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Per this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rai0urG_KGw
1:14:46: The Germans protested the Blockade.
1:15:02: The Kaiser put civilians on starvation rations of 1,000 calories a day.
1:15:28: Deaths totaled 891,000.
1:15:35: The impact on United States farm exports.
1:15:56: The U-Boat.
1:32:00: The draft.
Here's another great blockade episode found on Amazon Prime Video: https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B00MB6MKZY/ref=atv_hm_lZOsi7_1_22
It was known from as early as 1912 that an economic blockade would be part of England's strategy if it ever went to war against Germany.[1] In event the measures were challenged in court, a bill was drafted to validate them.[2]
READ HANKEY, VOL I, pg 355 and on; search word "blockade" (did Hankey come up with the idea of the blockade?)
Trade with the enemy was addressed by the British Empire with the Declaration of London, issued at the outset of the war.[3].
In response to the German declaration of a submarine blockage against England on February 18, 1915, the English barred neutral shipping to Germany on March 11th. To bring greater pressure to bear, the position of Minister of Blockage was created, and Sir Robert Cecil was appointed its first minister on February 23, 1916.[4] By the first half of 1917, it was thought that Germany was near economic exhaustion; she was only able to sustain her food supply by conquering Rumania and invading Russia.[5] Problems with Greek neutrality caused the allies to impose a Pacific blockade against her for three weeks in June 1916.[6] On July 19, 1918, War Cabinet Secretary Maurice Hankey wrote, "the blockage, the dreadful weapon of our sea-power, is accomplishing gradually and unseen its inevitable purpose; gnawing the vitals and relentlessly sapping the strength of our foes. Germany is hungry; part of Austria is starving!"[7]
The legality of the blockage was discussed by the allies in Paris on October 29, 1918.[8] Assembled to discuss armistice terms at the Quai d'Orsay, the topic immediately turned to the 14 Points, which Germany declared as their basis for a peace treaty. With The League of Nations, the blockade of a nation can only commence with the approval of the league. This was something Prime Minister Lloyd George could not accept, given England's strong navy and its success at blockading Germany. However, the position of the League of Nations was consistent with the Geneva Convention, which held that an economic blockage targeted a nation's civilian population, not its military, and should be outlawed.[9]
- ^ Hankey, Vol. I, pgs. 91-93
- ^ Hankey, Vol. I, pg. 92
- ^ Hanky, Vol. I, pg. 355
- ^ Hankey, Vol. II, pgs. 488-489
- ^ Hankey, pg. 632
- ^ Hankey, Vol. II, pgs. 537-538
- ^ Hankey, pg. 825
- ^ Hankey, pg. 860
- ^ Hankey, pgs. 860-861