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Total war in WWI caused immense pressure on the peoples of many of the countries involved, which gave rise to social unrest, directly leading to the breaking of the stalemate in 1917, and indirectly to the eventual cessation of fighting in 1918. Social unrest caused by total war was most prevalent in Russia during 1917, which gave rise to the Russian Revolution, knocking them out of the war and relieving pressure off of Germany. Social unrest caused by the British blockade forced the Germans to resume unrestricted submarine warfare, which would lead the United States into the war, bringing about the end more quickly. In 1918, the lack of progress and gradual starvation of the German peoples created pressure to end the war, which eventually led to the Armistice.

 Social unrest in Russia caused the Bolshevik Revolution in the autumn of 1917, forcing Russia out of the war. While social unrest had been brewing in Russia for many years at this point, the failures in the war effort and the dilapidating effects of total war on the country sped up the process considerably. The Bolsheviks ordered the assassination of Czar Nicholas II and his family. This governmental change directly led to the breaking of the stalemate on the Western front. Due to the fact that the Germans had been fighting a two front war against the Russians in the east and the French and British in the west, they were able to concentrate all their troops in the West, breaking the stalemate and pushing back the Allied powers.

The rising number of angry Germans aided in the demise of the countries war efforts in the late years of World War One. The overwhelming hunger in Germany became prevalent during the time in which the British navy cut off all supplies to Germany leaving them without food. Starvation and frustration with the government and military soon erupted in the forms of food riots all over Germany. In the map of food riots given, 32 riots were held in 1916 alone. These riots along with others speaking out began to change the views of many German citizens. In Karl Liebknecht’s Call For Revolution, the Germans are pressured to overthrow the now insufficient government. Karl tells the people of his country to “disarm your officers, whose sympathies and ideas are those of the ruling classes.” These social disturbances and frustrations all lead to a larger factor in the ending of the stalemate and eventually ending the war. The people of Germany were no longer supporting the government and therefore the government had only one path in the ending of the war, defeat.

Social unrest in Germany pressured the government to resume its submarine blockade, bringing in the United States on the side of the Allies, ultimately ending the war. When informing the U.S. Secretary of State of its decision to resume unrestricted submarine warfare, German Ambassador Count Johann von Bernstorff said, “The Imperial Government could not justify before its own conscience, before the German people, and before history the neglect of any means destined to bring about the end of the war.” This shows the pressure the Government felt and why the government was forced to do whatever it took to emerge victorious. The German government knew that if they resumed unrestricted submarine warfare, the United States would enter the war, but they didn’t have any other choice. In addition, Germany underestimated the U.S., assuming that its troops would be ineffective and slow to mobilize. They thought that in the amount of time it took for sizable amounts of American troops to reach the Western front, Germany would have had enough time to suffocate Great Britain and end the war. The German submarine blockade was effective for a while; after the U.S. declared war on Germany, however, the combined forces of U.S. and British navies were able to overpower the Germans with the help of new technologies including depth charges and hydrophone detectors. The blockade had failed and supplies, of which the U.S. was now producing enormous amounts, poured into Great Britain. The war was taken to the battlefield, where the Germans were unable to maintain their momentum and faced an enemy with a larger number of troops at its disposal, due to the large amount of U.S. troops. After a string of counter attacks by the Allied forces, Germany surrendered.

The end of WW1 was largely triggered by social unrest in the European nations involved, especially Russia and Germany. Total war caused public pressure for a quick end to the war and exhaustion of troops and supplies on all fronts, leading to a stalemate and mutual frustration. As nationalism declined and social unrest heightened in Russia, the Bolsheviks overtook the government and spurred a revolution, abandoning WW1 and causing civil war within Russian borders. This renouncement of the battlefront allowed Germany to unleash its full strength against Great Britain and France, ending the stalemate and pushing back the Allied powers. In addition to social unrest in Russia, public distress was felt in Germany as well. Due to Britain’s successful blockade, Germany was becoming desperate and turned to unrestricted submarine warfare. Although this action achieved temporary success, it also involved the underestimated U.S. forces, which combined with the Allies to defeat Germany. Civil unrest provided pressure for national leaders, leading to rash action both politically and militarily that stemmed from a feeling of public dissent and desperation. In order for a country to maintain strength and power in dealings with other nations as well as within its borders, it needs the support of its people; as Russia and Germany both demonstrated during WW1, conflict and dissent within a nation divides and weakens even the most militarily prestigious countries.