The Weimar Republic 1918-29

• In 1918, Germany was under a dictatorship of the Kaiser - the German word for 'King'. Kaiser Wilhelm II ruled Germany from 1888 and pushed the country to increase its economic and military power. He refused to give the people of Germany rights and freedoms.
• Most of the First World War had seen Germany stuck in trench warfare against the Allied forces of France, Britain and the USA. Germany launched their Spring Oyensive in March 1918 and their military leaders were con|dent it would result in German victory. Despite its early successes, the gamble of the Spring Oyensive did not deliver the necessary defeat of the Allies.
• The German people were at breaking point. The loss of family members and food shortages caused an eruption of strikes and demonstrations across the country. By November 1918, the situation was unrecoverable for the Kaiser. His abdication and exile to the Netherlands allowed a new state to emerge. Germany became known as the Weimar Republic.
• The Weimar Republic, under the chancellorship of Friedrich Ebert, pursued several policies. The |rst action of the Republic was to sign an armistice to end the First World War. The German public resented admitting defeat to the Allies. The subsequent treaty to formally end the war created mass anger against the Weimar government.
• The Weimar government introduced reforms that the German people had never experienced before. The government created universal suyrage and produced a new German Constitution. While the Weimar Constitution aimed to bring democracy to the people, it held many }aws. In particular, the choice to use proportional representation in elections created a weak coalition government. To pass necessary laws, it abused its emergency powers. The Weimar Constitution would later lead to negative public opinions and multiple opportunities for the system of government to be exploited.
• The Eyects of the First World War on Germany

  • Between 1914 and 1918, two million German soldiers died and four million more were wounded
  • Germany's debt trebled from 50 billion marks in 1914 to 150 billion marks in 1918
  • The German people were near starvation
  • The British Navy had blockaded German naval ports. No food from overseas could enter the country
  • As a result, Germany experienced a wave of civil unrest
  • In October 1918, the German navy mutinied in the ports of Kiel and Hamburg
  • Munich, the capital of the German state of Bavaria, experienced a general strike of workers on 7th November. They announced they were a separate communist state
  • In Hanover, soldiers joined workers and rioted on the streets
  • In Berlin, the capital of Germany, there were mass protests on the streets
  • Without the support of the capital city, the Kaiser had lost control of the whole country
• Strengths and weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution


  • Strengths:
  • The people gained more rights such as voting
  • Proportional representation ensured the Reichstag represented smaller parties. One seat was equivalent to 60,000 votes
  • The system was designed to stop someone from taking ultimate power. For example, the president chose the chancellor but the public elected the president every seven years
  • The Reichstag and the Reichsrat worked together. The Länder (local governments) retained power over schools and the police. The Reichsrat could challenge laws unless two-thirds of the Reichstag voted against the Reichsrat's intervention
  • Weaknesses:
  • An increase in elections weakened the public's enthusiasm for voting. During the 1920s and 1930s, fewer people voted in elections
  • The use of proportional representation meant no single party won a majority in the Reichstag. There were nine coalition governments between 1919 and 1923 alone. This meant policies lacked vision and took longer to pass
  • Article 48 meant the chancellor could ask the president to pass emergency laws without the support of the Reichstag. Ebert used Article 48 63 times, 1923−24. The abuse of the article continued into the 1930s
  • The new Constitution did not subdue the extremist political parties. They continued to violently attack the Weimar Republic. The government relied on force to maintain power
• The Treaty of Versailles is often referred to as one of the most hated treaties in history
• Every country that signed the agreement was deeply unhappy with the outcome
• The 'Big Three'


  • Britain, France and the USA
• Georges Clemenceau


  France's Prime Minister
• Woodrow Wilson


  American president
• David Lloyd George


  Britain's Prime Minister
• The Allies banned Germany from attending the peace talks in January 1919
• The Weimar Republic had little choice but to sign the treaty
• The public's hatred towards the Treaty of Versailles lasted into the 1930s
• One of the first actions of the Weimar government was to surrender to the Allies
• Germany was experiencing civil unrest and their economy was collapsing
• Matthias Erzberger, a member of the Centre Party, signed the armistice on 11th November 1918
• Withdrawing from the First World War tainted public opinion of the Weimar government
• The German army retreated in November 1918 but it was not defeated
• The armistice only ensured temporary peace
• No German representatives were allowed to attend the peace talks
• The treaty was known as a 'diktat'
• Germany had 15 days to ask the Allies to change sections of the treaty. The Allies denied every concession the Germans requested
• The 'Big Three'


  The leaders of Britain, France and the USA in 1919
• The aims of the 'Big Three'

  • Clemenceau wanted the treaty to be harsh on Germany
  • Wilson wanted to create a lasting peace
  • Lloyd George held an opinion in between Wilson and Clemenceau's
• Article 42


  The Rhineland (an area in Western Germany that bordered France) became demilitarised. Allied troops were stationed there until 1930
• Article 160

  Germany's army was restricted to 100,000 men
• Article 181


  Germany's navy was restricted to six battleships and could not produce submarines
• Article 198

  Germany was not allowed to have an air force
• Article 45

  France was given the area of the Saar, with its coalfields, for 15 years
• Article 51


  Alsace-Lorraine became a part of France again
• Article 80


  Anschluss (the union between Germany and Austria) was forbidden
• Article 87


  Germany lost Posen and West Prussia, which allowed the Allies to create a 'Polish Corridor'. This gave Poland access to the sea
• Article 199


  France and Britain ruled all 11 of Germany's colonies in Africa and the Far East as mandates
• Article 1-26

  Germany could not join the League of Nations
• Article 231

  The 'War Guilt' Clause. Germany had to agree that they started the First World War. The clause made Germany accept responsibility for the deaths and destruction during wartime
• Article 232

  Germany would have to pay the Allies reparations as a condition of their surrender. The amount was set at 132 billion gold marks (£6.6 billion)
• Many Germans argued that the Weimar government should not have signed the treaty