The fighting in
World War I ended when an
armistice took effect at 1100 hours on
November 11,
1918. In the
aftermath of World War I the political, cultural, and social order of the world was drastically changed in many places, even outside the areas directly involved in the war. New countries were formed, old ones were abolished, international organizations were established, and many new and old ideas took a firm hold in people's minds.
Throughout armistice the Allies maintained the naval blockade of Germany that had begun during the war. As Germany was dependent on imports, it is estimated that 750,000 [1] civilians had lost their lives during the war, and more died from starvation afterwards.
The continuation of the blockade after the fighting ended, as Robert Leckie wrote in Delivered From Evil, did much to "torment the Germans… driving them with the fury of despair into the arms of the devil." Terms of the Armistice did allow food to be shipped into Germany, but Allies required that Germany provide the ships. The German government was required to use its gold reserves, being unable to secure a loan from the United States ([2]). Some historians have argued that the slow food shipments in early 1919 was one of the primary causes of World War II; others have advocated the Allies should have been even harder on Germany.
The blockade was not lifted until late June of 1919 when the Treaty of Versailles was signed by most of the combatant nations.
