to enter the Great War in April 1917.

9. Describe the American policies and actions to organize and mobilize the entire population to participate in the Great War.

10. Define "war mad," and give examples of "war madness" in the U.S.

11. Describe the prevailing attitudes of the majority of Americans toward Black people, and identify the contradictions between the treatment of Blacks in the U.S. and asking Black Americans to go to Europe to "make the world safe for democracy" and establish "a new world order."

12. Identify at least three major reasons for the massive German offensive that began in April 1918.

13. Describe the events and conditions that led to the final collapse of Germany's war effort and its decision to accept an armistice.

14. Describe five characteristics of the com-bat behavior of the American soldiers and the impact of the American soldiers on the collapse of the German war effort.

15. Explain why General Pershing ordered his officers to shoot large numbers of American soldiers and what this order revealed about Pershing, his officers and his soldiers.

16. Explain why the German Navy mutinied in October 1918 and why this mutiny spread so rapidly along the docks and into the major cities of Germany.

17. Identify at least four reasons the killing continued until the very minute of the cease-fire.

18. Describe the reactions of civilians, military leaders, soldiers and government officials to the realization that the fighting had at last stopped.

19. Explain why many insisted that it was far easier to fight a war than to make peace.

BACKGROUND DISCUSSION

The year 1918 started with major Ger-man offensives on the western front, which the Allies stopped. With the help of the Americans, the Allies then engaged in highly successful offensives of their own. Germany's civilian support for the war eventually collapsed, and a mutiny by the German navy swept into the cities. In early November, the Kaiser abdicated and fled to neutral Holland. This video concentrates on the 1918 decisions, conditions and actions that resulted in the defeat of the Central Powers and the final collapse of their ability to continue the war. On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, a cease-fire went into effect for all combatants--The war was over. However, the killing and violence continued up to the exact minute of the cease-fire. Along miles of the western front, the Allies fired their artillery until all their shells were gone. On that last morning alone, hundreds of thousands of shells were fired when none needed to be. Men were shot seconds before the cease-fire. Once again, total war brought killing, destruction and violence even when such actions were unnecessary and were not going to alter the outcome. When the cease-fire came, people all over the world celebrated. In the war-torn nations, however, the celebration was tempered by the knowledge of what had been lost and what was needed to rebuild. And the war was not over for the German civilians. The Allies insisted on continuing the blockade through the winter months, resulting in mass starvation and death. The decision to maintain the blockade reflected the desire of the Allied leaders, with the exception of President Wilson, to hold the German nation directly and solely accountable for the war and all its destruction. In the days that followed the Armistice, the people of the world learned that it is of-ten far easier to wage war than it is to build a lasting peace.

LESSON PLAN SUGGESTIONS

1. Write the Concepts and Themes words on the board or overhead. Ask students to define each. Unless students consider these concepts immediately before, during and immediately following this video, they will miss many details. Also, the Concepts and Themes will help them see the video segments as related, complementing one another to describe the moods, events and contexts of the period.

2. Using an overhead or handout, ask students to consider the Key Generalizations and Ideas for this module. Ask them to paraphrase the ones that you want to emphasize. Ask them to watch the video with these points in mind, looking for relevant information.

3. Distribute Student Handout 6-A, Questions. You may want them to pay particular attention to specific questions, stopping the video after a segment to give them time to make notes.

4. Distribute Student Handout 6-B, Context and Overview of the Great War. Ask them to read this summary and answer the questions before watching the video. You might supplement this reading with textbooks, other readings or a lecture.

5. Distribute copies of Student Handout 6-C, The Zimmermann Note. This sheet contains the text of the Zimmermann note, which helped solidify the support of the American people for entering the war against Germany. Ask students to consider the implications of Zimmer-mann's proposal and to answer the questions on the sheet.

6. Distribute copies of Student Handout 6-D, The American Espionage Act of 1918. This resource provides excerpts from this important Act, which seriously limited the civil rights of Americans. Ask students to explain the purposes of this law and how it ensured that America was engaged in a total war against Germany and the Central Powers.

7. Distribute copies of Student Handout 6-E, Motivations for the American Entry into War. Ask the students to evaluate these factors as possible reasons for the U.S. to enter the Great War.

8. Ask the students to consider the title of the video, COLLAPSE, and ask them to watch for the personalities, events, attitudes, emotions and decisions--both on and off the battlefield--that contributed to the collapse and surrender of the Central Powers in late 1918. Ask them to pay particular attention to the conditions among the civilians in Russia and Germany and how these contributed to the decision to abandon the war.

