Weimar Republic 1918-29

• Armistice - an agreement between two countries to cease fighting
• Diktat - an agreement forced on someone
• Reparations - the £6.6 billion that the Allies forced Germany to pay because of the war
• Coalition - a group of parties that work together to form a government
• Constitution - the rules which say how a country should be governed and how power will be shared
• Proportional representation - A voting system where the number of seats is proportional to the number of votes for that party
• President - the head of state in the Weimar Republic
• Reichstag - the German Parliament
• Democratic - controlled by the people
• Depression - a downturn in trade. Less is bought and sold, leading to a fall in profit and bankrupting of people and businesses
• Freikorps - Right-wing ex-soldiers used by the Weimar Republic against Left-wing violence, but they then attempted a coup
• Inflation - rising prices meaning that money is worth less because it can buy less
• Hyperinflation - extreme inflation where prices rise extremely quickly and money loses value
• Rentenmark - the new currency set up by Stresemann in 1923 to solve hyperinflation
• Putsch - an attempt to remove or reinstate the leader of a country using force
• Effect of WW1:

  • 2 million German soldiers died
  • Government's debts tripled from 50 billion to 150 billion marks
  • 750,000 Germans died from food shortages
  • 500,000 widows and 1 million orphans
  • Germany was weak in 1918, before the war ended
• Abdication of Kaiser:

  • German soldiers were unhappy and stopped following the Kaiser's orders
  • The people went on strike and rioted
  • This was known as the German Revolution
  • Kaiser Wilhelm was forced to abdicate on 9th November 1918
• End of WW1:

  • 10th Nov 1918 - power given to Friedrich Ebert (SPD) who became the 1st Chancellor of the Weimar Republic
  • 11th Nov 1918 - armistice signed
• Weimar Constitution:

  • Written in 1919
  • President is head of state
  • Chancellor is head of govt
  • Everyone over age of 20 can vote
  • People voted for president, and president chose the chancellor
  • Members of Reichstag were voted for by the people. They made laws and controlled taxes
• Weimar constitution strengths:

  • Germany had the most advanced (gender equality) democracy in Europe. In Britain, men over 21 and women over 30 could vote
  • Established the right of free speech and religious belief
• Weimar constitution weaknesses:

  • Article 48 said that in an emergency the president could make laws without the Reichstag - too much power
  • Proportional Representation meant that no one party was large enough for a majority, so only coalitions won. They were weak and short-lived governments
• The new Weimar politicians who signed the armistice were called the 'November criminals'. They were unpopular with the people
• Treaty of Versailles (TofV):

  • Official WW1 peace treaty
  • Called a 'diktat' by Germans
  • Key terms - Land, Army, Money, Blame
• TofV - Land:

  • Germany lost 13% of Land and 10% of population
  • Overseas colonies given to Britain and France
  • Lost industrial (coal, iron) land. Lost 48% of coal production
  • Alsace-Lorraine returned to France
• TofV - Army:

  • Army limited to 100,000
  • No tanks, no submarines, no air force
  • 6 battleships only
  • Rhineland (on border with France) demilitarised
• TofV - Money:

  • Forced to pay £6.6 billion to Britain, France, Belgium
• TofV - Blame:

  • War Guilt clause - Germany had to accept blame for war
  • Not allowed to join League of Nations
• Dolschtoss/ 'stab in the back':

  • Treaty was embarrassing for Germany
  • Soldiers believed they could have won the war if 'November Criminals' hadn't surrendered
  • Many blamed Jews and Communists
  • Government became unpopular with soldiers, middle class, and right-wing groups
• Spartacist revolt:

  • Berlin 1919
  • Led by Rosa Luxembourg and Karl Liebknecht
  • Government used Freikorps to defeat them
  • Using Freikorps made government look weak/reliant
• Kapp Putsch:

  • March 1920 - right-wing revolt to get Kaiser back
  • Led by Wolfgang Kapp
  • Freikorps and army supported them
  • Government told the people to go on strike - revolt failed
  • Government still looked weak/reliant on people
• General political problems:

  • Frequent strikes and protest 1919-23
  • People unhappy with TofV, new govt, economic problems
• French Occupation of the Ruhr:

  • Germany became late with reparations
  • 11th Jan 1923 - 60,000 troops took over the Ruhr
  • French took raw materials, industrial machinery, manufactured goods instead of cash
  • German workers went on strike, but the Weimar government still paid them, making economic problems worse
• Hyperinflation:

  • Weimar government ran out of money and had to print more, which led to hyperinflation
  • Loaf of bread went from 1 mark in 1919 to 200,000 million in 1923
  • People carried money in wheelbarrows
  • Savings and pensions were worthless - middle classes hit hardest
  • People with debts benefitted
  • More unemployment and anger at govt
• Stresemann:

  • 1923 - became chancellor
  • 1923 - Rentenmark and Rentenbank to fix hyperinflation
  • 1924 - negotiated French withdrawal from Ruhr
  • 1924 - Dawes plan cut reparations
• Dawes plan - 1924:

  • Was agreed by Stresemann and US vice president Charles Dawes
  • Longer time to pay reparations
  • US loans to help German economy
• Young plan - 1929:

  • Named after American banker Owen Young
  • Longer time to pay reparations (until 1988)
  • Total amount reduced to under £2 billion
• Locarno pact - 1925:

  • Treaty between Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Belgium
  • Germany on equal terms with other countries
  • New border with France
  • Made war less likely
• 1925 - Germany allowed to join League of Nations, which increased their international respect and status
• Kellogg-Briand pact - 1928:

  • Signed by Germany and 64 other countries
  • Agreed to try and solve future disagreements in peaceful ways, not war
  • Improved relationship between Germany and other countries
• Standard of living improved from 1924