topic 2 germany

• how did the TOFV influence politics

  influenced political agenda in germany and was a campaigning point for politicians

  also causes political discontent and a spur to opposition
• how did the people feel about the govt

  felt betrayed

  said that the WG were traitors to the country for arranging the armistice and signing the shameful TOFV
• Thoughts about TOFV


  real anger and resentment

  german people had been given misinformation about the war by the newspapers

  german people had no idea how badly the war was going for germany

  ideas put out by newspapers made german people believe they were going to win the war

  WR had been given blame as traitors
• significant effects


  imposing of reperations enabled germany to keep resentment to the TOFV

  didnt matter that germany didnt pay back a significant amount

  USA brokered to agreements

  Dawes plan 1924

  Young plan 1929

  both greatly reduced reparations and extended the time for repayment
• how was weimar created

  revolution from above
• what issues did the weimar face

  army

  armisitice - tofv i.e stab in the back- new govt got blame + november criminals

  economic hardship - living standards effected
• stinnes legein agreement


  Recognition of Trade Unions

  :Eight-Hour Workday

  Workers' Councils -The agreement allowed for the creation of workers' councils in companies with more than 50 employees. These councils had the right to be consulted on certain management decisions and participate in workplace governance.

  Guaranteed Reemployment for Veterans

  Economic Cooperation: While the agreement primarily focused on workers' rights, it also emphasized the importance of cooperation between employers and workers for the sake of economic recovery and national prosperity.
• regional disruption


  varying control over different regionsdifferent parts adopted the weimar constitution at different times

  thuringia held elections at end of june 1920 added to uncertainty - bavaria and saxony - possible for communist to set up a new seperate state
• using freikops and army to limit disruption

  spartacists 1919 - crushed ( friekorps)

  kapp putsch - didnt get involved (army)

  bavaria saxony thuringia munich putsch - communist uprising (army)
• reichsexekution


  the right for the army to go into an area that have had an uprising to restore order/ uphold weimar republic
• lopsided control


  Weimar republic forces to rely on army for extremist threat

  left wing dealt with more brutally

  RW groups given more leniency with army

  judiciary was less harsh on RW in court

  LW opponents got angry
• germany after war


  full of angry unemployed soldiers

  soliders formed private armies for political groups

  added voilence to new govt

  govt forced to leave berlin- go to weimar
• govt was opposed by extremist LW and RW for its

  invovlement in TOFV

  liberalism and democratic principles

  failure to produce a strong, decisive government and a strong leader

  failure to unite germany
• most significant left wing opposition

  came from communists groups

  especially active after the war
• 4 jan 1919


  govt dismissed popular police chief in berlin - Emil Eichornhe was a radical USPD member

  this brought the govt into open conflict with workers council

  Spartacists members of USPD and local union officials tried to take over the govt - spartacists revolt
• 6 jan 1919


  thousands of armed worker too over key buildings - newspaper offices

  Reason why Chancellor Ebert moved govt to weimar

  Freikorps crushed rebellion and executed its leaders
• LW tactics


  taking over bavaria March 1919

  taking over Thuringia 1921
• RW opposition


  DNVP - wanted to act as a opposition party in reichstag

  later on tried to work in reichstag to produce a more settled political environment

  more severe opposition came from various right extremist groups - aimed to restore empire + turn over TOFV

  RW opposition - wealthy landowners, army, industriliasts and conservative groups

  WG never won over monarchists

  but tried hard to convince teaching profession of benefitws of new system - not passed onto students

  hard to convince people of virtues of a democracy when parties were unable to work together in reichstag

  most signifcant RW extremist actions

  Kapp pustch 1920

  Munich Putsch 1923
• Kapp Putsch 1920


  RW extremist movement to overthrow govt

  led by Wolfgang Kapp and freikorp leaders Walther Luttwitz and Herman Ehrardt

  Putsh had support of Ludendorff - general in WW1

  took over berlin 12 March - govt fled

  Most of army dind tjoin the putsch but would not fight the rebels

  leaders proclaimed themselves as the new govt

  for a few days looked as if germany had a new govt

  trade unions called a general strike demanding an end to the putsch + new govt to be in control - SPD

  4 days after the putsch the new govt fell

  Weimar returned to berlin
• munich putsch 1923


  influenced by Mussolinis takeover in Rome

  Hitler wanted to do a similar Nazi takeover of Germany starting from Munich

  8 November - SA surrounded a large beer cellar in Munich

  Gustav von Kahr and other important officials were in a meeting

  Hitler crashed into the hall that he and ludendorff were to form a new govt

  one prisoner escaped and organised resistance to the putsch

  When nazis attempted to start there march they were taking prisoner by police in a short battle

  Mein kampf was created from this putsch

  Success for hitler as trail allowed him to spread his beliefs and that widely increased his fame
• political parties


