<P> More recent studies also disagree on the severity of the blockade ′ s impact on the affected populations at the time of the revolution and the armistice . Some hold that the blockade starved Germany and the Central Powers into defeat in 1918, but others maintain that while the German population did indeed go hungry as a result of the blockade, Germany ′ s rationing system kept all but a few from actually starving to death . German success against the Russians on the Eastern Front culminating in the Treaty of Brest - Litovsk gave Germany access to the resources of Poland and other eastern territories, which did much to counter the effects of the blockade . The armistice on 11 November was forced by events on the Western Front rather than any actions of the civilian population . Also Germany's largest ally Austria - Hungary had already signed an armistice on 3 November 1918, exposing Germany to an invasion from the south . </P> <P> Nevertheless, it is still accepted that the blockade made a large contribution to the outcome of the war; by 1915, Germany ′ s imports had already fallen by 55% from their prewar levels and the exports were 53% of what they were in 1914 . Apart from leading to shortages in vital raw materials such as coal and non-ferrous metals, the blockade also deprived Germany of supplies of fertiliser that were vital to agriculture . This latter led to staples such as grain, potatoes, meat, and dairy products becoming so scarce by the end of 1916 that many people were obliged to instead consume ersatz products including Kriegsbrot ("war bread") and powdered milk . The food shortages caused looting and riots, not only in Germany, but also in Vienna and Budapest . The food shortages got so bad that Austria - Hungary hijacked ships on the Danube that were meant to deliver food to Germany . Additionally, during the winter of 1916 to 1917, there was a failure of the potato crop, which resulted in the urban population having to subsist largely on Swedish turnips; this period became known as the Steckrübenwinter or Turnip Winter . </P> <P> The German government made strong attempts to counter the effects of the blockade; the Hindenburg Programme of German economic mobilisation launched on 31 August 1916, was designed to raise productivity by the compulsory employment of all men between the ages of 17 and 60, and a complicated rationing system initially introduced in January 1915 aimed to ensure that a minimum nutritional need was met, with "war kitchens" providing cheap mass meals to impoverished civilians in larger cities . All these schemes enjoyed only limited success, and the average daily diet of 1,000 calories was insufficient to maintain a good standard of health, resulting by 1917 in widespread disorders caused by malnutrition such as scurvy, tuberculosis, and dysentery . </P> <P> German official statistics estimated 763,000 civilian malnutrition and disease deaths were caused by the blockade of Germany . This figure was disputed by a subsequent academic study that put the death toll at 424,000 . The German official statistics came from a German government report published in December 1918 which estimated that the blockade was responsible for the deaths of 762,796 civilians, the report claimed that this figure did not include deaths due to the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918 . The figures for the last six months of 1918 were estimated . Maurice Parmelle maintained that "it is very far from accurate to attribute to the blockade all of the excess deaths above pre-war mortality", he believed that the German figures were "somewhat exaggerated". The German claims were made at the time when Germany was waging a propaganda campaign to end the Allied blockade of Germany after the armistice that lasted from November 1918 until June 1919 . Also in 1919 Germany raised the issue of the Allied blockade to counter charges against the German use of submarine warfare . </P>

What happened as a result of the british naval blockade