Download 3.The Weimar Republic class powerpoint File

The Weimar Republic 1918-1933
21/02/2016
Germany after the First World War
1
The Political
Spectrum
Dictatorship
and
appeals to
lower
classes
(workers)
Far Left
Democratic
and appeals
to lower
classes
(workers)
Centre
Left
• Equality
• Social change
• Distribution of wealth
Democratic
and
appeals to
everyone
Centre
Democratic
and
appeals to
rich or
nationalistic
Centre
Right
Dictatorship
and
appeals to
rich or
nationalistic
Far
Right
• Personal liberty
• Capitalism
• Private property
‘Left’ and ‘right’
• These terms derive from the French Revolution of
1789. In the new French parliament, representatives
wanting greater change with more power for
ordinary people sat on seats on the left of the
assembly, and those wanting little or no change,
preferring greater power for the existing elite and the
monarchy, sat on the right. This seating arrangement
has led to conservative groups, being called right
wing and those wanting social and political change
being called left wing.
Conservative
• This name comes from to conserve, to keep things as
they are. Conservatives generally favour more
authoritarian government, i.e. one where much
power lies with one leader or a few leaders, rather
than a more liberal-democratic government where
more power is given to ordinary people.
• In 1918, German conservatives hoped to maintain
the Second Reich, with a strong monarchy.
Conservative groups in Weimar Germany remained
at best suspicious of and usually hostile to
democracy.
What is this flag?
Communism
•
•
•
•
Russia 1st
communist
country in
1917
Everyone equal (men and women)
No classes
No great difference in wealth
No private property ~
government/council runs famers,
factories and businesses for benefit of all
• Little need for money or laws ~ simple
life
• Harmonious
• Also known as left wing
Socialist
• What do we mean by socialist?
– Someone that believes ‘the means of
production’ should be owned collectively by
everyone (e.g. be part of the government)
• Variations on socialism:
– Left Wing/Communist/Socialist
– Weimar Republic: The Spartacus League
Russian (Soviet) Flag. Many
Socialist/Communist parties
around the world use the Soviet
flag as their logo.
• The Socialists
• They believed that
Germany should be run
like Communist Russia.
• They attacked the
government in an attack
called the ‘Spartacist
Rising’.
• They were only defeated
when the government
asked the Nationalists to
help.
Nationalist
• What do we mean by nationalist?
– Someone that believes their country, and their
native people, should come first in all
decisions.
• Variations on socialism:
– Right Wing/Nationalist/Nazism
– Weimar Republic: The Freikorps,
The Nazi Party.
The Nazis in Germany took an old Hindu symbol,
twisted it slightly, and combined it with the traditional
colours of Germany (red, white, black) to create their
logo.
Fascism
Term was first used in Italy to describe Mussolini’s
dictatorship
Common features of fascism:
• dislike for democracy
• desire for dictatorships
• ‘Totalitarian’ states where the government controls all
aspects of daily life
• military rule is very important
• emphasis on building a nation up after period of decline
• very Nationalistic (pride in one’s country, it is superior to all
others)
• often associated with racism
• known as ‘right wing’
LO: To
explain the
political
spectrum in
Germany
Communism
LEFT WING
The Political
Spectrum
Socialism
Liberalism Conservatism
CENTRE
Nationalism/
Fascism
RIGHT WING
Communism Fascism
RIGHT WING
Socialism
Conservatism
LEFT WING
Horseshoe theory
CENTRE
Liberalism
The German Revolution
• In late 1918, there was unrest
across the whole of Germany.
The emperor fled for his life
and a new government took
control. These events are
called the German Revolution.
• This new government became
known as the Weimar
Republic. It was eventually
usurped by Hitler when he was
elected Chancellor in 1933.
What caused the German Revolution?
• 1. Failure in the First World War
Germany’s army was not totally
defeated but by 1918, had been
pushed back. The Spring Offensive
had failed.
• Over 2 million had died since 1914
and morale was very low.
• The army was unlikely to have held
out another year. The Kaiser and
his government were criticised.
What caused the German Revolution?
• 2. Hardship in Germany - The
Allied blockade was working and
prevented imports of supplies.
• Food shortages led to great
suffering and military failure
caused a sense of hopelessness.
• This was made worse by a deadly
influenza infection which spread
through Europe in August 1918,
killing millions.
What caused the German Revolution?
• 3. The Russian Revolution –
Helped to cause discontent in
Germany.
• The Russians had replaced their
Tsar with a government of the
people led by the Communist
Lenin after October 1917.
• Many Germans wanted to
replace the undemocratic rule of
the Kaiser by councils of workers
& soldiers
Events of the Revolution
• 29th October 1918 – German
sailors at Wilhelmshaven refuse
to follow order and mutiny
spreads to Kiel.
• 4th November 1918 – 40,000
sailors join dock workers and set
up a workers’ and soldiers’
council, taking over the
dockyard.
• Government soon broke down all
over Germany in towns such as
Hamburg, Bremen and Lubeck.
Events of the Revolution
• 7th November – German workers in
Bavaria force the local King, Ludwig
III, to step down. Other regional
monarchs begin to abdicate.
• 9th November – Kaiser Wilhelm II
abdicates following pressure from his
own ministers and Allies who say
they will only negotiate with
‘representatives of the people’. The
Chancellor Prince Max von Baden
also resigns and Social Democratic
Party (SPD) member Friedrich Ebert
becomes the new Chancellor.
