Immediate Impact of the First World War on Germany

• Woodrow Wilson, the president of the USA, wanted to help Europe rebuild after WW1 and so was heavily involved in the negotiations
• Britain, France and the USA took part in the negotiations for the Treaty of Versailles
• The Allies blamed Germany for starting the war. Therefore, the Allies excluded Germany from the negotiations
• Germany referred to the Armistice as a 'stab in the back' by the November Criminals - the politicians who signed the Treaty of Versailles. The German people believed the propaganda suggesting that they were going to win the war
• The majority of people in Alsace-Lorraine spoke German. Since the Franco-German War (1870-71) they were deemed German
• The German army was reduced to 100,00 men due to the Treaty of Versailles

  The army was a source of national pride for many Germans and any reduction was deeply humiliating.
• Many workers, members of the German public, went on strike in Berlin, forcing Kapp and the Freikorps to retreat. The Kapp Putsch was stopped by the German public.
• As a result of proportional representation, it proved difficult to establish a strong and stable government

  Proportional representation resulted in coalition governments. Therefore, clear and descisive decsions were difficult to make.
• A key consequence of the 1923 invasion of the Ruhr for the German people was hyperinflation.

  The price of goods inflated. Inflation rose so dramatically that money became virtually worthless.
• French and Belgian troops occupied the Ruhr in 1923 because in 1922 Germany declared that it was unable to pay reparations. The French didn't believe this and thought the Germans were testing the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. Therefore, in retaliation, the French invaded the Ruhr and confiscated raw materials, manufactured goods and industrial machinery.
• The Wall Street Crash resulted in the USA recalling German loans, prompting the subsequent failure of the German economy.
• Stresemann described Germany as 'dancing on a volcano' because he feared that Germany's new-found prosperity was based on American loans. The USA had loaned Germany money to help its recovery and these loans could be recalled at any time.
• The 1920s is described by some as a 'Golden Age' but not all areas of society flourished. The farmers of the Weimar Republic suffered during the Golden Age due to new technology and a surplus from good harvests.
• During the 'Golden Age' Berlin became the centre of cultural and intellectual life because of The Greater Berlin Act of 1920. The act increased the size of Berlin thirteen times. This encouraged movement and investment in the area and facilitated a boom in cultural and intellectual life.