YEAR 10 MOCKS - GERMANY

• Extent of Recovery during Stresemann Era - International Developments

  • 1923: Stresemann called off passive resistance and promised to restart reparations payment, French leave Ruhr because of this.
  • 1924: Dawes Plan - more time to pay off reparations
  • 1925: Locarno Pact - Britain, Italy, France, Belgium and Germany agreed not to invade each other, respect borders from ToV
  • 1926: Germany joined League of Nations
  • 1928: Kellogg-Briand Pact - international disputed should now be resolved through peaceful means
  • 1929: Young Plan - reduced payment from £6.6B to £2B
• Extent of Recovery during Stresemann Era - Economic Developments

  • New currency - Rentenmark - brought down inflation
  • Organized loans from Dawes plan, massive boost to German economy, US firms (businesses) set up in Germany
  • Loans made to German firms and exports increased
  • By 1928 Germany was second strongest economy
  • Weimar Government used loans to improve houses, build new schools, roads and hospitals.
• G O L D E N - Acronym (not very important)

  G - Good relations with other countries

  O - Occupation of Ruhr ended

  L - Loans from USA

  D - Dawes Plan

  E - Economy Improved

  N - New currency
• Weimar Culture

  • 3 C's - Censorship restrictions removed, Challenged traditional values, Criticized the government
• Weimar Culture - Censorship

  • Censorship - After Kaiser abdication, clubs became major hobby, Germany became famous for cabaret clubs, naked dancing and nightclubs
• Weimar Culture - Challenging traditional values

  • Cinema - Films became popular, directors like Fritz Lang produced new styles of movies such as vampire horror movies. Actresses like Marlene Dietrich played strong and glamorous female characters.
  • Architecture - Bauhaus architects made use of modern materials like steel and glass to design new styles of houses and shops
• Weimar Culture - Criticized the government

  • Art - Otto Dix produced paintings that highlighted the inequalities that existed between rich and poor
  • Literature - Writers such as Erich Remarque produced novels with strong anti-war messages such as "All Quiet on the Western Front" about WWI
  • Theatre - Directors like Bertolt Brecht (communist) produced plays about ordinary people, wanted to show ordinary people were as suitable subjects for operas as stories of heroes and Gods
• Impact of WW1 on the public

  • Economic Problems - Factories lost workers because men signed up for war, by 1918 Germany only produced 2/3 of their original before war, Government started running out of supplies.
  • War weariness - Food and fuel shortages, German public survived on bread and turnips. Wages kept low but factory owners made lots of profit supplying the war. Morale dropped, rebellions, strikes and protests
  • End of Monarchy - Kaiser abdicated, Germany becomes democratic republic, Frederich Ebert new leader of the Weimar government.
  • Defeat, "Stab in the back" myth - Weimar government surrendered to Allies, signed armistice (Nov 1918) ending war. Civilians angered as they wanted to continue fight, Weimar politicians who signed it were called "November Criminals".
• Impact of WW1 economically

  • Reparations - 1922 Germany announced that they were unable to pay it anymore, France didn't believe this so...
  • Occupation of Ruhr - 1923 60,000 French and Belgian troops marched into Ruhr, occupying it for 10 months by controlling mines, factories and railways, took reparations in the forms of goods and raw materials
  • Passive Resistance - Non-violent protest ordered by government, but 140 Germans were killed in clashes with military. No money came from the factories in Ruhr so government compensated by printing more money
  • Hyperinflation - Mark was worthless, in Nov 1923 an egg cost 80M marks and glass of beer cost 150M marks. One US dollar was worth 200M marks.
• Impact of hyperinflation on German citizens

  • Short term losses - Many worker's wages' couldn't keep up with prices, couldn't afford goods. Food shortages as farmers didn't want to sell their goods for worthless money leading to deaths from starvation.
  • Pension - Older people's pensions were so worthless they couldn't even buy a cup of coffee.
  • Savings - Middle class saving's could only buy a loaf of bread, becoming worthless
  • Poverty and Crime rose
  • Short term gains - People could pay off loans, business prices increased at faster pace than wages could increase for employees
  • Weimar government - People blamed Weimar government, people lost faith with democratic parties and support for extremists such as Nazis and Communists supported.