January 1919: The war is over, but the
problems are not!
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Treaty of Versailles negotiations continuing
Royal Naval Blockade in place
Starvation/Hunger
Influenza epidemic
General Strike still continuing
Russian Revolutionaries helping newly created German Communist
Party (KPD)
Anarchy and Chaos on Eastern Border
Separatist governments being declared
Communist infiltration of some Police forces
Army barely maintaining discipline
– No money to pay soldiers!
– Freikorps step in to fill vacuum
• Spartacist revolution being crushed violently
– Thousands killed in Berlin alone
– Bavaria restored
– Summary justice
Events of the Revolution
• Two hours after the declaration of a
new government, Karl Liebknecht –
a far more radical socialist and
leader of the ‘Spartacus League’ –
announced the birth of the ‘Free
Republic of Germany’.
• The Sparticists were led by Karl
Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg.
They had broken away from the SPD
party in 1915 and wanted to create
a Communist state in Germany.
Events of the Revolution
• On Christmas Eve 1918, the
Sparticists attempted a
communist revolution. In
Berlin they began to
occupy government
buildings.
• On 30th December, they
held a Congress in Berlin
and declared the
formation of the
Communist Party of
Germany (KPD).
‘The 9th of November was a weak, half-hearted,
half-conscious and chaotic attempt to overthrow
the existing public power and to put an end to
class rule. What now must be done is that all
the forces of the proletariat should be
concentrated in an attack on the very
foundations of capitalist society. There, at the
base, where the individual employer confronts
his wage slaves… there, step by step, we must
seize the means of power from the rulers and
take them into our own hands… And we must
not forget that the revolution is able to do its
work with extraordinary speed.’
Rosa Luxembourg, 30th December 1918
Events of the Revolution
• On 5th January they began an armed
takeover of Berlin. Hundreds of
workers were given weapons and
Berlin became paralysed by street
fighting.
• Meanwhile, Chancellor Ebert organised
over 3,000 former soldiers called
Friekorps to come to Berlin. The
Friekorps were fiercely nationalist and
anti-communist and on the 10th
January, began to attack the Sparticists.
Who were the Freikorps?
• Veterans, returning defeated from the First World War
• Alienated from civilian life, membership of a Freikorps offered some kind
of stability within a military structure.
• The fact that a Social Democrat Leader like Ebert could use this right wing
militia would cause great bitterness on the left towards the Weimar
Republic.
• Between 1918-19 something like 150 separate Freikorps were formed in
Germany. They varied in size from over 10,000 men to fewer than 500. In
1919 total Freikorps strength was in excess of 250,000 men.
• Motives for joining a Freikorps were varied. Some Freikorps volunteers
were straightforward mercenaries, attracted by relatively generous rates
of pay. Others were motivated principally by anti-Communism. For the
most part, however, the ethos of the Freikorps was right-wing, antisocialist and anti-Semitic.
• They defended it because they saw it as the lesser of two evils the greater
evil being a communist Germany.
Events of the Revolution
• After 3 days of fierce street to street
fighting, Liebknecht and Luxemburg had
been captured. Luxemburg was beaten to
death with rifle butts and her body thrown
into a canal. Liebknecht was shot in the
head.
• About 100 Sparticists and 17 Friekorps were
killed in the fighting. Ebert had regained
control of Berlin but had to rely on the
extremely right-wing nationalist volunteers
– the Friekorps. This undermined the
credibility of the new government.
Events of the Revolution
• In April 1919, Communists in the southern
state of Bavaria attempt another
revolution, taking over the capital, Munich
and declaring an ‘Independent Soviet
Republic’.
• In May, the Soviet was attacked by 9,000
German Army soldiers and over 30,000
members of the Freikorps.
• Over 1,700 Communists were killed in
Munich. By the Summer of 1919 the threat
from the Communists were over. Ebert’s
new SPD government had survived.
Effects of the Revolution
1. Short Term - New government agrees an
armistice on 11th November. Germany had
to withdraw from all land won and pull back
30 miles into Germany.
2. Medium-Term – Politics in Germany became
very unstable as extreme left-wing
(Communists/Sparticists) and right-wing
groups (Friekorps) fought for power.
3. Long Term – The Weimar Republic formed
after the Kaiser abdicated but Ebert’s new
government cannot form new constitution
until mid-1919 due to political turmoil.
The Creation of the Weimar Republic
To evaluate the terms, strengths and weaknesses of
the new constitution
Forming a new government
• After the abdication of the Kaiser,
there was unrest all around
Germany.
• Armed groups with extreme
political views clashed with the
army and even claimed control.
• Ebert slowly began to take control
and a temporary government was
formed – ‘Council of People’s
Representatives’.
Forming a new government
• This temporary government
organised elections for a
National Assembly on 19th
January 1919. The winners met
on 6th February 1919 to create a
new constitution.
• Due to unrest in Berlin, the
Assembly met in Weimar. The
new constitution was signed
into law by the Assembly on
11th August 1919 – thus the
Weimar Republic was born.
Constituent Assembly Results
January 1919
%
Seats
SPD
38
163
Zentrum
20
91
DDP
19
75
DNVP
10
44
USPD
7.6
22
DVP
4.4
19
Political Parties in Weimar Germany
Activate:
Weimar democracy
Chancellor (Head of Government) chose
ministers and ran the country but to pass laws
need majority support in the Reichstag
Reichsrat could delay new laws
unless overruled by a 2/3 majority in
the Reichstag
Reichstag dominant house of new
parliament. Controlled taxation. Members
elected every 4 years. All men & women over
20 could vote. Proportional Representation
was used.
