All The Kaiser's Men Sparknotes

All the Kaiser’s Men, written by Ian Passionham, a retired British major and historian, picturesquely portrays the German soldier’s life and death on the Western Front during WWI. Passingham presents a very traditional view of WWI—viewing Germany not as a victim defending itself against hostile neighbors, but as a bully demanding influence and respect militarily. He asserts that, “The why, the point and the justification for the conflict were, and remain, rooted in containing the over-weaning ambition of what was a militaristic Germany.” Passionham argues that had Germany not been so militant, WWI would not have occurred. The author begins his book by presenting sources that he utilizes throughout the book. Passingham amassed a vast collection

As soon as he came into power, Kaiser Wilhelm tore the democratic features that his liberal father helped develop. Real power no longer resided in the Reichstag, but almost solely in the Kaiser and his small sphere of military advisors. Encouraged by his military advisors, the Kaiser began massive ship building programs and militarized the populace. The rich Prussian tradition was restored. Germany’s behavior not only resulted in an arms race with traditional German enemies, but also alienated Germany’s close friend, Britain. German Chancellor Bethman-Hollweg summed up the Kaiser’s policy in this way: “Challenge everybody, get in everyone’s way and, in the course of it all, and weaken nobody.” By 1907, Britain, France, and Russia had formed the Triple Entente—brought together by their mutual apprehension of Germany rising

Since the beginning of the war, the British navy blocked over 70% of the Germany’s merchant shipping. To ensure that the army received enough provisions, the government rationed the nation’s food supply. By the winter of 1916, the populous rations dropped to one-half to what they were at the beginning of the war and resulted to eating turnips. The rich, who were able to buy food off the black market, were able to maintain a healthy diet while the rest of Germany starved. Discontent surged and morale plummeted during the Turnip winter. By 1916, the nation’s sense of Gemeinschaft had all but disappeared. After years of food shortages and losing hundreds of thousands of relatives and friends, Germany’s populous no longer wanted victory. Germans wanted peace, bread, and