Political leadership

• President Ebert

  He was not the archetypal 'strong man' that r/w thought was necessary to save Germany. He was not charismatic or a good speaker. He was a gifted negotiator, a capable administrator and a pragmatist. His goal was to work within the Weimar system to improve the pay and rights of German workers. He stressed compromise and reform.
• President Ebert:



  He was an effective democratic politician.
• President Ebert:

  He made compromise with the army and he was prepared to work with the largely r/w civil service and judiciary. He was prepared to work with politicians from the right, like Gustav Stresemann.
• President Ebert:

  Compromise with the army, the judiciary and the civil service undermined German democracy in the long term, but in the short term it bought the new regime time and kept the republic going through the crisis years of 1919-24.
• Paul von Hindenburg:


  Played a role in the survival of the Weimar Republic, in the period 1925-28.
• Paul von Hindenburg:


  He was elected president following Ebert's death.
• Paul von Hindenburg:

  Hindenburg had the support of the right, unlike Ebert.
• Paul von Hindenburg:

  He was a respected military general. In reality, his strategy on the Western Front had been disastrous, but this information was kept from the German people, who viewed him as a hero.
• Paul von Hindenburg:


  He was never fully convinced democracy was a good system of government.
• Paul von Hindenburg:

  From 1925, he used his powers constitutionally.
• Paul von Hindenburg:

  In 1928, he used his power to appoint SPD leader Muller as German chancellor. The arrangement between a conservative nationalist and a socialist indicated that some of the divisions within German politics could be overcome.
• Paul von Hindenburg:


  His presidency gave the German right a reason to support the regime, so as a result the regime became more stable.
• Gustav Stresemann:


  Was the leading figure in the People's Party. The People's Party was not wholly committed to supporting democracy, but Stresemann's leadership persuaded many in the party to support the new constitution.
• Gustav Stresemann:

  He oversaw major economic reform in 1923-24, which saved the German economy.
• Gustav Stresemann:

  He was Germany's foreign minister for 6 years (1923-29).
• Gustav Stresemann:

  He hoped to restore German global influence but recognised that Germany was not strong enough to reverse the TOV by force.
• Gustav Stresemann:

  He adopted a policy of co-operation with France and Britain and was prepared to use German economic influence to gain concessions from other countries. He hoped this policy would reduce the damaging impact of reparations and that German borders would be revised.
• Gustav Stresemann:

  1924: The Dawes Plan - resulted in loans to Germany from the USA to further stimulate economic recovery and the rearranging of reparation payments.
• Gustav Stresemann:

  1924-25: The French withdrew from the Ruhr, which they had occupied from 1923 due to non-payment of reparation.
• Gustav Stresemann:

  1925: The Locarno Pact - a series of treaties in which Germany recognised borders with surrounding European countries such as France and Belgium.
• Gustav Stresemann:

  1926: Germany was allowed to join the League of Nations.
• Gustav Stresemann:

  1926: Treaty of Berlin with the USSR, which was designed to further improve relations and encourage economic and military exchanges.
• Gustav Stresemann:

  1928: the Kellogg-Briand Pact, which renounced the use of force to solve international disputes. More than 70 countries signed the pact.
• Gustav Stresemann:

  1929: The Young Plan, which rescheduled reparation payments.