Germany

In the short-term, the Bolshevik Revolution and the subsequent withdrawal of Russia from the Eastern Front was very advantageous for Germany, enabling it to conserve its rapidly-depleting military resources. Lenin's intention in negotiating a peace was obviously not altruistic but the fact that the communists were determined to modernize the country and institute what they considered to be an ideal form of government. This was impossible while continuing the war which Lenin already regarded (with some justification) as a conflict that had resulted from squabbling between the imperial powers and which had little to do with where Russia was heading in its future. Secret alliances and tensions between the great powers touched off a series of events which caused the assassination of the Archduke Ferdinand to have a 'snowballing' effect in terms of declarations of war. The conflict which followed was bloody and except for Russia after its regime change, no one was willing to make concessions in favor of peace, fearing seeming weak in the eyes of their neighbors.

Reaction paper: The home front

As the war continued, the negative impact of the conflict began to have a spillover effect upon the rest of the German population. By the end of the war, not only was Germany losing in terms of its battles; worse, it had already lost the hearts and minds of the population. The cumulative effect of this was what became known as the humiliation of the Treaty of Versailles, in which Germany was forced to accept responsibility for the war (despite the complexity of the circumstances arising to generate that conflict). France, by virtue of its causalities, was particularly demanding of a harsh sentence against Germany and demanded the depletion of the German economy and military (which was already in a sorry state by virtue of what Germany had endured during the war).