Weimar democracy
President (Head of State) directly
elected every 7 years
21/02/2016
Germany after the First World War
44
Weaknesses of the Constitution
One major problem for the Weimar Republic was that its
constitution had two serious flaws.
1. Proportional representation (PR).
All votes were counted up centrally to divide seats
fairly between parties.
2. Article 48.
This was a clause that gave the president of the Weimar
Republic the right to dismiss parliament and rule by
himself if he decided there was a ‘state of emergency’.
The new voting system adopted
Proportional
Representation
Activate:
First Past the Post
• In many countries the voting system is known as First Past the
Post.
• Each voter, over the age of 18, gets to cast a vote for the person
they want to represent their interests in Parliament.
• Each constituency (area/region) has a seat in parliament and the
MP/deputy with the most votes gains (wins) that constituency
seat.
• The party with the majority of votes gains the majority of seats
in parliament and therefore has control of Government.
First Past the Post:
Image a country existing
only of Bavaria, Saxony and Prussia.
They have three seats in the Reichstag
First Past the Post:
Bavaria
Saxony
Prussia
100 voters
100 voters
100 voters
1 seat in the
Reichstag
1 seat in the
Reichstag
1 seat in the
Reichstag
First Past the Post:
Bavaria
Saxony
Prussia
Nationalists:
51
Nationalists:
1
Nationalists:
51
Socialists 49
Socialist 99
Socialists 49
Nationalists Win!
Socialists Win
Nationalists Win!
Nationalist Parliament
Bavaria
Saxony
Prussia
Nationalist MP
Socialist MP
Nationalist MP
Proportional voting:
All county’s are merged into one and a
PERCENTAGE (%) of votes determines who
gets the seats.
Proportional Represntation
Bavaria
Saxony
Prussia
Nationalists:
51
Nationalists:
1
Nationalists:
51
Socialists 49
Socialist 99
Socialists 49
ADD THEM ALL UP AND TAKE A PERCENTAGE
Proportional voting:
300 voters
197 vote Socialist
103 vote Nationalist
Socialist’s Win –
A Socialist Parliament
Parliament:
Nationalists seats  34% (1
seat)
Socialist seats  66% (2
seats)
Same number of votes –
completely different result!
LO: To
explain the
political
spectrum in
Germany
Proportional
Representation
Think and Share
Considering what you have just
learnt, what problems can you
predict coming from
proportional representation?
In reality by using a percentage
you end up with lots of different
parties in the Parliament – e.g.
Parliament with a 100 seats:
Nationalists: 30%  30 seats
Socialists: 45%  45 seats
Z Party 25%  20 seats
Nazis 4%  4 seats
KPD 1%  1 seat
Socialists are the biggest party but can’t rule with a MAJOIRTY
so must rely on winning over other parties to pass laws
Activate:
Understanding Proportional
Representation
•Proportional representation instead of voting for an single MP,
Weimar Germans voted for a party.
• Each party was then allocated
seats in the Reichstag exactly
proportional to the number of
people who had voted for it.
• This resulted in dozens of small
parties, in parliament with no party
strong enough to get a majority.
60 of 10
© Boardworks Ltd 2009
Proportional representation and Article 48
Proportional representation made it difficult for one party to get a
majority. Weimar governments were usually weak
coalitions of parties who had different ideas about how the
country should be run.
Between 1919 and 1932 Germany had 21 different
governments.
It was difficult to pass laws in the Reichstag because the
government was so weak. The president increasingly used
his powers under Article 48 to pass legislation.
In 1930, three times as many laws were passed by the president
as were passed by the Reichstag.
Forming a new government
• Friedrich Ebert was elected by the Assembly
as the first President. He gradually gained
control of the country by:
1. Promising General Groener, the head of
the German Army, that there would be no
reform of the armed forces.
2. He reassured the industrialists’ leader,
Hugo Stinnes, that there would be no
nationalisation of private business.
3. He ensured support of trade unions by
promising their leader, Karl Legien, a max
working day of 8 hrs.
Why was the Treaty of Versailles
unpopular in Germany?
To evaluate the terms of the ToV and to identify its
effects upon the Weimar Republic
The Paris Peace Conference
• The armistice was signed by
Matthias Erzberger for Germany
on 11th November 1918.
• The Allied leaders – David Lloyd
George (Britain), Georges
Clemenceau (France) and
Woodrow Wilson (United States)
– then spent several months
drawing up the peace treaty at
the Paris Peace Conference in
1919.
Who were the key players?
Georges
Clemenceau
President of
France. He was
a fiery politician
nicknamed ‘The
Tiger’.
David Lloyd
George
British Prime
Minister. Lloyd
George was an
experienced
politician.
Woodrow
Wilson
The American
President. He had
brought the US
into the war in
1917.
Treaty Provisions
• 440 articles including:
– Territorial Losses
• Creation of new buffer states between Germany and Russia!
• Plebiscites encouraged
» Austria specifically prevented from holding a plebiscite!
– Punitive actions to reduce Germany to a minor power
• Army 100,000, 6 ships, no tanks or aircraft
– Reparations
• Ominously to be decided!
