Early Challenges to the weimar republic 1919-23

• Early challenges to the weimar republic

  Treaty of versailles:

  the treaty of versailles was signed in 1919 at the paris peace conference. the treaty covered 4 main areas (LAMB): land - germany lost 13% of their land including the rhineland and west prussia), they also lost their colonial possessions to the league of nations. army - to ensure germany didn't again build a large military force, they were forced to have 100,000 soldiers and only have 6 ships for its navy. money - germany was required to pay £6.6 billion in reparations for war damage. blame - article 231 meant that germany had to take full responsibility for starting wwl. the treaty of versailles deeply upset the german people and accused those who signed of stabbing them in the back (dolchstoss). the treaty linked germany to defeat and weakness.
• Early challenges to the weimar republic

  Challenges from the left and right:

  main extreme leftist group was the communist party (KPD) who wanted to get rid of capitalism and create a state which benefited the workers. within the reichstag, the KPD managed to obtain about 20% of the seats. outside the reichstag, the communists were backed by the soviet union so was well funded and also had a private army to protect the party.

  challenges from the right weren't just the nazi party but also the national party. inside the reichstag, the extremist right wing achieved around 20% of seats.
• What was the Spartacist revolt aimed at achieving?

  Establishing a communist state in Germany
• Who led the Spartacist revolt?

  Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht
• What inspired the Spartacist revolt?

  The Russian Communist Revolution
• What action did Ebert take that triggered protests?

  He sacked Emil Eichhorn, the police chief
• What was the response of the Spartacist League to the protests?

  They declared a strike on January 6th, 1919
• How many workers were involved in the Spartacist rebellion?

  Over 100,000 workers
• What key government buildings did the Spartacists seize?

  Telegraph offices and other key buildings
• Why did the Weimar government struggle during the revolt?

  They found it difficult to handle the uprising
• Who did the Weimar government call in to suppress the revolt?

  The Freikorps
• What was the outcome of the Spartacist revolt by January 13th, 1919?

  Workers were cleared and leaders arrested
• What happened to Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht during the revolt?

  They were arrested and killed
• How did the actions of Ebert contribute to the Spartacist revolt?

  His sacking of Eichhorn incited protests
• What was the Spartacist League?

  A group within the Communist Party
• What role did Emil Eichhorn play in the events leading to the revolt?

  He was sacked, triggering protests
• When did the Spartacist revolt take place?

  January 1919
• What was the significance of the Freikorps in the context of the Spartacist revolt?

  They were used to suppress the uprising
• Early challenges to the weimar republic

  Freikorps:

  the freikorps were a group of ex-wwl-soldiers, unemployed due to the army restrictions placed upon: germany by the treaty of versailles. many remained loyal to the kaiser and supported right wing parties. during the spartacists revolt, ebert made them suppress the uprising. after the aforementioned revolt, there were 250,000 freikorps members.
• Early challenges to the weimar republic

  Kapp putsch (1920):

  the kapp putsch was a rebellion by the freikorps after the weimar government tried to disband them in march of 1920, sparked by a feeling of betrayal and dislike of the ToV. since they didn't want to be unemployed, they turned against the government. when around 5,000 freikorps marched on berlin, ebert ordered the german army to stop them but they refused, as they didn't want to act against former soldiers. due to this, the freikorps managed to take over berlin and declare a new government, lead by wolfgang kapp, who invited the kaiser to return from the netherlands to become emperor again. the weimar government fled and encouraged workers to go on strike. since many essential services were stopped because of the strike, the new government could not function. this resulted in the fall of the putsch and restoration of the weimar government after only 4 days.
• Early challenges to the weimar republic

  French occupation of the Ruhr (1923):

  the ruhr was a large industrial area of germany, close to the border of france and home to many coalfields. since germany would sometimes pay reparations in coal and goods, the ruhr was vital to germany. when, in december 1922, germany stopped paying reparations, the french army invaded the ruhr as retaliation, seizing goods and factories to make up for the lack of payment. germany could not respond with force, since their army was so weak, so they ordered workers to passively resist the french occupiers by going on strike. the french did not like this and arrested those who were unhelpful. eventually, the french brought in their own workers. overall, the french occupation of the ruhr caused major problems for germany, a key consequence being inflation due to shortages of goods. another was the printing of money, which only made prices rise further.
• Early challenges to the weimar republic

  Political violence (1912-23):

  between 1919 and 1923, there was a significant amount of unrest in germany. to counter this, political parties created private armies out of ex-soldier, defending meetings and protecting members. however, they often caused a lot of violence by harming opponents. it was common for rightwing paramilitary men to beat up communists (and vice-versa). in addition this street violence, there were also many assassinations of high profile weimar politicians; members of the council of people's representatives and walter rathenau in 1922, foreign minister. in total, there were 376 assassinations. when it came to convictions, there was clear judicial bias since most left wing assassins were convicted whilst those that were right wing got away with it.
• What was a massive problem for the Weimar Republic?

  Hyperinflation
• What event led to significant shortages in food and goods for the Weimar Republic?

  The French occupation of the Ruhr
• How did hyperinflation affect people's spending habits in the Weimar Republic?

  People spent more wages on essentials
• Why did the Weimar government decide to print more money?

  To pay reparations and due to less tax revenue
• What happened to the price of a loaf of bread from 1919 to 1923?

  It increased from 1 mark to 201 billion marks
• What was the effect of printing more money on its value?

  The value of money decreased
• What was a consequence of the decreased value of the German mark in international trade?

  Imports stopped and shortages worsened
• How frequently did prices change during hyperinflation?

  Prices changed by the hour
• What unusual method did people use to carry money during hyperinflation?

  They used wheelbarrows
• How did hyperinflation affect the use of money in everyday transactions?

  Exchanges of goods became more common
• What did children use money for during hyperinflation?

  To play with
• What happened to people's savings during hyperinflation?

  Savings became worthless
• Which social class was particularly affected by the loss of savings during hyperinflation?

  The middle class of Germany
• How did hyperinflation benefit those in debt?

  It became easier to pay off debts