Changes Under the Weimar Republic

• Living standards improves for the Working classes

  Unemployment- the unemployed were more protected. In 1927, the government introduced unemployment insurance. Workers could pay into the scheme and would receive cash benefits if they became unemployed

  Wages- The working classes became more prosperous. Wages for industrial workers rose quickly in the late 1920s.

  Housing- the government launched mass housing projects. More than 2 million new homes were built between 1924 and 1931. This also provided extra employment.
• Despite these changes(under the weimar republic) some problems remained:

  -Higher living standards could only be maintained with a strong economy, and Germanys was fragile.

  -The changes mainly helped the working classes– the middle classes couldnt access the welfare benefits.

  -Not everyone benefited from higher standards of living. The middle classes felt ignored by the Weimar government and their resentments made it easier for the governments political opposition to gain support
• Women gained more Freedoms

  Women were given more freedom and greater access to public life under the Weimar Republic

  -Politically, women were given more representation. They were awarded the vote and could enter politics more easily– between 1919 and 1932, 112 women were elected to the Reichstag.

  -Women showed that they were capable workers during the war, and the number of young women working increased.
• Women gained more Freedoms

  -The traditional role of women began to change. New female sports clubs and societies sprang up, and women had more opportunities.

  -Divorce became easier, and the number of divorces rose.

  -These changes fuelled right-wing criticism– some German nationalists thought giving women more power and freedom threatened traditional family life and values in Germany.
• The Weimar Republic had many Cultural Achievements

  -The Weimar Republic was a period of creativity and innovation in Germany Freedom of expression generated new ideas. Artists began to question traditional forms and styles, especially ones that focused on authority and militarism.

  -Their advances in the arts– some developments were bold and new, like the drama of Bertholt Brecht. The Bauhaus School of design was highly influential, especially in fine arts and architecture.
• The Weimar Republic had many Cultural Achievements

  -There were also important changes in music, literature and cinema. German films were successful– e.g.’Metropolis’ directed by Fritz Lang.

  -The Weimar Republic encouraged new ways of critical thinking at places like Frankfurt University, and a cabaret culture developed in Berlin.