Although Germany started out as a very strong world power at the beginning of World War I, they were taken down, not by a country, but by a pandemic that swept its way across the world. Being that World War I was a total war that required a country’s full resources to effectively fight, losses at the home front due to influenza were debilitating to both civilian life, and soldier life. The war needed to be supported by to the country’s economy and therefore, when Germany’s economy was affected by illness the country’s war efforts were hindered by an inability to support their needs. Many large countries were affected in different ways; including factory shut downs, hospital department closures, as well as bank closures3. With these closures it meant that all sorts of supplies required for the war effort were compromised. Production of weapons in factories would be lower, including guns, ammunition, cannons. In addition, production of uniforms would be lower. One of the largest effects of influenza would be the loss of medical supplies and personnel. The number of nurses and doctors able to go to war would be much lower due to the fact that so many of these individuals were needed in at the home front in order to keep Germany going. Although all of these resources were still used towards World War I, they were not used to the extent that they would have been able to if the Influenza Pandemic had not struck the world.
Germany was not the only country affected by Influenza. How can it then be explained that, that is the reason for their loss when every country struggled with similar hardships? One difference is how Germany dealt with the crisis in contrast to other countries. Other countries warned their citizens and gave tip on how to beat Influenza, some tips were accurate and some were not. Some if the tips included were to get a lot of fresh air, wash your hands, and clean and boil and used clothing or handkerchiefs4. Germany on the other hand seemed to downplay the situation more. They tended to reassure people that Influenza was being exaggerated it seems, in order to reduce