– ‘Blank Cheque’ J M Keynes
– War Guilt Clause
THE MAIN TERMS OF
THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES MNEUMONIC:
GARGLE
Guilt – clause 231: Germany accepted blame ‘for causing all the loss
and damage’ of the war.
Armed forces reduced – army: 100,000/ no submarines/ no
aeroplanes/ 6 battleships/ Rhineland de-militarised
Reparations – £6,600 million – in instalments, until 1984.
Germany lost land – Alsace-Lorraine to France/ Saar to France (15
years)/ West Prussia and Upper Silesia to Poland/ Danzig a ‘free city’/
German colonies became ‘mandates’ of the League of Nations.
League of Nations set up.
Extra points – forbade Anschluss. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
independent states.
•
Territorial Losses: FADE MAP
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Free Danzig (free port city)
Alsace-Lorraine to France
Denmark to have Schleswig
Eupen-Malmedy to Belgium
Memel to Lithuania
Austria never to unite with Germany
Poland to have PUPS
–
•
•
•
•
Posen
Prussia (West) (look at the map to see how significant this was!)
Silesia (Upper – 2/5ths of it anyway)
Saarland – proceeds of industry would go to France (for 15 years, then a plebiscite would be held to determine
its future)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Lost its colonies: Togoland and the Cameroons Britain & France, German South West Africa South Africa,
German East Africa Britain, Mariana Islands Japan, Marshal Islands Japan, Caroline Islands Japan,
Shatung Provice & Port of Kiaochow (China) Japan, New Guinea Australia, Western Samoa New Zealand
Military clauses: CARTS
Conscription forbidden
Army reduced to 100,000 men
Rhineland de-militarized
Tanks forbidden
Submarines forbidden
Germany after the First World War
70
The Diktat
• When finished, the Germans were
given 15 days to respond to this
‘peace treaty’.
• Germany had to accept blame for
the war, pay reparations and
agree to reductions in the armed
forces and territory.
• The Germans were not allowed to
make changes so they called the
treaty a ‘diktat’ (dictated peace).
Philipp Scheidemann
who was the German
Chancellor in June
1919 resigned rather
than sign the treaty,
saying,
“May the hand wither
that signs this
treaty.”
Scheidemann proclaiming the
new German Republic in 1918.
German Reactions to the ToV
• Because of Germany’s military
collapse, they had no choice but
to accept.
• On 28th June 1919, the German
delegation signed the Treaty of
Versailles at the Palace of
Versailles, outside Paris.
• The ToV was unpopular and
became a focus of resentment for
the next 20 years. Rathenau, the
foreign minister, was assassinated
in 1922 for signing the treaty!
Dolchstoss!
• After the war many people were
looking for someone to blame. The
army hadn’t been destroyed and
Germany was not invaded. So who
stabbed Germany ‘in-the-back?”
Malcolm asked him: “Do
you mean, General, that
you were stabbed in the
back?” Ludendorff’s eyes
lit up and he leapt upon
the phrase like a dog on a
bone. “Stabbed in the
back?” he repeated. “Yes,
that’s it, exactly, we were
stabbed in the back.” And
thus was born a legend
which has never entirely
perished.
• The term was attributed to General
Ludendorff whilst in conversation
with British General Sir Neill
Malcolm in 1919. He asked
Ludendorff why it was that he
thought Germany lost the war.
Ludendorff replied with a list of
excuses, including that the home
(Virginia Quarterly Review,
front failed the army
Spring 1938, USA)
1924 right-wing German political cartoon
Philipp
Scheidemann
politician who
proclaimed the
Weimar
Republic and
was its second
Chancellor
Stabbing the German
army ‘in the back’
Matthias Erzberger
an anti-war
politician who
signed the armistice
Before long the myth caught on and the politicians
whoHe
with the Allies.
was later
signed the Armistice Agreement became known
as the
assassinated
of this.
‘November Criminals’ who stabbed the army inbecause
the back.
When the Nazis came to power in 1933 they made the
legend an integral part of their official history of the 1920s,
portraying the Weimar Republic as the work of the
November Criminals and the Jews
Reaction of the German People
• The ‘stab-in-the-back’ myth seriously
undermined the legitimacy and
credibility of the new Weimar Republic.
The myth accused the new government
of overthrowing the Monarchy and
betraying the army .
• Despite it being untrue many people
believed it and this belief in the new
government as ‘backstabbers’ was
confirmed in the minds of many when
they signed the Treaty of Versailles in
June 1919.
Conclusion: Reaction of the German
people
The Treaty of Versailles was hated by Germans. Rathenau,
the foreign minister, was assassinated in 1922 for signing
the treaty.
The Armistice had not led to a fair settlement. The Weimar
politicians who signed it were called November Criminals
because people felt they had betrayed Germany.
The Treaty therefore had lasting effects on Germany:
1.) It weakened the popularity of the Weimar Republic
2.) It stirred up political protest
3.) It harmed Germany’s economy
Weimar Germany
1919 - 1929
POLITICAL PROBLEMS OF THE
WEIMAR REPUBLIC
Political problems: revolts
and rebellions
The first five years of the republic saw riots, strikes,
shootings and attempts to overthrow Ebert’s coalition
government. Two of the most important opposition
groups were the Communists and the Friekorps.
Communists felt that Ebert and the socialists had
failed to complete the revolution because they had
not abolished private property.
