German Reichstag's Civil Peace Policy During World War 1 Dbq

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On August 4, 1914, The German Reichstag (parliament) approved funds to support the preparations of the incoming war and declared a civil peace. This meaning that all conflicts between fellow Germans would be put aside, and that all Germans will come together as one and unite in pursuit of defending their country. As most Germans were anticipating a quick victory, they soon discovered that it wouldn’t be that easy for them to win. In 1914 at the beginning of WWI the civil peace policy was starting to be put into action, and the German people who quickly reacted to the civil peace were all enthusiastic and putting all their time and effort into the war and supporting the government. Throughout the duration of the Great War, from 1914 to 1918, …show more content…
(doc. 1) German Emperor Wilhelm II gave a speech to 40,000 people in hopes of gaining their support for the war and the war funds and stating that Germans are brothers who fight as one. The speech was surely biased, as the emperor needed to gain support in his declaration of war from the people and since he was the Emperor of the country that is wanting to go to war it’s more understandable why it’s bias. A photograph who took a picture at his speech in document 2 explains that the people did support the emperor, and you can see as the people appear to be waving their hats and cheering in the crowd that they are happy to support for the upcoming war. This was during a time of nationalism and the people shown most likely felt certain they would win quickly with minimal casualties. Many women were supporting the new policy because it meant that they, who were already fighting for rights such as suffrage and equality between men and women, would be allowed to take part in events and help support for the war. This idea is supported by doc. 4, in which a women’s rights advocate describes the joy and happiness they felt at being allowed to

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