"As a result of the World War, this old Germany collapsed. It collapsed in its constitution, in its social order, in its economic structure. Its thinking and feeling changed"

Gustav Stresemann’s reflection on post-World War I Germany reveals the profound rupture that the conflict imposed on every aspect of German society. The phrase “this old Germany collapsed” marks a distinct separation between a prior era and the aftermath of the war. The collapse is comprehensive, encompassing governance, society, economy, and even national consciousness. Constitutional collapse refers to the downfall of the German Empire; the monarch abdicated, and the Weimar Republic was born amid revolution and instability. This was more than a change of leadership; it signified a loss of continuity in political legitimacy and structure.

Addressing the social order, Stresemann hints at the disintegration of traditional hierarchies and roles. Before the war, German society was marked by rigid class distinctions and a strong sense of order, reinforced by monarchy, militarism, and cultural homogeneity. The war and subsequent defeat upended these conventions. Soldiers returned home disillusioned, the old elites lost authority, and new social movements, including socialism and communism, gained traction. Economic collapse was just as catastrophic. Hyperinflation, unemployment, and reparations payments crippled the country. Widespread poverty and hardship replaced the previous era’s industrial growth and relative prosperity.

Stresemann emphasizes that the upheaval was not merely material or institutional, but psychological. “Its thinking and feeling changed” underscores how the war altered the collective German psyche. National pride was replaced by trauma, resentment, and uncertainty. The old certainties about Germany’s place in the world and its values, industrial prowess, military strength, cultural achievement, were shaken. People questioned authorities and the very ideas that had guided the nation. A sense of alienation emerged, breeding both existential pessimism and a search for new solutions, paving the way for dramatic political changes and the turbulence of the Weimar years. Stresemann’s words encapsulate a society forced into profound self-examination and adaptation in the face of overwhelming loss.