4. the stresemann years 1923-1929

Question 1

Who was Gustav Stresemann?

Answer 1

Gustav Stresemann served as chancellor and later foreign minister of Germany between 1923-1929. His period in office was to be known as the ‘golden twenties’ and he would die three weeks before all of his hard work would crumble due to the wall street crash

Question 2

1923

Answer 2

• took charge after being appointed by Frederich Ebert
• brought an end to passive resistance in the Ruhr
• created a new currency known as the rentenmark
• created a new national bank
• reduce government spending

Question 3

1924

Answer 3

• Dawes plan (April 1924)
• agreement between the Weimar government, France, Britain and the USA
• created easier payment terms for reparTion with Germany agreeing to pay off as much as it could in the next five years
• in return the French would leave the Ruhr and Weimar would receive loans from the USA to build new homes and factories

Question 4

1925

Answer 4

• Locarno treaties
• treaty signed with allies where the borders between Germany, France and Belgium finalized allowing Germany to enter the League of Nations in 1926
• Germany also promised to keep troops out of the Rhineland
• the treaty was further supplemented by 6 other treaties

Question 5

1928

Answer 5

• Kellogg-Briand pact
• Germany signed the Kellogg-Briand pact, which stated that countries would use diplomacy rather than war, to solve disagreements
• by signing up to this Stresemann convinced many that Germany was a country that could be reasoned with

Question 6

1929

Answer 6

• the young plan
• reduced the amounts of reparations down to only 25% (£1.8 billion) of the original 1921 figure of £6.6 billion
• it was to be repaid over a period of 58 years, instead of 66

Question 7

despite this what other problems where under the surface?

Answer 7

increasing welfare costs, raising unemployment, over spending and a reliance on foreign investment for survival