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Assess the significance of the Treaty of Versailles for the Weimar Republic.
The Treaty of Versailles was undoubtedly significant for the Weimar Republic until 1923.
However, during the period of recovery in the ‘Golden twenties’, it could be argued that the
Treaty had ceased to be significant. When the Republic began to collapse in the early 1930s it
was essentially due to the financial implications of the Great Depression, the political system
as a result of a flawed Constitution and the long term legacy of defeat in 1918.
Many of the long term problems which were to become significant for Weimar in its later
years occurred before the treaty of Versailles was signed. On 2 November a mass meeting of
20,000 sailors and workers at Kiel called for the establishment of German republic. From Kiel
the revolution spread rapidly across Germany. The pressure on the Kaiser became
overwhelming and on the 9th November he fled to Holland and two days later, on 11th
November, an armistice was agreed with the Allies.
On 6th January 1919 radical left wing workers began a revolt in Berlin, known as the
Spartacist Rising. There was three days of savage fighting before the rising was put down.
Attempted left wing takeovers then followed in Bavaria (April 1919) and the Ruhr (1920),
The significance of these uprisings was that it was the SPD centre left government who had
allowed the right-wing Freikorps to suppress the Spartacist Revolt. This unrest had three longterm results: it encouraged the growth of right wing groups, it led to bitter feelings between
the Communists and Socialists and it gave support to the idea that strong government was
essential if chaos was to be avoided.
Meanwhile in the small town of Weimar, the Constituent Assembly had been planning the
new Constitution. The president was granted enormous powers, e.g. could dissolve the
Reichstag (German Parliament) use the army to put down revolution, could choose the
Chancellor and suspend the constitution if he thought there was a danger. Most damaging was
the power under Article 48 to pass laws without the approval of the Reichstag. The voting
system of Proportional Representation was adopted with the result that between 1919 and
1933 no party won more than half the votes cast in any election. There were 20 separate
coalition governments between 1919 and 1933, with the longest-serving government
surviving only two years. In the public mind, Weimar became linked to the surrender at the
end of 1918 and the resulting chaos. Its politicians acquired the nickname of 'The November
Criminals' -men who had betrayed the German Fatherland by surrendering to the Allies.
In summary, the significance of the events which occurred in the period November 1919 to
June 1919 cannot be underestimated. Defeat in the War, the actions of the new government in
suppressing left wing revolts and the new Constitution would have a long term significance
for the Republic which only became apparent after the crisis of 1929.
The new republic had barely recovered from defeat in War, when it was hit by another, and
arguably more significant event: the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. The fact that the
German government was unable to negotiate the terms of the treaty was deeply resented. The
idea that Germany and her Allies were blamed for starting the war in Article 231 infuriated
the Germans. Germany lost about 13% of its European territory (plus all of its colonies) and
the Allies were inconsistent in applying the principle of national self-determination; Germans
living in the Sudetenland (part of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire) were placed under
Czech rule and Germany was forbidden to unite with Austria. The reparations of £6,600
million imposed in 1921 were felt to be impossible to pay once the loss of valuable resources
were factored in. Germany's armed forces were severely restricted; the army's size was fixed
at 100,000 and conscription was banned. When the Treaty was finally signed, the "Stab in the
back" legend started. Many Germans believed neither that they were responsible for the war,
nor that they had been defeated. It is therefore fair to say that the signing of Versailles was a
tremendous blow for the new Republic.
The political upheaval that followed was, to a large extent, a direct result of the Versailles
settlement. Under the terms of the Versailles Treaty, Germany was required to reduce its
armed forces to a maximum of 100,000 and Freikorps units were included in this figure. In
March 1920, Dr Kapp ordered his 5,000 Freikorps to march on Berlin. They occupied the
capital on 13 March. The government issued a proclamation calling on Germany's workers to
defeat the putsch by means of a general strike. After four days (12-16 March), Kapp realised
he could not succeed and fled to Sweden. In addition, 1920-22 saw a spate of about 400
political murders, most committed by the extreme right. The principal victims were the Centre
Party leader and 'November Criminal' Matthias Erzberger (August 1921) and Walter
Rathenau (June 1922). The significance of Versailles in causing political unrest in the period
1919-1920 is clear. Whilst it could be argued that the defeat in the War was equally
important, it was the disbanding of the Freikorps under the terms of the Treaty which
triggered this major phase of unrest.
The Treaty of Versailles was also significant in the way that it affected the economy of
Weimar. Late in 1922 the Germans informed the allies that they could no longer meet their
reparation payments. By January 1923, the French had occupied the Ruhr. The government
responded by instructing all workers to go on strike and offer "passive resistance". They
covered the gap between income and expenditure by printing money. By the end of 1923,
Germany was in the grip of hyperinflation and the mark was worthless. The poor handling of
the economy crucially undermined the new government in the eyes of the German people.
In August 1923 Gustav Stresemann was appointed Chancellor. He called off passive
resistance, recommenced reparation payments and also created a new currency: the
Rentenmark. In 1924 the Dawes Plan was published: Germany was to receive an initial loan
of £40 million and reparation payments were rescheduled over a greater number of years.