9. Ask students to reflect on one quote from Student Handout 6-F, Noteworthy Quotes.Ask them to interpret the quotation in the context of the person speaking and the situation in which the statement was made. You might want to ask them to interpret these both before they watch the video and afterward, and then to compare the differences in their interpretations. Students might also offer their personal reactions to particular quotes.

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

1. Ask students to investigate the collapse of Germany in late October and early November 1918 and to explain why Germany claimed for the next two decades that its armies had been "stabbed in the back" rather than defeated on the battlefield. Underscore the role of this belief in helping Adolf Hitler gain power in 1933.

2. Ask students to investigate one of the battles fought by the Americans and to assess the impact of the Americans in helping to bring about the collapse of Germany. Ask students to read diary excerpts from soldiers who fought for the U.S., using these to describe what it was like to be an American soldier on the battlefields of this war.

3. Ask students to investigate the contributions of Black Americans, Native Americans, Hispanic Americans, and other ethnic Americans in this war, examining how their efforts may have been viewed by officers, fellow soldiers, the Germans, and American civilians during and after the war.

4. Ask students to investigate the life of men on the German U-boats and in the convoys of Allied ships during the war, comparing their efforts and risks in trying to win the war for their sides. Suggest that students find out how the Allies counteracted the U-boats and evaluate the effectiveness of their actions.

5. Ask students to examine the laws that were passed in the U.S., Great Britain, France, Italy and Germany to ensure that no one publicly worked against the success of that nation's war effort. Ask them to explore whether the civil rights of the people were compromised and whether these restrictions were consistent with the constitutions of the respective nations.

6. Ask students to investigate and compare the propaganda techniques and materials that were developed and used in at least two of the combatant nations. Ask students to create their own propaganda signs and slogans or to make a collage of reproduced posters actually used in the war.

7. Ask students to investigate the conditions on the western front on November 11, 1918, describing the amount and effects of the violence and killing that went on in the last hours of the war. Ask them to evaluate the reasons men on both sides gave for continuing to fight to the last minute.

8. Ask students to study the life of Kaiser Wilhelm II after his abdication and to research his thoughts and feelings about the war, his abdication, the surrender of Germany and the results of the peace treaty that was signed on June 28, 1919.

9. Ask students to research the ideas and actions of President Woodrow Wilson before and after he asked Congress to de-clare war on Germany. Ask them to consider his ideas about democracy, about the participation of people in government and about the policies, laws and actions of the American government during the war.

ADDITIONAL POST-VIEWING QUESTIONS

In addition to the questions on the student handouts and in the section on Student Learning Expectations, the following questions may be asked:

1. How did the events in Germany and the attitudes of the German people in 1918 contribute to the lack of support for the Kaiser and for continuing the war?

2. How did the actions of the Kaiser during 1917-18 weaken his support among civilians and top government officials?

3. Why did the German government decide to resort to unrestricted submarine warfare in February 1917? Give at least three reasons.

4. Why did the Germans begin a massive offensive in April 1918? Give at least three reasons.

5. State at least three ideas that President Woodrow Wilson had about war and about this particular war. How did these ideas contribute to his reluctance to enter the war.?

6. What were the prevailing attitudes of the majority of Americans in 1917 toward Black Americans?

7. Identify five characteristics of the combat behavior of the American soldiers. What impact did the American soldiers have on the collapse of the German war effort.?

8. What events and conditions led to the final collapse of Germany's war effort and its decision to accept an armistice?

9. After the cease-fire, why did people say it was easier to fight the war than it was to make peace? Give at least three reasons.

10. How did the "war madness" that occurred in the U.S. reflect the essence of total war, that is, a war not merely between opposing armies but between opposing nations?

STUDENT RESOURCES

6-A. Questions. This resource provides a set of questions to focus students' attention on the important content in each segment of the video.

6-B. Context and Overview of the Great War. This resource provides background information to help the students understand the dominant conditions and moods of the time. It includes questions to be answered before seeing the video, questions that you may ask them to reconsider after the viewing.

6-C. The Zimmermann Note. This sheet contains the text of the Zimmermann note, which helped solidify the support of the American people for entering the war against Germany.

6-D. The American Espionage Act of 1918. This resource provides excerpts from this important Act, which seriously limited the civil rights of Americans.

6-E. Motivations for the American Entry into War. This resource provides a list of reasons for the U.S. to enter the Great War.

6-F. Noteworthy Quotes. This resource provides a number of quotes from individuals whose words express the thoughts and feelings of this period of the war.

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