WEIMAR REPUBLIC 1918 - 29

• EFFECTS OF WW1 ON GERMANY

  • Between 1914 and 1918, two million Germans died and four million were wounded.
  • Germany's debt trebled from 50 billion marks in 1914 to 150 billion marks in 1918.
  • The German people were near starvation due to the British Navy blockading the German naval ports.
• POLITICAL UNREST IN GERMANY

  • In October 1918, the German navy mutinied in the ports of Kiel and Hamburg
  • Munich, the capital of the German state of Bavaria, experienced a general strike of workers on 7th November. They announced they were a separate communist state
  • In Hanover, soldiers joined workers and rioted on the streets
  • In Berlin, the capital of Germany, there were mass protests on the streets. The Kaiser lost control of the country due to the absence of the capital city's support.
• ABDICATION OF KAISER

  • On Nov 1918, the Kaiser’s military advisers told him he must abdicate to stop the unrest
  • The Kaiser was not in Berlin at the time. He was roughly 700km away at the Army’s headquarters in Spa.
  • Then, the Kaiser escaped from Germany by train and arrived in Netherlands
  • The Allies placed pressure on the Netherlands to extradite the Kaiser to Germany
  • They wanted him to stand trial as a war criminal
  • Queen of the Netherlands refused to allow the Allies to take the Kaiser out of the country
  • The Kaiser remained in the Netherlands until he died in 1941
• STRENGTHS OF THE WEIMAR REPUBLIC

  • The people gained more rights such as voting
  • Proportional representation ensured the Reichstag represented smaller parties. One seat was equivalent to 60,000 votes
  • The system was designed to stop someone from taking ultimate power
  • The Reichstag and the Reichsrat worked together. The Länder (local governments) retained power over schools and the police. The Reichsrat could challenge laws unless two-thirds of the Reichstag voted against the Reichsrat’s intervention
• WEAKNESSES OF THE WEIMAR REPUBLIC

  • Increase in elections weakened the public's enthusiasm for voting. During the 1920s 30s, fewer people voted in elections.
  • Use of proportional representation meant no single party won a majority in the Reichstag. Nine coalition governments between 1919 and 1923 alone. Meant policies lacked vision and took longer to pass
• WEAKNESS OF THE WEIMAR REPUBLIC

  • Article 48 meant the chancellor could ask the president to pass emergency laws without support of Reichstag. Ebert used Article 48 63 times, 1923-24. Abuse article continued into the 1930s
  • New Constitution did not subdue the extreme political parties. They continued to violently attack the WR. Government relied on force to maintain power
• CREATION OF WEIMAR REPUBLIC

  • The Social Democratic Party (SPD) aimed to bring Germany under control after the Kaiser abdicated. Baden resigned as Chancellor and offered it to the SPD's leader Ebert, and he accepted it.
  • On 10th November, Ebert attempted to save Germany from communism. He worked with General Groener and the army to suppress the communist rioters. He dismissed the old Reichstag and created a Council of People's Representatives which governed the country until elections.
  • SUCCESS! Ebert regained control of Germany and it avoided becoming a communist state.
• ELECTIONS

  • Ebert tried to before the elections gain the people's confidence
  • He promised more worker rights - for exampling guaranteeing an 8-hour working day (appeal to trade unions)
  • Businesses kept their land and property the state would not nationalise them. This helped Germany's economy to recover.
  • Ebert announced elections to choose a National Assembly. The Assembly would be responsible for writing the German Constitution - this meant democracy, which wasn't under the Kaiser therefore he could change the laws as he pleased.
• ELECTIONS P2

  • On 19th January 1919, Germany elected their new government
  • The SPD won 40% of the vote and the Centre Party gained 20% of the vote. These were both moderate parties
  • In February 1919, Friedrich Ebert was elected as Germany’s first president
  • From November 1918 to July 1919, the Republic had not consolidated their power
  • Extreme political parties did not support the new Republic. They continued to demonstrate and riot across Germany
  • The SPD had gained 40% of the vote but lacked a majority. They would have to rule in a coalition government with other parties 
• ARMISTICE

  • The first actions of the Weimar government was to surrender to the Allies
  • Germany was experiencing civil unrest and their economy was collapsing
  • Erzberger, a member of the Centre Party, signed the armistice on 11th November 1918.  Armistice was an agreement to stop fighting
• ARMISTICE P2

  • Withdrawing from WW1 tainted public opinion of the Weimar government. The politicians who signed the armistice were called ‘November Criminals’. People believed the government had begun as a failure
  • The German army retreated in November 1918 but not defeated. Some people did not believe in signing the armistice because Germany had not lost the war on the battlefield
• TOV

  • Discussions began in January 1919 at the Palace of Versailles, Paris
  • Official peace document where the Allies agreed on the terms of Germany's defeat. When Germany requested to change the terms (during 15 days) the Allies denied all requests.
  • Article 42: Rhineland became demilitarised and German troops aren't allowed to be stationed there. Made them vulnerable to an invasion from France.
  • Article 160: Germany's army were restricted to 100,000 men. Many ex-soldiers became unemployed.
  • Article 51: Alsace-Lorraine became a part of France again - No buffer between Germany and France
• TOV P2

  • 232: Germany would have to pay the Allies £6.6B in reparations. The amount would be enough to bankrupt Germany as they couldn't trade.
  • 1-26: Germany could not join the League of Nations - Germany felt excluded from world politics. They were more likely to resort to violence to resolve disputes
  • 231: The ‘War Guilt’ Clause. Germany had to agree that they started WW1. The clause made Germany accept responsibility for deaths and destruction during war. This clause created most anger among the Germans They felt it was unfair to take all of the blame for the atrocities caused by WW1
• 'Stab in the back'

