Support for World War I was practically unanimous among all strata of German society. Even the traditionally anti-military Social Democratic party supported the war, giving rise to the hope that domestically, Germany had achieved a consensus for action in what was expected to be a short war. 

Jewish citizens in particular looked to the war as an opportunity to gain fuller social equality by displaying their love of country. Such a show of loyalty, it was thought, would help reduce discrimination and promote social integration. In fact, Jews encountered discrimination in the army every step of the way. The Prussian high command even went so far as to conduct a Judenzählung, or “Jewish census”, to counteract rumors that Jews were shirking their patriotic duty. When it was documented that Jews were, on the contrary, overrepresented in the military and disproportionately dying for their country, the census findings were suppressed.  Many Jews came out of World War I wondering whether Germany truly was their “fatherland.”