At the start of the First World War, the German Empire was only slightly older than 40 years old, having been united in 1871. Germany had known peace since then, and had seen a period of significant industrial growth. Being a fairly new country, it was still fairly diverse, with a Catholic south, Protestant north, industrialised west, and rural east. Prussia was the dominant state of the empire, with about ⅔ of its population and area. Germany had universal suffrage for men over 21, unlike Great Britain, where many men did not meet the qualifications for voting. Unlike Great Britain, however, Germany did not have responsible government and the Kaiser wielded great power. In the decades leading up to 1914, Germany had significantly increased spending on its military. Germany entered the First World War on the side of Austria-Hungary and began by targeting France. They made significant progress but were halted at the First Battle of the Marne, near Paris. This battle would result in a stalemate and four years of trench warfare on the Western Front. On the Eastern Front, Germany was more successful, making slow but steady progress against Russia. When Lenin and the Bolsheviks gained power in Russia, they sought peace with Germany, for which Germany, in 1918 received significant territorial and economic concessions. With the war in the East over, Germany was able to transfer its troops from the east to the west. In the Spring Offensive of 1918, Germany made further progress in the West, but the Hundred Days Offensive more than reversed those gains. Meanwhile, rebellion was spreading throughout Germany, forcing Germany to seek an armistice.