The Freikorps (private armies) felt that Ebert
and the socialists had ‘stabbed Germany in the
back’ by signing the Treaty of Versailles.
LO: Understand and explain the nature and significance of political problems faced by the new republic.
Impact of the Treaty 1: Soldier’s Revolt
• Prussian Military Tradition undermined by
Treaty
– Officer corps horrified by savage cuts
– Freikorps units were no longer in legal limbo they
were now illegal
• Frustrated army unable to turn on victorious
Allies
– Turn on Weimar Government instead!
• Luttwitz – Berlin Army Commander
• Erhardt – German Marine Commander
• Kapp – Prussian Civil Servant/Leader of the Fatherland
Party
The Kapp Putsch 1920
• The Plan
– March on Berlin
– Expel Socialist government
– Place Kapp as civilian figurehead of a new military
government
• An Open Secret?
– Plotters asked Seeckt, Ludendorff and other generals
for their support
• No support received
• But no hostility either
– Nobody reported the plotters
– Plotters assumed that German soldiers would not fire
on German soldiers!
The Trigger
• February 1920
– Forced Demobilisation of army
• A requirement of the Treaty of Versailles
• 12,000 Freikorps ordered to disband in Berlin
– Commander Luttwitz refuses
Who will defend the Republic?
• Chancellor Bauer asks General Seeckt to restore
order
– General refuses
• “Troops do not fire on troops; when Reichswehr fires on
Reichswehr all comradeship within the officer corps has
vanished!”
– Wait and See policy (See who wins?)
– Most Soldiers remain neutral
– But government forced to flee Berlin
• To Dresden and then to Stuttgart
– Nationalist Von Kahr takes advantage to regain
control of Bavaria from Communists
• Would become a centre of right wing tolerance
Who will defend the Republic?
• The Left comes to the rescue
– General Strike ordered by Trade Unionists with
support of most working classes and even
Communists
• 80,000 communists take control of Ruhr
– Refuses to cooperate with the new Kapp
Government
• Kapp Ineffectiveness
– 4 days of rule were pretty ineffective
• Could not announce victory to newspapers as they could
not even find a working typewriter
• Banks refused to issue loans or currency on behalf of the
unrecognised government
• Strike paralysed business and industry
Who will defend the Republic?
• Dilemma for Government
– What to do with the German Army?
• It had demonstrated that it could not be relied on
in times of crisis to defend the Republic from
attacks from the Right
• However, it was still needed to defend the
Republic from threats from the left!
– Eg 80,000 Communists in the Ruhr
» They would not lay down arms after the fall of the
Kapp Government
» Army more than happy to shoot left wing rebels!
‘The enemy is on the Right’
Political assassinations
Left
Right
Murders Committed
22
354
(326 of which
completely
unpunished)
Sentenced to death
10
0
Severely punished
17
1
June 1920 Elections
1919 %
1920 %
SPD
38
21
Zentrum
20
8
DDP
19
18
DNVP
10
15
USPD/KPD
7.6
19
DVP
4.4
14
June 1920 Elections
• Disaster for the SPD
– The writers of the Weimar constitution
were punished by its own provisions
– Associated with Treaty of Versailles, Hunger,
Defeat, Instability, Poor economic
conditions, etc… etc…
– SPD withdrew into opposition
• The future of the Weimar Government passed
to weak coalition governments who were at
best hostile to the Weimar constitution
Wirth picks up the ‘poisoned Chalice’
• New coalition formed
– Zentrum, SPD and DDP
– Appoints DDP Rathenau as foreign minister
• Highly talented Jewish DDP politician
• Wirth attempts a complicated tactic
– Fulfillment policy
• Attempt to honour repayments in order to show that Germany is
incapable of repaying such a huge bill
– Sow seeds of hyperinflation
» Government did not fully try to control spending
– Subtlety lost on Allies
» France not concerned at any suffering on part of Germans
» Britain needed to repay loans taken from US
– Subtlety lost on German public
» Blamed everything on Treaty of Versailles or on Weimar
governments attempting to honour Treaty of Versailles
The Bill arrives
• April 1921
– Germany to pay £6.6 billion for damage caused
during First World War
• +6% interest over 50 years of repayment plan
• To be paid in Gold Marks
• 7% of annual German Income
• Centrist Chancellor Fehrenbach resigns in
horror!
Upper Silesia Plebiscite
• Requirement of Treaty of Versailles
– Allowing locals to determine national identity
• Join Germany or Poland
– 717,122 votes to join Germany
– 483,514 votes to join Poland
• Clear majority and yet Poles claimed cheating and started
an insurrection
– British troops sent to region to stop the fighting
• League of Nations compromise
– Germany to receive 2/3rds of area
– But Poland got the industrial 1/3 with most of the coal mines
• German ‘fulfillment’ policy in tatters
– Why bother working with Treaty of Versailles institutions if they
are only going to work against Germany – no matter what!
