How did Germany respond to the naval blockade?

The German government made strong attempts to counter the effects of the blockade; the Hindenburg Programme of German economic mobilization launched in August 1916 was designed to raise productivity by the compulsory employment of all men between the ages of 17 and 60.

Why was Germany so concerned about the English naval blockade?

The German government regarded the blockade as an attempt to starve the country into defeat and wanted to retaliate in kind. The German High Seas Fleet set out multiple times from 1914 to 1916 to reduce the British Grand Fleet and to regain access to vital imports.

When did the blockade of Germany end?

1914 – 1919
Blockade of Germany/Periods

Why was the naval blockade so important?

The blockade, although somewhat porous, was an important economic policy that successfully prevented Confederate access to weapons that the industrialized North could produce for itself. The U.S. Government successfully convinced foreign governments to view the blockade as a legitimate tool of war.

How did the blockade affect Germany?

By 1915, German imports had fallen by 55\% from pre-war levels. Aside from causing shortages in important raw materials such as coal and various non-ferrous metals, the blockade cut off fertiliser supplies that were vital to German agriculture.

What terms of the armistice did Germany agree to?

The Germans agreed to pull their troops out of France, Belgium and Luxembourg within 15 days, or risk becoming prisoners of the Allies. They had to turn over their arsenal, including 5,000 artillery pieces, 25,000 machine guns and 1,700 airplanes, along with 5,000 railroad locomotives, 5,000 trucks and 150,000 wagons.

What effect did the British blockade have on Germany?

The blockade of Germany was maintained during the period between the armistice and the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in June 1919. This caused huge resentment in Germany. Germany and Austria-Hungary managed to develop substitutes for many materials which were essential for their war effort.

How did Germany use naval blockades?

Blockades, part of economic warfare, had been employed throughout history. The Allied blockade (1914-1919), which aimed to prevent war supplies reaching Germany, ultimately also targeted the civilian population. The Allies thus put pressure on the neutrals to limit exports to Germany. …

What was Germany’s only effective naval weapon?

U-boats
Germany retaliated by using its submarines to destroy neutral ships that were supplying the Allies. The formidable U-boats (unterseeboots) prowled the Atlantic armed with torpedoes. They were Germany’s only weapon of advantage as Britain effectively blocked German ports to supplies.

What happened within Germany after the armistice?

Immediately after the armistice, American and British troops moved into Germany as an occupying army. Their purpose was to ensure that the German army did not attempt any further aggression, and to bring order to the country after their leaders had fled. U.S. troops in Germany, 1919.

How did the blockade of WW1 affect Germany?

The Allied blockade (1914-1919), which aimed to prevent war supplies reaching Germany, ultimately also targeted the civilian population. It had its counterpart in the German attempt to block supplies to the Entente.

Why did Germany engage in unrestricted submarine warfare in 1917?

By January 1917 the German situation was becoming more and more difficult, with the starvation blockade taking a terrible toll on civilians. The German military managed to persuade the civilian leadership that it was necessary to engage in unrestricted submarine warfare, even if it meant war with the United States.

When did the British starve Germany?

On November 11, 1914, the British set out in the most literal sense to starve the German people into submission; an idea best described by First Lord of the British Admiralty Winston Churchill himself when he stated, “The British blockade treated the whole of Germany as if it were a beleaguered fortress, and avowedly sought to starve the whole

What was the British government’s strategy in WW1?

Before 1914, economic warfare was the British government’s main strategic concept in case of European war. It rejected the idea of “sending a continental-scale army” to France and preferred to apply economic pressure on Germany by naval blockade.

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