  • Many Germans argued that the Weimar government should not have signed the treaty
  • They believed that German politicians committed a ‘dolchstoss’ - or a ‘stab in the back’ 
  • Many Germans felt that the Weimar government had lied to them about the reality of surrendering to the Allies
  • Many Germans compared Weimar's acceptance of the treaty to committing a crime against the German state
• SPARTACIST UPRISING, 1919

  • The Sparticist League was a GCG. Luxemburg and Karl led the Spartacists.
  • Events:
  • Ebert sacked Berlin’s police chief who was popular amongst the workers. Luxemburg and Karl saw this as an opportunity
  •  6th January, Berlin was in chaos. Luxemburg and Karl had encouraged the workers to go on a general strike. Over 100,000 workers protested on the streets. Ebert did not know what to do
  • There were too many protestors on the streets. Ebert turned to the Freikorps who hated communists to defeat the Uprising
  • The Uprising ended on 13th Jan 1919. L and K were killed.
• THE KAPP PUTSCH, 1920

  • The Freikorps was a dangerous organisation. After the army released them from military duty in November 1918, they kept their weapons. They held extreme right-wing beliefs. Did not match the gov's belief.
  • After they had repressed the communists, Ebert feared the power of the Freikorps:
  • The Freikorps believed that the government had committed a ‘dolchstoss' by signing the armistice and the ToV. There were roughly 250,000 Freikorps members by March 1919. March 1920, Ebert planned to disband the Freikorps units in Berlin
• THE KAPP PUTSCH, 1920 P2

  • Fearing unemployment, 5,000 Freikorps members attempted to overthrow the government
  • They announced Wolfgang Kapp, a RW politician, as their leader
  • Ebert attempted to use General Seeckt, the leader of the army to stop the Freikorps. However, he refused as he saw them as fellow soldiers and didn't want to attack them.
  • The Freikorps successfully captured Berlin. The government fled to the towns of Weimar and Stuttgart
• THE KAPP PUTSCH, 1920 P3

  • At this point, Kapp and the Freikorps made a critical error. They declared they would invite the Kaiser back to govern Germany. Many of the lower class wouldn't want this as they have more rights and freedoms now.
  • The workers, with the WG's encouragement, called for a general strike. Berlin lost gas, electricity and water supplies. There was no public transportation 
  • After four days, Kapp left Berlin. He could not govern the city without essential services. By 1922, Kapp returned to Germany to stand trial for conspiracy and treason. He died before the trial began
• OCCUPATION OF RUHR

  • In December 1922, France accused Germany of not sending the amount of coal required by the ToV
  • France was already suspicious of Germany because in November 1922, Germany had requested to stop reparation payments to Britain and France for the next four years. In April, Germany had signed the Treaty of Rapallo with Russia. They had agreed that Russia would supply Germany with economic support
  • French and Belgium troops entered the Ruhr in January 1923. The Ruhr was Germany’s most valuable industrial area. The soldiers seized coal, manufactured products and machinery
• OCCUPATION OF RUHR P2

  • Chancellor Cuno urged the coal workers to use passive resistance against the French and Belgian soldiers.
  • The workers went on strike and sabotaged machinery. The French responded by bringing their own workers into the Ruhr
  • The Weimar government could not force the soldiers out of the Ruhr because:
  • The Treaty of Versailles restricted Germany’s army to 100,000 men whereas the French had 750,000 soldiers
  • The public had a poor opinion of the Weimar government. They believed that the government could do more to force the French out of the Ruhr
• OCCUPATION OF RUHR P3

  • The French occupation of the Ruhr damaged Germany’s economy because:
  • The Weimar government insisted on paying wages to the striking workers 
  • Germany was not producing enough coal to meet demand. The government began importing coal from other countries. This additional cost was more than they could afford
• OCCUPATION OF RUHR P4

  • The government could not make essential goods because coal fuelled many factories. This caused shortages in other products
  • As Germany had fewer products to trade internationally, countries lost confidence in the mark as a currency
  • Germans experienced shortages in everyday items. This increased the prices of these products
• HYPERINFLATION, 1923 P2

  • In early 1923, the invasion of the Ruhr caused inflation. Prices rose because there was a shortage of essential goods
  • The government had a reduced amount of money because:
  • The WG continued to pay the wages of the striking Ruhr workers. Technically the government was paying for coal they were not receiving
  • The gov purchased coal from other countries to meet Germany’s demand for coal
  • Business closed down which increased unemployment levels and less pay to the government from taxes.
• HYPERINFLATION, 1923

  • Hyperinflation is when prices rise rapidly and become out of control
  • In hyperinflation, wages struggle to match the cost of living
  • Hyperinflation can become so bad that currency loses its monetary value. Governments can print more money to counteract the effects of hyperinflation
• HYPERINFLATION, 1923

  • The Weimar government decided to print more money
  • In 1923, there were 300 paper mills and 2,000 printers whose sole purpose was to print currency
  • The decision to print an excessive amount of money caused the hyperinflation crisis
  • By November 1923, the German currency (mark) had become worthless
  • Some workers received pay twice a day so they could purchase essential goods before their wages became worthless
  • People filled wheelbarrows full of money to buy a loaf of bread
• IMPACT OF HYPERINFLATION

  • Loaf of bread in January 1923 would cost 250 marks but that has risen to 200,000 million marks in November 1923;
  • WINNERS: Businessmen and landowners and those with mortgages found out that they were easily able to pay back their loans easily. Foreigners could easily spend a lot in Germany as their currency would have more value which embarrassed the Germans.
  • LOSERS: People on fixed incomes, found their incomes did not keep up with prices. People with savings were hit most badly as their savings were worthless.