– Serious credibility blow for the government
Treaty of Rapallo, 1922
• First political success for Weimar Government
• Negotiated by Rathenau
– Designed to outflank France
• Pariah Treaty
– The enemy of my enemy is my friend
• USSR and Germany agreed:
•
•
•
•
No reparations demands on each other
Close economic ties
Normalise diplomatic ties
Secret military clauses
– Germans to be able to train in USSR
– USSR to receive German technical assistance in weapons production
• Diplomatically useful but domestically dangerous
– Confirmed to nationalists that Weimar was secretly sympathetic to
communist form of government (+ Jewish connection)
– Rathenau assassinated in June 1922 by right wing terror group
Economic problems faced by the
Weimar Republic
LO: Understand and explain the
economic problems faced by the
Weimar Republic
Gathering Economic Crisis
• Currency markets concerned at impact of
reparations on German government finances
– German mark begins to slide
• 103,208,000,000 Marks
– Total budget for1922
• 187,531,000,000 Marks
– Amount of reparations required by Allies in 1922 (in gold
marks)
• France unwilling to bend
– Annoyed at Treaty of Rapallo
– Unconcerned at German difficulties
• Finance minister Wirth resigns November 1922
Inflation
Inflation is when the value of money
decreases, so that people have to pay
more and more for goods and services.
Political instability was increased
by economic problems.
The German economy had been
weakened by the war. French
demands for Germany to start to
pay reparations immediately led
to great financial strain.
The result was that Germany
suffered from inflation.
LO: Understand and explain the economic problems faced by the Weimar Republic
The Ruhr Crisis: 1923-24
Invasion of the Ruhr (1923)
Germany managed to make its first reparations payment on
time, but because of inflation, Germany could not pay the
second instalment in 1922.
The French were determined to enforce the
treaty. On 11th January 1923, French and
Belgian troops occupied the industrial Ruhr
region of Germany in order to take their
reparations by force.
The German workers in the Ruhr
went on strike and refused to
produce goods for the French to
take. The workers became German
heroes, but the strike only made the
economic situation in Germany
worse.
In our cafes we put up
signs saying, ‘No
Dogs or French
allowed!’
Hyperinflation
The invasion of the Ruhr caused mere
inflation to escalate into
hyperinflation.
Prices in Germany rose so fast that
people could barely keep up. Workers
had to be paid twice a day and given halfhour breaks so that they could spend
their wages before they became
worthless.
People had to carry their money around
in wheelbarrows and laundry baskets.
Shops had to resort to measuring notes
Unemployment rose.
by weight, as counting them took too
long.
People’s savings were completely wiped out.
LO: Understand and explain the economic problems faced by the Weimar Republic
Weimar
Republic
hyperinflation
from one to one
trillion paper
Marks per gold
Mark.
LO: Understand and explain the economic problems faced by the Weimar Republic
A 50,000,000 (50-million) mark banknote from 1923
LO: Understand and explain the economic problems faced by the Weimar Republic
Germany, 1923:
banknotes had lost so
much value that they
were used as wallpaper
LO: Understand and explain the economic problems faced by the Weimar Republic
Postage stamps
of Weimar
Germany during
the hyperinflation
period of early
1920s
A 1/2 Million Mark
Notgeld coin from 1923
issued by the city of
Hamburg, Germany
LO: Understand and explain the economic problems faced by the Weimar Republic
LO: Understand and explain the economic problems faced by the Weimar Republic
Hyperinflation
Two men
sell paper
money by
weight.
Their sign
indicates
that money
is worth
more than
bones, but
less than
rags.
LO: Understand and explain the economic problems faced by the Weimar Republic
Free Fall
Losers from
Hyperinflation
Lenders
Middle Classes
State Workers
Pensioners – those on
fixed benefits
Mittelstand
Weimar Republic
Jews (incorrectly blamed)
German Government
Politically
Winners from
Hyperinflation
Borrowers
Speculators
Landowners
Areas close to borders
Foreigners
German Government
Financially
Restoring Economic Order
• Streseman came to power August 1923
–How did he go about restoring
order?
Restoring Economic Order
• Stresemann’s Fulfillment policy?
– New currency created
• Rentenmark
– 1 Rentenmark = 1,000,000,000,000 Reichsmarks
• Supply of new currency strictly limited
– 3,200,000,000 in total
– Backed by bonds
– Cut government expenditure
• Redundancies for 700,000 government workers
– Called off Passive resistance in Ruhr and repaid some
reparations
• Allow France to withdraw from Ruhr
• A commission set up to look at reparations payments
– Dawes Plan
Threats to Stresemann
• Economic Threats
– Difficulties and sacrifices required to stabilise
new currency
• Regional Threats
– Saxony and Thuringia
• Communists had cooperated with Socialists to
take control of these states
– Bavaria
• Concerned at the Communist takeover of
neighbouring States, The Right wing Kahr
requests German Army declare loyalty to him
before to Berlin
The Munich Putsch
• Adolf Hitler’s attempt to
take power in Munich and
march to Berlin to replace
the Weimar government.
– Why did it take place in
Bavaria?
– Why did this take place in
November 1923?
The Munich Putsch
• Why Bavaria?
– Very Conservative Catholic Region
• Hostile to Weimar Cosmopolitan attitudes
• Deeply hostile to anti-religious sentiments of Communism
– Von Kahr’s Right Wing Government
• Took power in 1920 Putsch
– Replaced Communist Government
– Violent overthrow culturally acceptable?
• was deeply hostile to communists and socialists
– Allowed Right wing groups to thrive
– Persecuted Left wing groups
The Munich Putsch
• Why November 1923?
– Inspired by Mussolini’s March on Rome, 1922
– Clock is ticking
• National Socialists thrive on discontent
• Stresemann’s economic reforms are already kicking in
– Stability returning to Germany
– Stresemann getting the credit
– Misread Kahr and Lossow
• Thought they were allies
• They were conservative monarchists who were deeply uneasy
about some of the socialist aspects of National-Socialism
A comedy of errors?
