The Weimar Republic 1918-29

• 1. Why was WW1 devastating for Germany?

  • Near the war's end, German people suffered severe hardship
  • The Allies had set up naval blockades which prevented imports of food and essential goods - by 1918, many people faced starvation
  • Public opinion opposed Kaiser Wilhelm II, who ruled the German empire like a king - many Germans wanted a democracy and an end to the war - there was widespread unrest
• 2. An example of German unrest:

  • In early November 1918 some members of the German navy rebelled and refused to board their ships
  • In Hanover, German troops refused to control rioters
  • A Jewish communist called Kurt Eisner encouraged a general uprising, which sparked mass strikes in Munich
• 3. November Revolution:

  • By November, the situation in Germany verged on civil war - a huge protest was held in Berlin, and members of the SPD (Soc. Demo. Party) called for the Kaiser's resignation
  • He abdicated on November 9th 1918, two different socialist parties - SPD + USPD (Ind. Soc. Demo. Party) declared a republic
  • On November 10th - state leaders appointed by monarchy left their posts, new revolutionary state governments took over - Germany now had chance to become a democracy
• 4. The signing of the Armistice:

  • On 11th November 1918, a ceasefire to end the First World War was agreed - the Allies signed an armistice (truce) with Germany
  • The new republic was under pressure to sign - the government didn't think Germany could continue fighting - its people were starving and military morale was low
  • The armistice wasn't supported by some right-wing Germans, who saw the truce as a betrayal - they believed Germany could still win the war
• 5. Council of People's representatives:

  • After the abdication of the Kaiser, Germany was disorganised - different political parties claimed control over different towns
  • A temporary national government was established, consisting of the SPD and the USPD - it was called the Council of people's representatives
  • It controlled Germany until January 1919, when elections were self for a new Reichstag (parliament)
• 6. How was the Weimar Republic formed?

  • The Council of People's Representatives organised elections in January 1919 to create a new parliament - Germany was now a democracy
  • Friedrich Ebert became the first President, with Philip Scheidemann as Chancellor - Ebert was leader of the SPD
  • In February 1919, the members of the new Reichstag met at Weimar to create a new constitution for Germany - historians call this period of Germany's history the Weimar Republic
• 7. The President's role (WR)

  • Elected every 7 years
  • Chooses the Chancellor and is head of the army
  • Can dissolve the Reichstag, call new elections and suspend the constitution
• 8. What was the Reichstag?

  • The new German parliament
  • Members are elected every 4 years using proportional representation*

  *where the proportion of seats a party wins in parliament is roughly the same as the proportion of the total votes they win
• 9. What was the Reichsrat?


  • Second (less powerful) house of parliament
  • Consists of members from each local region
  • Can delay measures passed by the Reichstag
• 10. Other facts about the Weimar Constitution:

  • The new constitution was designed to be as fair as possible - even very small political parties were given seats in the Reichstag if they got 0.4% of the vote or above
  • The constitution allowed women to vote for the first time, and lowered the voting age to 20 - more Germans could vote and the German public had greater power
• 11. Initial Weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution:

  • Proportional representation meant that even parties with very small number of votes were guaranteed to get into the Reichstag - this meant it was difficult to make decisions because there were so many parties with opposing views a
  • Article 48 - when a decision couldn't be reached, the President could suspend the constitution and pass laws without the Reichstag's consent - it was only supposed to be used in emergencies however it became a useful way of getting around disagreements - it undermined the new democracy
• 12. Why was there widespread discontent in Germany?

  • By 1919, thousands of Germans were poor and starving, and an influenza epidemic had killed thousands
  • Many Germans denied they had lost the war and blamed the 'November criminals' who had agreed to the armistice and the Treaty of Versailles
  • Others who were blamed for the war included communist and Jewish people
  • The government was seen as weak and ineffective - the Treaty of Versailles made living conditions worse
• 13. Spartacist revolt:

  • In January 1919, communists led by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxembourg tried to take over Berlin - they took control of important buildings like newspaper headquarters, and 50,000 workers went on strike in support of the left-wing revolution
  • Ebert asked for help from right-wing Freikorps (ex-German soldiers) to stop the rebellion - over 100 workers were killed, the Freikorps' use of violence caused a split on the left between Social Democrats and the communists
• 14. Kapp Putsch

