Weimar Government Struggles

• Spartacist Uprising

  • Jan 1919
  • wanted to create communist government
  • leaders Luxembourg and Liebknecht killed, crushed by Freikorps
  • highlighted divisions in the left, socialists losing trust in SPD who were traitors to the working class cause
• Kapp Putsch

  • March 1920
  • Kapp, supported by Freikorps and nationalists
  • government called Passive Resistance
  • deepened mistrust in government as workers helped them but were denied reforms
• Ruhr Rising

  • March 1920
  • wanted a socialist state
  • Freikorps killed 1000 workers
  • deepened divisions in working class politics
• Munich Putsch

  • wanted to create a dictatorship
  • defeated by police easily
  • Hitler sent to prison for 5 years, served 9 months
  • lenient judging, publicly televised trial
  • gave him time to reorganise party structure, wrote Mein Kampf
• Ruhr

  • 1923, Germany defaulted on payments to French
  • 60,000 French and Belgian troops marched into Ruhr and seized control of machinery and took raw materials
  • government urged Passive Resistance, industry stopped
  • Ruhr had 80% of Germany's steel, coal, oil production
  • gov had to print more money to pay workers escalating into severe hyperinflation
• Hyperinflation

  • 1918, a loaf of bread was 1 mark
  • Nov 1923, 200 million marks
  • anger at government, turned to extremist groups
  • economy crumbled
  • food shortages
  • worst for government, old people, middle class
  • best for foreigners, farmers, those in debt
• Stresemann

  • Rentenmark 1923, Reichsmark 1924 - replaced currency, Reichsmark stayed for 25 years
  • Dawes Plan 1924 - US lent $800mill, coal outputs rising, manufactured goods sales doubling, improved infrastructure
  • Locarno Pact 1925 - Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, promise not to invade each other, improved international relations
  • Young Plan 1929 - reparations reduced to 2bill, given 59 years, opposition exploited this calling it 'eternal slavery'
  • Kellogg-Briand Pact 1928 - keep peace, Germany and 60+ others
  • League of Nations 1926 - returning to international community, demonstrated his success
  • won Nobel Peace Prize in 1926
• Liberal Weimar Culture

  • increase in nightlife
  • more freedom for women
  • leisure opportunities for working class e.g. plays
  • art critiqued society
  • bauhaus - combined modern art with industrial design