Weimar Republic 1924-1929

• In August 1923, the government of which Chancellor collapsed?

  Chancellor Cuno's government collapsed leaving Gustav Stresemann as Chancellor
• What was the name given to Stresemann's coalition?

  Great Coalition
• How many days was Stresemann Chancellor for?

  103 days
• What was the benefit of calling off passive resistance in the Ruhr?

  It was the first step towards reducing government expenditure and economic recovery
• What was the name of the new currency?

  The Rentenmark
• As Germany did not have sufficient gold reserves to back the new currency, what was it supported by?

  Mortgages on all industrial and agricultural land
• Issuing of the new currency was overseen by which man?

  Hjalmar Schacht
• How many civil servants lost their jobs in order to help balance the budget?

  300,000 civil servants lost their jobs
• How many companies went bankrupt in 1924?

  over 6,000 companies went bankrupt
• Why did these companies go bankrupt?

  Many were reliant on credit and then crumpled, those who lost their savings collapsed
• Why did the USA have a vested interest in getting Germany into a position to make reparations payments?

  If they paid reparations to France, much of that money would be passed to USA to repay their loans
• By the time the Dawes Plan was finalised Stresemann's government had fallen, but which position did he still have?

  Foreign Secretary
• What was the total reparations figure which remained?

  £6.6 billion / 132 million golden marks
• How much was Germany expected to pay initially?

  1000 million marks
• In which year would the payments be reassessed?

  1929
• After this the total to pay would take what into consideration?

  2500 million marks
• How much money did America loan Germany initially to help get the plan started?

  800 million marks
• Stresemann did not agree with the plan. However why did he still believe that was important?

  Stresemann referred it to as an 'economic armistice' but agreed as a way of securing foreign loans
• What could Germany use the loans for to help rebuild the economy?

  Machinery, Factories, Houses and Jobs
• With the French leaving the Ruhr what did some Germans start to believe again?

  Contributed to German optimism that their country was once against its own master
• Why was an international committee called together?

  To discuss the report on the final settlement of the issue
• Who was the American businessman who would head up the committee?

  Owen Young
• When and where did the committee meet?

  Paris, 1929
• Who was the German representative?

  Schacht
• When was Germany required to pay reparations until?

  To continue paying reparations until 1998
• What was the total reparations bill reduced to?

  Originally £6.6 billion before reducing to £1.8 billion
• Who was to be solely responsible for reparations payments?

  Germany
• From where did Britain and France agree to withdraw their troops?

  From the Rhineland by June 1930
• Who was behind the 'freedom law'?

  Alfred Hugenberg and other conservative groups like the Nazis
• What did the 'freedom law' demand

  The republication of the War Guilt Clause, evacuate all occupied areas and declared ministers involved in the Treaty were to be trialed for treason
• What percentage of the population voted in favour of the 'freedom law'?

  13.8% voted in favour
• Why was this a particularly pivotal moment for Adolf Hitler?

  Enabled Hitler to make a decisive breakthrough as a national public figure
• Which industries made significant advances in these years?


  Chemical industry such as large scale production of artificial fertilisers. Car and Aeroplane industries also developed.
• Why did employers see compulsory arbitration as unfair?

  Employers felt that the system was biased and in favour of unions
• Why did the Weimar government feel that it would already made concessions to support workers?

  It had already set a maximum of 8 hours for a working day
• What did Stresemann say that Germany was dancing on?

  "The economic position is only flourishing on the surface. Germany s dancing on a volcano"
• What was the unemployment figure by March 1926?

  Just over 3 million by March 1926
• What were small scale riots initiated by the farmers called?

  1928 - Farmers Revenge
• The farmers were protesting against foreclosures, what were these?

  The taking possession of mortgaged property when someone fails repayments
• By 1929, German agricultural production had dropped by how much in comparison to pre-war levels?

  Was at least more than 3/4 of pre-war levels