• Poorly organised
– Lack of coordination
– Did not have necessary arms
– Poor communications systems
• Relied on Blackmail
– They required the support of Kahr and Lossow to allow a march on Berlin
to have any chance of success
• Errors
– Ludendorff’s Traditional value system
• German officer’s couldn’t lie!
• Allowed Kahr and Lossow to reassure their wives!
• Indecisive
– Hitler had a nervous collapse when he found out Kahr had gone
– Ludendorff had to decide to march to city centre
• Army remains loyal to right wing Kahr
– Why shouldn’t they? More Nationalist less Socialist than Nazis
• Cowardice
– Hitler does a runner when the man next to him is shot
– Ju-Jitsu lady disarms frantic Hitler
Why did the Weimar Republic Survive 1919
– 1923?
• Did the Weimar Government stand a chance?
– Which of the following posed the greatest threat to
Democracy taking root in Germany:
– Place them in an order of greatest threat to democracy:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Limited Nature of the 1918 German Revolution
The Weimar Constitution
The Treaty of Versailles
Right Wing Extremism
Left Wing Extremism
The Economic Crisis
Attitudes of the German elite
Attitudes of ordinary Germans
THE WEIMAR REPUBLIC
UNDER GUSTAV STRESEMANN
1924 – 1929 ‘The
Golden Age’ of Weimar?
How did the Weimar Republic
recover under Stresemann?
To evaluate the successes and failures of Stresemann’s economic and
foreign policies
“What economic,
social and political
problems did I face
when I became
Chancellor in August
1923?”
Who was Gustav Stresemann?
• A month after the armistice of November 11th, 1918,
Stresemann formed the German People's Party and
was elected to the national assembly which
gathered at Weimar in 1919 to frame a new
constitution. He was elected to the new Reichstag in
1920 and spent the next three years in opposition.
• From August 13 to November 23, 1923, Stresemann
was Chancellor of a coalition government. In 1924
Stresemann was chosen as Foreign secretary, an
office he was to fill with such distinction under four
governments that he was called ‘the greatest master
of German foreign policy since Bismarck’.
• He died on 3rd October 1929 – the year he won the
Nobel Peace Prize.
1.) The Rentenmark: 1923-1924
• Germany’s biggest problem in 1923 was
Hyperinflation.
• He introduced a new, temporary currency called
the Rentenmark in November 1923. If the
currency failed, the government promised to
exchange the money for shares in land or
industry.
• Confidence was restored and in August 1924, he
introduced the Reichsmark which was controlled
by the newly independent national bank, the
Reichsbank.
• Confidence rose further. Deposits in Germany
banks rose from 900m marks at the start of 1924
to 4,900m marks at the end of 1926.
2.) The Dawes Plan: 1924
• The effects of the Dawes Plan were:
• Germany resumed reparations
payments
• The French left the Ruhr
• The German economy recovered
• Coal output rose from 275 million
tons in 1924 to 350 million tons in
1929.
• Manufactured goods sales doubled
1923-1929. Unemployment fell in
1928 to the lowest level for 10 years.
2.) The Dawes Plan: 1924
• Next he tackled reparations.
Germany was unable to pay in
1922 – they were too high.
• In April 1924, Stresemann
negotiated the Dawes Plan with
the Allies:
• Annual Payments were reduced to
an affordable level.
• American banks agreed to invest 800
million marks in German Industry.
How did the Dawes Plan work?
The USA lends
Germany money.
The Allies pay
back war debts
to the USA
THE
DAWES
PLAN
Germany pays
reparations to
the Allies
The German
economy
prospers
Foreign Policy
Stresemann showed real skill in foreign policy – 1925
1. Locarno Treaties – 1925
2. 1926 – Germany joined the League of Nations
3. Young plan - 1929
After a number of years in the wilderness Germany
was accepted back into the international community
3.) The Locarno Pact: 1925
• In October 1925 Stresemann signed
What was the effect of
the Locarno Pact with Britain, France, the Locarno Pact on
Italy and Belgium.
Germany’s
international image?
• Germany agreed to keep to its new
1919 border with France and
Belgium.
• In return, the Allies agreed to remove
troops from the Rhineland and
discuss German entry to the League
of Nations.
How would right-wing
nationalist parties
respond to the
Locarno Pact?
How would the
Locarno Pact help
improve Germany’s
economy?
4.) The League of Nations: 1926
• In 1919, the Allies founded the
League of Nations to work for
world peace. Germany was
excluded.
Why is it important for
• In 1926, Stresemann persuaded
Germany to be trusted
the League to accept Germany as in the world? How could
a member.
this help Germany?
• Germany was now trusted and
treated as an equal. Germany
even got a place on the League’s
Council.
Why did the Nazis feel
that by joining the
LoN’s, Stresemann had
betrayed Germany?
5.) The Kellogg-Briand Pact: 1928
• In August 1928, Germany
became one of 65 countries to
sign the Kellogg-Briand Pact.
• This was an international
agreement by states not to use
war to achieve their foreign
policy aims.
• The effect of this was to show
Germany as a respectable
member of the international
community.
6.) The Young Plan: 1929
• In August 1929, the Young Plan
cut reparation payments from
£6.6 billion to £2 billion, with 59
more years to pay.
• This strengthened the Weimar
Republic. WHY?