  SDP, centre party, DDP, DVP. KPD. DNVP, NSDAP
• SPD


  SPD were a moderate socilaist party and the largest party and the largest of the parties commited to the republic

  it was strong

  anti communists
• centre party


  set up to defend catholic interest -1870

  it drew up support from all classes

  it was present in every weimar coalitions govt until 1933

  worked in coalitions

  ZP for short
• DDP


  middle class

  liberal

  lost support rapidly after 1920

  in 1919 - 19% of vote

  1932 - 1%

  worked in coalitions

  pro democracy
• DVP


  had reservations about new republic at heart were monarchists

  supported middle class

  outstaninding political figures of WR

  gustav stresseman was leader of party

  highest point of support 1920

  1920 - 14%

  1932 - 2%
• KPD


  formed from spartacist union that had revolt against WR jan 1919

  v closely allied Moscow and refused to co operate in any way with parties that supported Weimar

  hostile to SPD

  refusal to support democratic parties

  allied with nazis in reichstag

  order to destabalize WR
• DNVP


  set up 1918

  composed of old monarchy support

  strong rural support especially in protestant areas

  hitlers coalition partner when came into power in 1933
• NSDAP


  founded - Munich 1919

  favoured overthrow of WR

  after fail of munich putsch tried to adopt legal approach

  great depression economic chaos aided its rise

  1930 - 18%

  1932 - biggest party in reichstag
• summary


  lots of various parties

  peak number of parties - 1932 - 51

  1918 - 18 parties - (8 won seats)

  1933 - 14 parties -(SA suppressed political supporting)
• referendum/ young plan 1929

  govt more successful

  vote against the young plan and overturning the war guilt cause + ending reperations was held

  nationalist used propaganda against young plan

  however SPD coalitions conducted their won campaigns - nationalists failed out 13.8% vote

  thumbs up for govt + democracy
• the black horror


  french troops occupied large parts of rhineland - used black troops

  1. black man raped white women

  2. french deliberatlely using racially inferior troops to humiliate the germans

  the point was to gain international attention and encourage the americans to put pressure on french to leave

  geman people believed the stories

  major political issues

  the propaganda was counterproductive - USA never got involved

  french troops remained until 1930

  helped undermime the democratic principle of republic

  racial purification
• classes supporting weimar


  lower, middle,women
• working class


  majority supported WR until 1930

  new workers rights -Nov 1918

  union leaderes (including Karl Legien) and Hugo stinnes the industrialists created ZAG - central workers association

  recognition of trade unions

  8 hour working days

  workers though could protest - 4500 strikes 1922

  halved by 1924 - continued to fall

  1930 - support for KPD increased
• middle class


  less solid support

  tended to be liberal over nationalist

  tended to be monarchists

  favoured swift end to war

  middle class lacked political unity (unlike working class who mainly voted SPD)

  many mid classes felt vulnerable

  1923 weakened middle class economically

  wallstreet crash 1929 further weakened them
• women


  women supported moderate parties

  liked religious parties

  60% women voted centre party

  protestant women voted DNVP + DDP

  40-45% of SPD vote came from women

  less likely to vote for extremist parties until 1930
• examples of support for weimar

  saxony 1923

  welcomed reichsexecution to remove com takeover

  american ambassador commented the army was met with cheers

  kapp putsch - striked - people listened and 14 putsch failed - made people accept democracy

  many criticised the govt not the constitution

  failure of parties not working together

  failure of coalitions

  when things went correct vote for democratic parties increased

  1924 - SPD won 131 seats increased to 153 1928

  however when govt failed - democracy reacted

  hindenburg election seen as stabilising - nationalist but wanted germany to succeed

  growth of nazis through democracy
• law concerning hitler youth

  is on youth that the future of the german nation depends

  Article 1

  the entire german youth withtin the borders of the reich is organized in the hitler youth age 6-18

  article 2

  it is not only in home and school but in the hitler youth aswell that all of Germanys youth is to be educated, physically, mentally, morally in the spirit of national socialism, to serve the nation and the racial community

  Article 3

  the task of educating the entire of german youth is entrustedto the reich youth leader of the national socailist german workers party. He thus becomes the 'youth leader of the german reich' his office shall rank with that of a ministry, he shall reside in berlin and be responsible directly to the Fuhrer and chancellor
• opposition and disent start of nazi regime

  very difficult

  end of August 1933 - not possible to oppose nazis in reichstag

  all opposition parties were illegal

  many members of parties such as KPD and SPD had eitehr left the country or were in concentration camps

  many groups secretly had to work against the nazification of germany

  some of the groups were - political groups, trade unions church groups, youth groups and members of the army
• how did hitler control the army

  had them swear a personal oath to him to prove they were loyal towards him
• what groups opposed the nazis

  SDP, edelweiss pirates, white rose group, french people, polish people and communist people