1919-1924

• Political crisis:

  In November 1918 there were widespread revolts against the Military and Kaiser. The survival of the new republic depended on support from the left and the right. Ebert agreed to work with the soviets and signed the Ebert-Groener pact. Those who signed the armistice became known as the 'November Criminals' by the right.
• Weimar Constitution:

  A democratic constitution, the President was elected every 7 years and had emergency powers with article 48(Ebert used on 136 occasions). The chancellor had to have support from the Reichstag. The Reichstag was elected every four years through Proportianal Representation. This led to coalition governments and the proliferation of smaller parties.
• Treaty of Versailles:

  The peace terms agreed after ww1. They lost 13% of their territory, army limited to 100,000 men, navy of 15,000, no air force, Rhineland wad demiliterised, Germany had to accept blame for the war (article 231) and had to pay reperations of £6.6 billion. This led to the 'stab in the back' theory.
• Hyperinflation crisis:

  At the end of WW1 Germany had a debt of 1.44 billion marks. The government did not want to raise taxes or cut spending so they let inflation rise. The burden of reperations made the situation much worse. When the French occupied the Ruhr, a policy of passive resistance was implimented which triggered the inflation crisis as the goverment had to pay wages and weren't receiving the tax from big buisnesses.
• Political Instability:

  There were 10 coalition governments from 1919-1923 as a consequence of the PR electoral system. Extremist left & right wing parties exploited this.

  • Spartacist uprising January 1919 was put down by the Friekorps
  • Kapp Putsch Febuary 1920
  • Munich Putsch in 1923
• Political assassinations:

  Between 1919-1923 there were 376 political assassinations. 22 by the left and 10 were scentenced to death.. 354 by the right only one was convicted and punished.
• Political Spectrum:

  
• Survival of undemocratic institutions:

  • The army - the leaders were determined to preserve as much independence as they could in the WR. This was done through the Ebert-Groaner pact which agreed the army didn't have to withstand changes if it agreed to back the WR
  • The civil service - they were given a guarantee of their well earned rights and freedom of political opinion
  • The judicary - article 102 guaranteed the independence of the judges. These men were monarchist and anti democratic and showed much bias in their legal judgements
• Social impact of Hyperinflation:

  winners:

  • those who had debt/loans could pay if of very easily
  • big buisnesses could take loans and pay them back easily(Hugo Stinnes)
  • losers:
  • Pensioners with fixed rates
  • Mittelstand lost all of their savings