Burgfrieden DBQ
Changing views towards a civil peace in Germany from 1914 to 1918 was affected by the progress of World War I When the Burgfrieden was first announced in 1914 the crowds of German people cheered for the Burgfrieden. From 1915 to 1916, by the middle of the WWI, people began to get tired of the war and the high prices for food it brought and corruption it brought about. By 1918, the opinions on Burgfrieden were divided between those who believed the war was necessarye and those who thought it was harmful.
At the beginning of the war a majority of the German people supported the civil peace. In Doc 1 German Emperor Wilhelm II gives a speech at the royal palace in August of 1914 to a crowd of 40,000 people. In this speech he asks that the Germans stand together like brothers. The emperor’s POV on the Burgfrieden is authoritative, since it is his own policy. It is also completely biased since again, it is his own policy for which he needs support. Doc 2 also supports the claim that most people supported the Burgfrieden in 1914. Doc 2 is a photograph of a large group of people cheering as the emperor gives his speech, which means that people do support the Burgfrieden. The POV of Doc 2 should be objective, since it is a historical photograph and not someone’s account of history.
From 1914 to 1915 some people began to follow the Burgfrieden not because they agreed with it, but because they saw it necessary to ensure their survival. Doc 3 is an account by the Social Democratic Party, which states that they are obligated to follow the policy of civil peace to ensure their own survival. The POV could be authoritative since it comes from a prevalent political party, but it is also probably quite biased because it comes from a party that is in opposition to the emperor. Doc 6 is an account by an author from the Pan-German League. It states that the civil peace is necessary to ensure German survival. It states that other opinions on the Burgfrieden are not allowed. The POV of this document is most likely knowledgeable because it is by an author of that time, but it is more than likely biased towards the Burgfrieden because it was written by a war supporter.
In later years though people became more and more frustrated by the war and the civil peace. This can be seen in Doc 7, which is an account by a soldier stating that his family back in Germany is not being provided proper food. The POV of this account is most likely truthful, but also slightly biased since it is published in an anti-war liberal newspaper. Another account which supports this statement is Doc 8, which is a personal diary describing the discontent with the war among the women of Germany. The POV of Doc 8 is authoritative since it is written by the wife of a prince, and is most likely objective since it was written in a private diary and not meant to be shared. This POV differs greatly from that of the women in the earlier Doc 4, which was hopeful and supportive of the Burgfrieden, because the women thought it would help them achieve rights and suffrage. Doc 9 also supports the POV from Doc 8. Doc 9 is an administrative report that states that women do not want to do their husbands’ jobs anymore. This document is likely unbiased since it is an official report.
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