  • In March 1920, some of the Freikops took part in the Kapp Putsch led by Wolfgang Kapp - they wanted to create a new right-wing government
  • The Freikorps marched into Berlin to overthrow the Weimar regime
  • German workers opposed the putsch and staged a general strike - Berlin was paralysed and Kapp was forced to give up
  • Even after the putsch failed, threats to the government remained - in 1922, some former Freikorps members assassinated Walter Rathenau - he'd been Foreign Minister and was Jewish
• 15. Germany couldn't pay reparations:

  • By 1923, Germany could no longer meet the reparations payments set out by the Treaty of Versailles
  • France and Belgium decided to take Germany's resources instead, so they occupied the Ruhr - the richest industrial part of Germany - this gave them access to Germany's iron and coal reserves
  • The occupation led to fury in Germany, and caused a huge strike in the Ruhr - German industry was devastated again
• 16. Hyperinflation

  • Germany tried to solve her debt problem by printing more money, but this plunged the economy into hyperinflation
  • By 1918, an egg cost 1/4 of a Mark - by November 1923, it cost 80 million Marks
• 17. Consequences of Hyperinflation

  • Germany's currency became worthless - nobody wanted to trade with Germany, so shortages of food and goods got worse
  • Bank savings also became worthless - the hardest hit were the middle classes
  • By 1923, even basic necessities were hard to get hold of - the German people were undergoing immense hardship, which they'd now come to associate with the rise of the Weimar Republic
• 18. Stresemann's changes (1):

  • Gustav Stresemann was Chancellor of the Weimar Republic between August and November 1923 - he made important changes to help Germany to recover from its economic crisis
  • In September 1923, he ended the strike in the Ruhr - this reduced tension between Germany, France and Belgium, and meant the government could stop compensation payments to strikers
• 19. Stresemann's changes (2):

  • In November 1923, Stresemann replaced the German Mark with the Rentenmark to stabilise Germany's currency
  • Stresemann created the 'great coalition' - a group of moderate, pro-democracy socialist parties in the Reichstag who agreed to work together - this allowed parliament to make decisions more quickly
• 20. What was the Dawes Plan?

  • This was signed in 1924
  • Stresemann secured France and Belgium's withdrawal from the Ruhr and agreed more realistic payments dates for the reparations
  • The USA lent Germany £40 million to help pay off its other debts
  • The Dawes Plan helped Germany's economy, but meant its success was dependent on American loans
• 21. The structure of the Dawes Plan:

  • The USA could afford to lend money to other countries
  • The USA lent Germany money to help it pay off its debts
  • Germany was able to pay its reparations to Britain and France
  • Britain and France used the money they'd received to pay off their own debts to the USA
• 22. What was the Locarno Pact?

  • This was signed in October 1925
  • Germany, France and Belgium agreed to respect their joint borders - even those created as a result of the Treaty of Versailles
• 23. League of Nations

  • Allowed Germany to join in 1926
  • Germany was re-established as an international power
• 24. The Kellogg-Briand Pact:

  • This was signed by Germany in 1928, alongside 65 other countries - they promised not to use violence to settle disputes
• 25. The Young Plan:

  • This was agreed in 1929
  • The Allies agreed to reduce the reparations to a quarter of the original amount, and Germany was given 59 years to pay them
• 26. How did living standards improve for working classes?

  • Unemployment - unemployed more protected - in 1927 the government introduced unemployment insurance - workers could pay into the scheme and receive cash benefits if they became unemployed
  • Wages - working classes became more prosperous - wages for industrial workers rose quickly in the late 1920s
  • Housing - government launched mass housing projects - more than 2 million new homes built (1924-1931) - provided extra employment also
• 27. How did women gain more freedom under the Weimar Republic?

  • Women given more representation politically - they were awarded the vote and could enter politics easier - between 1919 and 1932, 112 women were elected to the Reichstag
  • Women showed they were capable workers during WWI, and the number of young women working increase
  • Traditional roles of women began to change - new female sports clubs and societies sprang up, and women had more opportunities
  • Divorce became easier - number of divorces increased
• 28. Cultural achievements of the Weimar Republic:

  • The WR was a period of creativity and innovation - freedom of expression generated new ideas - artists began to question traditional forms and styles, especially ones that focussed on authority and militarism
  • Important changes in music, literature and cinema - German films were successful - e.g 'Metropolis' directed by Fritz Lang
  • Encouraged new ways of critical thinking at places like Frankfurt University