World War I

World War I

I retired from the military service in 1911, but was recalled to the military service to lead the Eighth Army in Prussia. I had gained much respect due to my first encounter of warfare in the war with Austria. By mid September 1914, I achieved victory at Tannenburg and the Masurian Lakes. The nation viewed me as a national war hero because of the severe defeats of the Russian Army. In August 1916, I was appointed Chief of the Greater German General Staff. This position allowed influencing Germany with power. The Allied troops were a powerful force and were pushing the Germans back. It was my idea to advise the government to seek armistice in 1918. There was more tension as the United States joined World War I. The Americans joined the war because we attempted to Persuade Mexico into attacking the United States. My troops were being pushed back into Germany, which frightened me. The German offense on the Western Front of France continued to go on for many years. Trench Warfare was not very organized and many men were killed by machine guns. During the war in Germany, Ludendorff and I decreed a system of complete mobilization for total war. The Auxiliary Service Law of 1916 required all male noncombatants between ages 17-60 to work only in jobs that benefited the war. Many German citizens joined in the fight for a national purpose. Nationalization grew within Germany as more armistice production was increased by the women who substituted the men in the war. In the end, Germany Ended up losing the Great War and was forced to pay reparations in the Treaty of Versailles.