Years of Unrest

• The first four years of the Weimar Republic(1919-1923) were dominated by social, political, and economic unrest. This unrest caused hardship for the German people, and fuelled criticism of Eberts government.
• There was widespread discontent in Germany

  -By 1919, thousands of Germans were poor and starving, and an influenza epidemic had killed thousands.

  -Many Germans denied they had lost the war and blamed the ‘November Criminals’ who had agreed to the armistice and the TOV.
• There was widespread discontent in Germany

  -Others who were blamed for losing the war included communists and Jews.

  -The government was seen as weak and ineffective- the TOV made living conditions worse.
• Soon there were Riots and Rebellions

  The extreme left wanted a revolution

  -In January 1919, Communists led by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxembourg tried to take over Berlin. They took control of important buildings like newspaper headquarters, and 50,000 workers went on strike in support of the left-wing revolution. This became known as the Spartacist Revolt.

  -Ebert asked for help from the right-wing Freikorps(ex-German soldiers) to stop the rebellion. Over 100 workers were killed. The Friekorps use of violence caused a split on the Left between the SPD and the communists.
• The right also rebelled against the Weimar government.

  -In March 1920, some of the Freikorps themselves took part in the Kapp Putsch(Putsch means revolt)-- led by Wolfgang Kapp. They wanted to create a new right-wing government.

  -The Freikorps marched into Berlin to overthrow the Weimar regime. But German workers opposed the putsch and staged a general strike. Berlin was paralysed and Kapp was forced to give up.

  -Even after the putsch failed, threats to the government remained. In 1922, some former Freikorps members assassinated Walter Rathenau– he'd been Foreign Minister and was Jewish.
• In 1923 Germany Couldnt Pay its Reparations

  -By 1923, Germany could no longer meet the reparations payments set out by the TOV.

  -France and Belgium decided to take Germany's resources instead, so they occupied the Ruhr– the richest industrial part of Germany. This gave them access to Germany's iron and coal reserves. The occupation led to fury in Germany, and caused a huge strike in the Ruhr.
• In 1923 Germany Couldnt Pay its Reparations

  -German industry was devastated again. Germany tried to solve her debt problem by printing more money, but this plunged the economy into hyperinflation.

  -In 1918, an egg cost ¼ of a Mark. By November 1923, it cost 80 million Marks.
• The consequences of hyperinflation

  -Germany's currency became worthless. Nobody wanted to trade with Germany, so shortages of food and goods got worse.

  -Bank savings also became worthless. The hardest hit were the middle classes