The Weimar Republic 1918-29

• The First World War ended in 1910 and left Germany scarred and crumbling, having been defeated by the combined force of Britain, France, Russia, Italy and the USA
• Friedrich Ebert, leader of the Social Democratic Party, became the first German president and declared Germany a republic
• Impact of the First World War on Germany

  • 2 million German troops died
  • Over 4 million were wounded (11 million in total fought in the war)
  • Government debts increased from 50 billion marks to 150 billion marks
  • More than 750,000 Germans died because of food shortages
• The devastating effects of the war left many people with no option other than to revolt by striking and rioting
• The abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II

  1. The Kaiser visited army headquarters in Spa

  2. Ministers tried to persuade the Kaiser to abdicate

  3. The Kaiser refused

  4. Army officers refused to support the Kaiser

  5. The Kaiser had no option but to abdicate
• Once the Kaiser had abdicated, the German Republic was declared on 9 November 1918
• Revolution and the declaration of the republic

  1. Friedrich Ebert suspended the old Reichstag and formed the Council of People's Representatives as a temporary measure

  2. The Berlin streets were crowded, some people were armed, hoping to take over parts of the city

  3. Philipp Scheidemann, of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), declared the new Republic to the crowds
• The armistice - the peace agreement between Germany and the Allies - was signed on 11 November
• The terms of the peace, the Treaty of Versailles, became a very big burden for the country
• The revolutionary period continued until August 1919, when the Weimar Republic was finally established
• Weimar Constitution


  • Democratic government was established in the drawing up of a new constitution
  • This was done in the town of Weimar rather than in Berlin where there was still unrest
• Key features of the Weimar Constitution

  • Republic
  • Directly elected president
  • Chancellor and cabinet as the main decision-making body of the government
  • Reichstag and Reichsrat as the two houses of parliament
  • Proportional representation
• Strengths of the Weimar Constitution

  • Proportional representation gave small parties a fair share of seats
  • Women able to vote as well as men
  • Voting age reduced from 25 to 21
  • No one group or person could have too much power
  • Election for president every seven years
  • Central government more powerful than before, but local government still retained power in the regions
  • The Reichsrat could regulate the power of the Reichstag
• Weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution

  • Proportional representation led to unstable coalition governments
  • Lack of strong government led to weakness in a crisis, with the president passing laws without the prior consent of the Reichstag
  • Article 48 enabled the president to do this, which was unpopular
• The Treaty of Versailles damaged Germany's economy, making the Weimar Republic weak from the start
• People blamed the leaders of the new German republic for signing the Treaty of Versailles, labelling them 'November Criminals'
• Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles said that Germany was guilty of starting the war, which ordinary German people resented as they believed they fought the war in self-defence
• Territorial losses for Germany under the Treaty of Versailles


  • Northern Schleswig voted to become part of Denmark
  • Alsace and Lorraine lost to France
  • Upper Silesia voted to become part of Poland
  • Germany lost 19% of its European territory
  • Germany also lost 11 of its colonies
• The 'stab in the back' theory claimed that the army had been betrayed by politicians and forced to surrender when they could have won
• The new Weimar Republic government faced opposition from groups inside and outside the Reichstag, and from both the left and right wings
• The Spartacist Revolt

  • Left-wing group with backing from the Soviet Union, led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht
  • In January 1919, they took over the government's newspaper and telegraph bureau, and tried to organise a general strike in Berlin
  • The Weimar government sent Freikorps units to put down the revolt
• The Kapp Putsch


  • In March 1920, Freikorps troops, fearing unemployment, decided to march on Berlin
  • A nationalist politician, Dr Wolfgang Kapp, was put in charge by the rebels
  • The government fled Berlin, but organised a national strike to put down the rebels, forcing Kapp to flee
• From 1919-1923 politicians in the Weimar Republic were worried about political assassinations, with 376 taking place
• Conservative judges were sympathetic to the conservative cause and gave the right-wing extremists light punishments
• Hyperinflation


  When the price of goods increases spectacularly
• Reasons for hyperinflation in Germany

  • The government printed more money to pay for the First World War, but didn't have more gold to back it up
  • The Weimar government printed more money to pay strikers and make up for loss of coal, steel and iron production after the French invasion of the Ruhr
• Effects of hyperinflation

  • Some people could not afford essentials like bread
  • Wages rose, but not as quickly as prices
  • Some businesses went bankrupt
  • People with fixed or monthly incomes, such as pensioners, suffered most
  • Savings became worthless, affecting the middle classes most
  • Farmers benefited as they were paid more for food
  • Some people and businesses could pay off loans and mortgages
  • Fixed rents for rooms or shops became very cheap
  • Foreign visitors could buy more for their money
• After 1923, Germany recovered from the immediate crisis, but there were weaknesses in the economy
• The German mark was worthless


  November 1923
• Hyperinflation

  The effects
• Negative effects of hyperinflation

  • Some people could not afford essentials like bread
  • Wages rose, but not as quickly as prices
  • Some businesses went bankrupt (Those that made money took over the struggling ones)
  • People with fixed or monthly incomes, such as pensioners, suffered most
  • Savings became worthless. This affected the middle classes most
  • People blamed the Weimar government, which made it even more unpopular
• Positive effects of hyperinflation

  • Farmers benefited, as they were paid more for food
  • Some people and businesses could pay off loans and mortgages
  • Fixed rents for rooms or shops became very cheap
  • Foreign visitors could buy more for their money
• Weimar Republic, 1918-29
• Reasons for recovery, 1923-29

  • International loans after the First World War
  • Rentenmark introduced in November 1923
  • Dawes Plan and Young Plan
• Rentenmark

  New currency introduced in November 1923, with supply tightly controlled and value tied to the price of gold and backed by German industrial plants and agricultural land
• In August 1924 the Reichsbank was given control of the Rentenmark, which was renamed the Reichsmark. Hyperinflation was over.
• Dawes Plan, 1924


  Plan designed by American banker Charles Dawes to allow Germany to pay its reparations, with instalments temporarily reduced and US banks agreeing to make loans to German industry
• Young Plan, 1929


  Plan proposed by a committee led by American banker Owen Young, which reduced the total reparations debt and extended the payment period until 1966
• The Weimar Republic's economy improved because industrial output doubled by 1928 and finally passed pre-First World War levels, and employment and trade increased. However, there were still problems, as the extreme political parties were completely against Germany paying the reparations at all, and the economic recovery depended on American loans, so it remained fragile.
• Stresemann's success at home and abroad

  • Strengthened the confidence of the German people in the Weimar Republic
  • Reduced the support for extremist political parties like the Nazis and the communists
  • Increased support for moderate parties
  • Reduced the economic hardships of the German people
  • Instrumental in making Germany a member of the League of Nations, the Locarno Pact, and the Kellogg-Briand Pact