Among the many
problems associated with
World War I in
Germany were shortages of
raw materials. These caused strong restrictions to be placed on the
supply and distribution of essential
goods,
rationing,
prices, hours of
sale, maximum lengths of dresses and the types of
meat that could be sold in
restaurants on certain days. Two-hundred-and-fifty-eight
laws relating to this had been introduced by the end of 1916. The main reason Germany had shortages was that much of the nation's
industrial and
agricultural production depended on
imports of raw materials. British
naval blockades made it almost impossible to import materials even when Germany could find
overseas suppliers. Resultingly, such necessities as
copper,
rubber,
fertilisers for
agriculture and many of the
minerals needed for
steel production were in short supply. The people who suffered most from the scarcity of raw materials were the
civilians at home.
Army needs were catered to before the
public's, which drove millions of families to the brink of
starvation. The quality of all
consumer goods such as
textiles,
foodstuffs and
shoes deteriorated, leading to
poverty.
Another impact of World War I in Germany, linked to the shortage of essentials, was the decline in
health of schoolchildren. In one school 17 per cent of children's nutritional status was deemed unsatisfactory in 1918, compared to 11 per cent two years earlier. In another school, the figure rose more dramatically from 5 per cent to 16 per cent in the same period. Whereas, in 1916, the proportion of
children displaying signs of
anaemia was one third, by December 1918 it had risen to one half.
Tuberculosis was also becoming more prevalent.
Although
conscription into the army was
traditional and more-or-less accepted in Germany, the large
casualty rate and pace at which men were being conscripted resulted in a shortage of
labour on the
home front. Forced labour from occupied countries had limited success, and so the German
government passed a law that said all German men aged 17 to 60 were liable to be called up for labour service. Later, the
Hindenburg programme promoted the concept of "total war," which saw all men, women, juveniles, disabled servicemen and
prisoners of war being mobilised for labour,
universities and training
colleges closing down and work being undertaken on
Sundays.
Civilians faced severe hardships in the period of 1916 to 1917. The
transport system broke down, causing
food and
coal distributions to also degenerate. Workers became outraged with the continual lowering of
income and increases in prices and working hours. Universal compulsory service by men and women aged 16 to 59, passed by the end of 1916, did not help the civilians, and so numerous strikes broke out. The over-burdened German
economy had become too much for the people to put up with.
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