• However repayments were still
£50 million per year – to be paid
until 1988. Hitler said this was
‘passing on the penalty to the
unborn’.
However.......
• Stresemann wasn’t popular with either the
extreme nationalists like Hitler and the Nazis, or
with the Communists
• Hitler disliked the League because it supported
the Treaty of Versailles and he saw Locarno as a
capitulation (giving in)
• Communists hated Dawes and Young Plan and
Locarno as saw it as anti-USSR
• BUT both the Nazis and the Communists made
little progress in these years because people were
much better off and their EXTREME ideas did not
appeal to people
Other features of the Stresemann Years
• Golden age of German cinema
• Night life, cabaret
POSITIVES
• Removal of censorship
• Unemployment and poverty still high
• Growing prosperity based on USA loans –
• what would happen if USA wanted the money
back ?
• Many did not like the new culture
n
e
g
at
iv
e
s
The extent of recovery in the
late 1920s - Politics
• Politically, the Weimar Republic appeared
stable. In the Reichstag elections, extremist
parties such as the Communists and the Nazis
received less support than the more
mainstream parties.
• Stresemann arranged a ‘Great Coalition’ of the
moderate pro-democracy parties (SDP, the
Centre Party and DVP).
• United together, they were able to resist the
criticism from smaller extremist parties, and in
this way, overcame the effects of proportional
representation – the government had enough
members of the Reichstag supporting it to pass
the laws it needed.
The extent of recovery in the
late 1920s - Economics
• The economy appeared to be recovering.
Inflation came under control and German
people found that they had more
disposable income, meaning they could
buy more products so the standard of
living increased.
• American loans meant Germany could
build infrastructure like roads, railways
and factories. This provided jobs and
boosted the economy.
• By 1928, industrial production was
greater than pre-war levels. Germany was
becoming a world leader as an exporter of
manufactured goods.
The extent of recovery in the
late 1920s - Culture
• In the area of cultural activities Germany
became world famous. The strict censorship
of pre-war Germany was removed. Berlin
rivalled Paris as the cultural capital of Europe.
• Germans led the way in innovative painting,
architecture and design. Some artists, like
George Grosz, used art to criticise society. He
was a communist but criticised the
communist part as he hated any form of
dictatorial authority.
• Architecture and design were heavily
influenced by the Balhaus movement led by
Walter Gropius. He used bold designs and
unusual materials with distinctly odd results.
The extent of recovery in the
late 1920s - Culture
• Germany also became the centre for new
plays and operas. The most famous
playwright was Bertolt Brecht.
• There were big advances in cinema
technique with silent movies like
Metropolis which was an early sci-fi film.
Films stars like Marlene Dietrich became
world famous.
• Even novelists began to be more critical
of the establishment. All Quiet on the
Western Front by Erich Remarque
described the horrors of the First World
War and sold over 500,000 within 3
months in 1929.
Art and Culture under the Kaiser
Art and Culture in Weimar Germany
Cinema – the Blue Angel
Architecture - Bauhaus
Cabaret and
nightlife – the
Kit-Kat Club
Painting - Otto Dix
German Theatre
Painting - Paul Klee
Painting – Hannah Hoech
Painting - George Grosz
Source A
Source B
Source C
Source D
Source E
Source F
Source G
Source H
Source I
Source K
Source L
Source M
Source N
Source O
Otto Dix, the artist, is a very good example of the
changes taking place in the cultural life of Germany.
Have a look at the following slides – can his
paintings highlight change?
German Politicians
Cafe dwellers
My family
My friend
Reclining Woman on a Leopard Skin
Two street children
Sunday family
Gas Attack
Despair in the trenches
Mealtime in the trenches
Conversation in the trenches
Uprisings in the streets of Berlin
Underlying Problems of the
Weimar Republic - Politics
• Politically, there were still opponents of
the Weimar Republic and its democratic
system. Many wished for a return to rule
by the Kaiser and many still hated the
Republic as ‘November Criminals’.
• This was seen when President Ebert died
suddenly in 1925. In his place Field
Marshal Hindenburg, aged 78, was
elected.
• He had been a critic of the new democracy,
and in Berlin he was greeted by cheering
crowds waving black, white and red flags,
the colours of the old empire.
Underlying Problems of the
Weimar Republic - Politics
• Support for Communism increased
during this period, and the Nazis were
making advances in some local
elections.
• Stresemann’s ‘Great Coalition’
collapsed due to the moderate prodemocracy parties arguing.
• As the economic problems went away,
they didn’t feel like they had to support
the government out of duty in a crisis.
Different groups wanted to take the
credit for the rising prosperity.
Underlying Problems of the
Weimar Republic - Economics
• Economically, Germany relied heavily
on American loans, which could have
been withdrawn at any time.
• Imports were rising faster than exports,
which meant that Germany was trading
at a loss.
• There was still substantial
unemployment. As food prices fell
rapidly worldwide in 1927, farmer’s
income was greatly reduced and this
increased their debts.
Underlying Problems of the
Weimar Republic - Culture
• Culturally, many people criticised the
new artistic developments as decadent
and unpatriotic. There was also a
perceived decline in moral standards,
as shown in the number of cabaret
shows and nightclubs in Berlin.
• The city became famous for its
transvestite parties, where men and
women shared each other’s clothes.
Berlin was seen by many Germans in
other areas of the country as corrupt
and obsessed with sex.
• Then cameThen came…………
1929
And everything was to change