Investment from the U.S.A. followed soon after the Dawes Plan and Weimar was able to reestablish its industry.
The French entry into the Ruhr gave rise to feelings of intense nationalism in Germany. In late
1923 a right-wing plot to overthrow the Republic began to take shape in Bavaria. On the 9
November Hitler, backed by Ludendorff, ordered his 3,000 SA men to march on the city's
main army barracks, hoping to win over the local Reichswehr. When the marchers
encountered a police barricade, firing started. Sixteen Nazis were killed.
At first, it appears that the impact of the Treaty of Versailles was hugely significant for the
Republic in years 1919-1923. The political and financial turmoil experienced by Germany as
a result of the Treaty was extreme. However, we could also argue that the Treaty was not as
significant as it first seemed. Although it was deeply resented and appeared to be responsible
for the near overthrow of the Government, people simply wanted to return to stability and to
put the Treaty behind them and so the Republic survived.
An examination of the rapid recovery of Germany after 1923 might also suggest that the
significance of the Treaty was not as great as it may have appeared. In the mid-to late 1920s
Germany had a stable currency, competitive interest rates and an increasingly settled place
within the international community. As a result, it became a magnet for foreign investment.
By 1928 industrial production exceeded pre-war levels. The mid 1920's witnessed what is
sometimes called the 'Locarno Honeymoon'. In 1925, the Locarno Treaties confirmed the
demilitarization of the Rhineland and there was a mutual guarantee of Germany's western
frontiers by Belgium, France and Germany. In September 1926, Germany was at last admitted
to the League of Nations with a permanent seat on the Council. In 1928, Germany was one of
65 states to sign the Kellogg-Briand Pact renouncing war as an instrument of policy. In
addition, by 1928 both the DNVP and the Nazi vote had dramatically declined. Prosperity,
however unevenly spread, appears to have diminished the appeal of extremism.
It would therefore seem that in the period 1923 to 1928, the Treaty of Versailles had ceased to
be significant. The economy had recovered, people were voting for centre parties who
supported Weimar and Germany had been welcomed back into the community of nations.
Any lasting effects of the Treaty appeared to have been forgotten. However, when the Wall
Street Crash and Great Depression occurred, it would once again become significant.
In October 1929 the Wall Street Crash took place and US banks recalled loans which German
industry had relied on. Unemployment rose and by February 1932, 33% of the workforce was
unemployed. The issue of unemployment became a catalyst for political conflict, adding to
the Weimar Republic's financial worries. The share of the vote won by the 'anti-Weimar'
parties rose sharply in this period. In 1928 the KPD, DNVP and Nazis had won only 27% of
the vote between them but this figure rose to 38% in 1930 and to 57% in July 1932. At this
point parliamentary government became impossible. In these circumstances the only option
was 'presidential' government on the basis of Article 48. At this time of political and
economic crisis, many Germans turned to Hitler as a 'messiah' figure who would save
Germany in its darkest hour. By early 1933, after several governmental options were tried
such as cabinets led by Von Papen and Von Schleicher, Hindenburg succumbed to the
inevitable and appointed Hitler as chancellor. In this sense, the Great Depression appears to
have been far more significant for the Republic than the Treaty of Versailles. Before the
Crash of 1929 it had largely been accepted and the initial problems created by the terms
appeared to have been overcome.
In conclusion, it cannot be denied that the Treaty of Versailles was significant for the Weimar
Republic. Germany was extremely resentful of its treatment at the conference in Paris;
Weimar governments could never escape the fact that they had signed Versailles and the myth
of the army being ‘stabbed in the back’ was impossible to dislodge. However, it could be
argued that in the long run, more significant was defeat in War. The Weimar Republic did not
arise out of the democratic wishes of the German people; it was the result of defeat in war and
an imposed abdication of the Emperor by the Allies. The democratic institutions that were set
up were new, untried and with many, unpopular. In addition, the weaknesses in the
Constitution such as Proportional Representation and Article 48, were to have very significant
long term effects on the Republic. In this sense, the gravest of the problems were already
present before Versailles was signed. That said, Versailles did have significant long term
effects in two key areas: politics and economics. The Republic was faced with deep-rooted
economic difficulties as a result of the Treaty: territorial losses, war debts and reparations
made Germany a significantly poorer country. The French occupation of the Ruhr and the
Hyperinflation crisis led to the Dawes Plan, which made Germany particularly vulnerable to
the post-1929 Depression when American loans were called in. In addition, as a consequence
of Versailles, the Republic had to face political extremism for the duration of its existence: it
was opposed by Nationalists, Nazis, Communists and eventually the Middle class. The Wall
Street Crash and the Great Depression were perhaps the most significant events in Weimar’s
history, however, it could be argued that if Germany had not been faced with such a punitive
Treaty in 1919, the economic and political effects after 1929 would not have been so severe.
In this sense the Treaty of Versailles was undoubtedly significant for the Weimar Republic.
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