Weimar Republic beginning

• 2 effects of the German revolution

  - ARMISTICE & PEACE TREATY CREATED

  --- following the keil mutiny, revolutions broke out amongst sailors and citizens across G & Kaiser abdicated on 9.11.18

  --- the US agreed to negotiate an Armistice & on 11.11.18 WW1 ended

  --- they discussed a permanent peace treaty (TOV signed 28.June.19

  - A DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC ESTABLISHED

  --- Weimar Republic and constitution were set up: Freedom of speech/religion secured etc.

  --- introduced proportional representation& women could vote - Ebert elected president

  --- but it was weakened by their signing of TOV (accused of stabbing G in the back) for land loss and humiliation
• facts of the German revolution up to end of WW1

  - war had caused terrible suffering (food shortages and bombing)

  - Oct 1918: Naval commanders at Kiel ordered sailors to fight, even tho they were going to lose - led to a mutiny & refused to fight

  - over next fortnight: strikes, protests and mutinies, calls for Kaiser to abdicate (he was blamed), soldier's & workers councils established

  9 NOV - kaiser abdicated & fled in exile to Holland

  10 NOV - a republic set up (social democrat Freidrich Ebert)

  11 NOV - armistice agreed by Germany & Allies - ended WW1
• What were the Strengths of the Weimar constitution?

  DEMOCRATIC - every1 had the same rights in law - including the right to vote in democratic elections

  PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION - all parties that received votes had representation in the Reichstag

  ARTICLE 48 - in times of unrest, this could be used to make laws so that government could continue
• What were the weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution?


  DEMOCRATIC - faced serious opposition from people who didn't want democracy to succeed - since they had the right to vote they could support anti-democratic parties

  PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION - led to many small political parties in gov, no single party could get a majority so parties had to form coalitions (led to weak and unstable gov)

  ARTICLE 48 - did not clearly define what an 'emergency' was, " the power was overused which weakened the Germans confidence in democracy
• 2 effects of the Treaty Of Versailles on Germany

  G WAS WEAKENED & HUMIlIATED

  - fined 132 000 mill marks in reparations (economic burden)

  - army was limited to 100 000 troops - vulnerable (Land like West Prussia was lost to Poland)

  - Article 231 meant that G took blame for starting the war, justifying the reparations

  WEIMAR GOV LOST POPULARITY

  - members were called the November Criminals (stabbed G in the back)

  - SPD (Social Democratic Party) lost 60+ seats in June 1920 elections " people were attracted to extreme options

  - felt betrayed - Hitler later campaigned against the TOV, saying it was there to harm G so she could never fight back - he claimed the gov had betrayed G
• What were the main events of the Spartacist Uprising (JAN 1919)?


  - Rosa Luxemberg & Karl Lubknicht wanted to set up a communist gov in Berlin (LEFT WING)

  1. organised a revolt in Berlin where they occupied the headquarters of the gov newspaper & telephone officers

  2. attempted to bring abt general strike

  3. Rosa & Karl were shot & the revolt was ended by a grp of ex-soldiers ( the Freikorps ) who hated Communism
• 2 effects of the Spartacist Uprising

  GOV's AUTHORITY WEAKENED

  - Ebert asked the military veterans (Freikorps) to fight - the gov was weak so had to ask right wing for help - as a result they lost 60+ seats in June 1920 elections

  - this was a betrayal of the left wing: Ebert had turned against his own side & the SPD lost trust

  INSPIRED EXTREMIST PARTIES

  - parties grew their own armies & political violence increased (around 370 political deaths between 1918-23)

  - inspired other take-over attempts: Kapp Putsch happened 14 months later

  - the KPD decided to stand in elections & win power that way
• What were the main events of the Kapp Putsch (MARCH 1920)?


  - Dr Wolfgang Kapp was an extreme nationalist who wanted a strong country that put it national interests b4 others & Freikorps were ex-soldiers due to TOV (RIGHT WING)

  1. revolted & marched to Berlin & declared Dr Wolfgang Kapp as G's new leader

  2. G army refused to stop the Freikorps as they felt sympathy for the aims of the Kapp Putsch

  3. Ebert forced to appeal to the people for support - moved the gov out of the city & encouraged people to go on general strike to stop the revolt

  4. Kapp realised he didn't have the support he would need so fled to Sweden
• 2 effects of the Kapp Putsch

  GOV AUTHORITY WEAKENED

  - army refused to fire at their former soldiers - showed the gov had little military power & couldn't control their military or its own capital

  - had to encourage 12 mill workers to strike in order to stop the Putsch - " were unstable

  INSPIRED EXTREME PARTIES

  - parties grew their pwn armies & political violence increased (mourned 370 political deaths between 1919-23)

  - gov lost 60+ seats in June 1920 elections as they were seen as too weak

  - Kapp succeeded in overthrowing the gov & this inspired the 1923 Munich Putsch where Hitler tried to capture Bavaria
• main events of the French invasion of the Ruhr


  JAN 1923 - Belgian/French troops marched into the Ruhr (centre of G's production of iron, steel & coal)

  - G had fallen behind with their reparation payments (132 000 mill marks) so B/F decided to take industrial products instead of cash payments

  - gov was angry so called for passive resistance:

  -- workers went on strike & stopped producing goods that the French were seizing

  -- some damaged (often arson) factories & mines " forcing production to stop

  - led to fighting (as F brought in their own workers) & around 130 Germans were killed
• 2 effects of the French invasion of the Ruhr


  WEIMAR GOV PAID STRIKING WORKERS

  - encouraged & paid workers to strike so F couldn't benefit financially

  - workers even damaged factories with arson

  - gov arguably became temporarily more popular as they did not back down - unlike with TOV

  HYPERINFLATION

  - economy was struggling bc of war costs, reparations & Ruhr crisis

  - Ruhr contained 80% of G coal/iron resources " less goods were manufactured

  - gov began printing more money so it became less valuable & prices increased, leading to hyperinflation

  - bread rose from 1 mark in 1919 to 100 000 marks 1in 923
• causes of Hyperinflation


  WAR COST

  - large cost from fighting the War (weapons etc.) & they'd spent all their gold reserves

  - " they had to print more money " since there was more money in circulation it lost its value bc at this time the value of money was linked to the gold G had

  REPARATIONS

  - 136 000 mill marks were to be paid to the allies according to TOV - an economic burden

  - lost land & almost 50% of all its iron reserves & 15% of its coal reserves & lost all 11 of its colonies in Africa & Far East

  RUHR INVASION

  - had to pay wages for striking workers in the Ruhr (although nothing was being produced)

  - a lot of the Ruhr was damaged and had been taken over by the French so they didn't produce anything " didn't make any money from it
• 2 effects of Hyperinflation

  INCREASE IN PRICES & MORE SHORTAGES

  - German mark became worthless so there was less foreign trade/imports (food shortages)

  - prices sky-rocketed (bread rose from 1 mark in 1919 to 100 000 in 1923) " led to poverty

  - people carried money in wheelbarrows or traded with goods (many struggled to eat)

  WEIMAR GOV POPULARITY DECREASED

  - middle-class Germans' savings became worthless so many became poorer & lost trust

  - people were dissatisfied with the gov for printing more money, blaming them for it