Hindenburg and Ludendorff
Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff were not picked to be the leaders of the German army without reason. Both Hindenburg and Ludendorff strongly commanded their part of the army to victory during the battle of Tannenberg, and boosted their reputations in Germany as accomplished leaders. The proficiency which was shown ultimately put them at the “front of the pack” to be placed in charge of the German army after Falkenhayn’s mistakes in leading Germany. When the two came to power in 1916, Hindenburg technically received a higher ranking than Ludendorff, technically making him second in command. This did not indicate that Hindenburg was more important than Ludendorff by any means, and, in fact, the contrary was true. Though Hindenburg was in command “Ludendorff made all of the important plans and decisions, and Hindenburg gave the orders” (World War I Reference Library, Sara Pendergast, Christine Slovey, and Tom Pendergast). The German people favored the decision to place them into power, and they “had become heroes by beating the Russians on the Eastern Front” (World War I Reference Library, Sara Pendergast, Christine Slovey, and Tom Pendergast).
Hindenburg and Ludendorff morphed Germany into a perfect of total war by involving every citizen of Germany in part of the war effort. They practically changed Germany in to a military dictatorship, putting themselves in command. They assumed nearly complete control over the German government and “with the kaiser's support, Ludendorff and Hindenburg schemed to remove any general or politician who opposed their plan for winning the war” (World War I Reference Library, Sara Pendergast, Christine Slovey, and Tom Pendergast). Hindenburg and Ludendorff (along with others in the army) also worked to form a wartime economy in Germany. This wartime economy really brought the war away from strictly on the battlefield, and placed it at right at the home front. “Germany was the quickest to make the transition to a wartime economy. The German government established a War Raw Materials Division of the Ministry of War, under the charge of prominent businessman Walther Rathenau. Rathenau quickly organized and coordinated the efforts of German companies to produce all the materials necessary to supply German forces” (World War I Reference Library, Sara Pendergast, Christine Slovey, and Tom Pendergast). This shows how the German army was able to use the people and companies in their country to benefit and further the war effort against the allies. They were able to take advantage of their pull in the government with Hindenburg and Ludendorff at the head, and bring the war back to the civilians living in Germany. This made the war an effort not only of the soldiers, but a total war effort involving Germany’s citizens and its developing infrastructure. The new wartime economy did have its fair share of consequences, however. “Factories making luxury goods or nonessentials were either converted to war production or shut down; workers were shifted to new jobs; and whole industries—wine making in France and chocolate production in Germany—went into decline” (World War I Reference Library, Sara Pendergast, Christine Slovey, and Tom Pendergast). The wartime economy was not a flawless system, but it benefited the war effort in Germany enough to be considered necessary. Hindenburg and Ludendorff took advantage of their country’s populous to benefit their own war plans, but used the supplies they gained effectively. The wartime economy was not a flawless system, but it benefited the war effort in Germany enough to be considered a necessary action.
Hindenburg and Ludendorff morphed Germany into a perfect of total war by involving every citizen of Germany in part of the war effort. They practically changed Germany in to a military dictatorship, putting themselves in command. They assumed nearly complete control over the German government and “with the kaiser's support, Ludendorff and Hindenburg schemed to remove any general or politician who opposed their plan for winning the war” (World War I Reference Library, Sara Pendergast, Christine Slovey, and Tom Pendergast). Hindenburg and Ludendorff (along with others in the army) also worked to form a wartime economy in Germany. This wartime economy really brought the war away from strictly on the battlefield, and placed it at right at the home front. “Germany was the quickest to make the transition to a wartime economy. The German government established a War Raw Materials Division of the Ministry of War, under the charge of prominent businessman Walther Rathenau. Rathenau quickly organized and coordinated the efforts of German companies to produce all the materials necessary to supply German forces” (World War I Reference Library, Sara Pendergast, Christine Slovey, and Tom Pendergast). This shows how the German army was able to use the people and companies in their country to benefit and further the war effort against the allies. They were able to take advantage of their pull in the government with Hindenburg and Ludendorff at the head, and bring the war back to the civilians living in Germany. This made the war an effort not only of the soldiers, but a total war effort involving Germany’s citizens and its developing infrastructure. The new wartime economy did have its fair share of consequences, however. “Factories making luxury goods or nonessentials were either converted to war production or shut down; workers were shifted to new jobs; and whole industries—wine making in France and chocolate production in Germany—went into decline” (World War I Reference Library, Sara Pendergast, Christine Slovey, and Tom Pendergast). The wartime economy was not a flawless system, but it benefited the war effort in Germany enough to be considered necessary. Hindenburg and Ludendorff took advantage of their country’s populous to benefit their own war plans, but used the supplies they gained effectively. The wartime economy was not a flawless system, but it benefited the war effort in Germany enough to be considered a necessary action.