Weimar germany

• Friedrich Ebert


  Leader of social Democrats

  First german president

  Declared germany a republic
• Ww1 impacts


  2 million troops dead

  100 billion debt

  750,000 Germans starved
• Kaiser Wilhelm abdicates 


  9th nov 1918

  German republic declared
• Kaiser wilhelm


  Not supported by army officers

  Fleed to holland
• 10th November 


  Ebert suspends reichstag

  Form council of peoples representatives
• Life in German revolution

  Crowded streets

  people armed
• Armistice signed 


  11th November
• Head of state 


  Elected 7 years

  chose chancellor

  suspend constitution

  pass laws by decree
• Chancellor


  Head of government

  chose ministers
• Cabinet


  Main decision makers
• Two parliement houses


  Reichstag

  reichsrat
• Reichstag


  Most powerful

  control tax

  elected 4 years
• Reichsrat


  elected 4 years

  represent German regions
• Proportional representation 


  percentage of seats in parliament is percentage of votes in election
• Electoral age


  21
• Strengths of Weimar


  proportional representation

  women vote

  25 to 21 vote reduced

  reichsrat regulate Reichstag power
• Weaknesses of Weimar 


  coalition

  article 48

  not liked by Germans
• Consequences of treaty 


  6600 million reparations

  limited army 100,000

  6 navy ships

  no airforce
• Land lost


  13%

  11 colonies
• Freikorps


  Right wing

  ex soldiers

  250,000

  organised by army
• Article 48


  President act without approval
• Spartacists


  Left wing

  Rosa Luxemburg

  Karl Liebknecht

  soviet backing

  independent socialist party
• Spartacists revolt 


  Took telegraph bureau

  sent freikorps to put down
• Kapp Putsch 


  Freikorps feared unemployment

  march on berlin

  wolfgang kapp in charge

  governement fled

  trade union strike

  Kapp failed to rule
• Political assassinations 


  376

  right wing used to weaken Weimar
• bread 1923


  200,000 billion marks
• Hyperinflation 


  Printed more money to pay for reparations and needed longer
• Occpupation of Ruhr 


  French troops invaded take materials and goods

  workers on strike

  print more money for strikers and materials production Farmers payed more Pay of loans
• Hyperinflation effects


  Savings worthless

  businesses bankrupt

  not affording bread and other essentials
• Retenmark


  Note supply controlled

  reichsmark cured hyperinflation

  value tied to gold price
• Dawes plan


  reduce to 50 million a year

  us make loans to German industry
• Young plan


  Reparations reduced to 2 billion

  nazi opposition

  lower taxes

  longer to pay
• Economy improvements 


  Employment and trade increased

  fragile as relies on amErica
• Stresemanns success


  Reduced extremist support

  resigned chancellorship
• Locarno pact


  Improve border relations france

  demilitarisation Rhineland

  discusss membership of league of nations
• League of Nations 


  Discuss world problems to avoid war

  joined after 6 years
• Kellogg Briand pact


  Avoiding use of war to achieve foreign policy objectives

  showed Germany was in power
• Unsuccess despite stresemann


  Treaty of Versailles still

  still extremists

  french boarders
• Living standards changing 


  Wages rose

  work hours reduced

  housing shortage

  unemployment insurance

  100,000 homes built
• Women in Weimar


  Women working drop 1918-1925

  encouraged to go to uni

  less interested in marriage

  financial independence

  arcticle 109 stated equal rights

  marriage was equal