opposition and control

• Paris peace conference happened in 1919
• at the Paris peace conference Germany and the Allies attended , hoping to negotiate the treaty of Versailles yet Germany only had observer status
• those who signed the treaty of Versailles called 'November Criminals'
• The Big 4 was Britain , France , Italy and USA
• France really hated Germany as Germany had attacked France twice in 1871 and 1914 , wanted to ensure French national security by permanently weakening Germany
• article 231 was the 'War Guilt Clause' , made Germany accept responsibility for starting the war and all the losses that resulted.
• due to article 231 , Germany had to pay 132 billion gold marks in reparations to the Allies - set in April 1921
• military terms of the treaty of Versailles:

  • germanys army reduced to 100k troops , conscription banned
  • no tanks , aircraft or submarines over 10k tons
  • Rhineland demilitarised , Allied troops would occupy its West Bank for 15 years
• territorial aspects of the treaty of verisalles:

  • unifcation with austria banned for Germany
  • germanys overseas colonies given to Britian and France
  • coal-rich Saarland given to France for 15 years
• the Bethmann-Hollweg memo (9th September 1914) said that Germany was aiming for a 'commercial treaty that makes France economically dependant on Germany.'
• impact of verisalles on Germany:

  • damaged national pride , war guilt clause + reparations deeply resented
  • source of anger and propaganda for German nationalists
  • 7 million germans found themselves living as minorities in other countries
• left wing uprisings between 1919-1923:

  • Hamburg uprising
  • Soviet republic of Bavaria
  • sparticist revolt
• when was the Hamburg uprising?

  October 1923
• what happened at the Hamburg uprising?

  KPD ordered it , 300 took part , locals supported them by providing food. Rebels left after few hours
• what was the outcome of the Hamburg uprising?

  100 shot dead , 300 wounded and 1,400 arrested
• the soviet republic of Bavaria was declared in March 1919 , put down in May by 30k army , Friekorp troops and Ehrhardt Brigade
• right wing uprisings in 1919-1923:

  • kapp putsch
  • Austrian putsch
  • many assassinations
• kustrin putsch 1923:

  • illegal paramilitary groups within germany army called the Black Reichswehr , aimed to replace streseman's governement with a government
  • other Reichswehr units prevented the putsch , leaders arrested for treason
• kapp putsch 1920:

  • led by Wolfgang Kapp
  • 12k Friekorps marched on berlin
  • army refused to shot them , Ebert fled , Kapp announced new government
  • lack of support for putsch
  • left wing SPD & trade unions organised general strike in Berlin and an uprising in the Ruhr
• assassinations between 1919-1923(from right wing)

  • 1921 , Erzberger killed , had been attacked by right wing press for signing the Armistice and introducing tax reforms
  • 1922 , Rathenua killed , was German , Jewish. ,rich , nationalist , liberal and pro-weimar , founded DDP. Hated by right wing press for negotiating the treaty of Rapallo with the USSR in 1922
• kapp putsch occurred at end of the passive resistance
• Munich putsch happened in 1923
• hitler and lundenorff planned to march on Berlin , overthrow Weimar Republic and impose a new government for Germany (plan of Munich putsch)
• dates and length of the Munich putsch:

  • 8th-9th november 1923 , 2 days
• what happened on the 8th November 1923 during Munich putsch?


  hitler and SA took control of right wing meeting run by Lossow and Kahr , they both promised loyalty to the Putsch and Lundenorff let them go. SA failed to seize Munich army barracks
• what happened during the Munich putsch , 9th November 19?

  • Ebert called state of emergency
  • lossoow and Kahr denounced and warned about the putsch
  • lundenorff convinced hitler to march on Munich , believed army would support them due to lunderorffs reputation
  • hitler and 2k armed Nazis met by soldiers and armed police
  • 16 nazis , 4 police killed , Hitler and Lundenorff arrested
• consequences of the Munich putsch:

  • hitler given light sentence of 5 years , released in december 1924
  • nazi party banned , hitler banned from public speaking
  • in 1924 election , Nazi party 3rd largest party in Bavaria
• while in prison hitler used his public platform to expound his views and gain national fame , he also wrote Main Kampf (bestseller)
• weakness of the sparacist uprising:

  • poorly planned
  • had minimal support for public , only 15,000 supported
  • spartacists thought that apathy towards weimar republic would lead to support for the uprising
• the kapp putsch was weak as it was put down by the general strike
• weaknesses of the Munich Putsch:

  • before the putsch , Hitler hesitated about whether to go ahead with his plan
  • Lundenorff's decision to release men from the bear hall on the 8th November , they alerted the authorities
• how was Ebert's strong leadership lead to downfall of the Spartacist uprising?

  • Ebert's use of Friekorps crucial to dousing uprising
  • Ebert acted swiftly , using Friekorps pitted left and right wing against each other
• how were the strengths of the weimar government showcased during the Kapp Putsch?

  • weimar government survived extremists threats through gaining support of Germany elites
  • in kapp putsch , civil servants and banks refused to support the uprising
• the support of the army was crucial to the weimar government controlling Munich putsch
• parties that were brought into the weimar constitution and wanted to strengthen democracy:

  • SPD
  • zentrum party
  • DDP
  • DVP
• exam q. How significant was the problem of political extremism in challenging effective government in the years 1919-30? (very significant)

  • kapp putsch led to Ebert fleeing Berlin
  • Wall Street crash in 1929 increased votes for anti-weimar parties e.g. 4.5 mil votes (1928) to 13 mil votes (1930)
  • hitlers Munich putsch given support and gave legitimacy for Nazis to rise to power and Hitler out of jail quickly meant he could return to politics
• moderate parties support rates in elections:

  1919: SPD (165 seats) , DDP (75 seats)

  Dec 1924: SPD (131 seats) , DNVP (103 seats)

  1928 : SPD (153 seats) , DNVP (73 seats)
• after 1930 support for moderate parties declined and people sought more radical solutions from extremists
• decline in support for SPD after 1930 : 143 seats in 1930 , down to 121 seats in November 1932
• rise in support for Nazi party from 1930-nov 1932:

  1930: 107 seats

  1932 : 196 seats