Chapter 1: the establishment and development of the Weimar Rupublic Jan 1919 - Jan 1933 Flashcards
How serious were the consequences of the First World war for Germany?
Political
Social
Economic
Impact of Treaty of Versailles on land, the military and reparations
Political consequences
Serious:
- new form of gov. -> revolution
- German sailors mutinied after arrest of leaders
- unrest among workers in cities who had established workers councils => concern for Ebert: no civil war, full-scale revolution like Russia
- new constitution drawn up + peace talk began -> people viewed with suspicion - sig. change from old autocratic system (under rule of coalition now) to democratic
- old military leaders fostered stab-in-back myth that Ebert stabbed Germany in back
Not serious:
- abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II. power passed to Council of People’s Representatives temporarily until national assembly elected
- Ebert able to avoid revolution by keeping support of industrialists (powerful - made tanks etc. for war). Negotiated Central Working Association Agreement with trade unions (work for 8hr day and TU rep)
- left-wing divided between KPD and SD
- new constitution and peace talks - democracy now
- Ebert = politically competent
Social consequences
Serious:
- war furthered divisions within Germany -> gap in living standards much bigger
- restrictions placed on workers earnings during war
- income of workers stagnated/ declined due to inflation, shortage grew worse due to British Naval Blockade putting pressure on Germany
- divisions between city and country
- women working: change in tradition
- 600,000 widows and 2 mil. children w/o fathers
Not serious:
- factory owners made vast profits
- women called to work in factory to maintain income levels
Economic consequences
Serious:
- war pensions put a strain on the government (pension payments consume 1/3 of budget)
- national income fallen to 1/3 of 1913’s
- industrial production fallen (2/3 of pre-war levels)
- Germany = virtually bankrupt and TofV further weakened country
- millions of war bonds from ordinary people eroded by inflation (100 marks in 1913 vs 30 in 1918) => lost wealth
The impact of the Treaty of Versailles
Lost 10% land, 12.5% of population, 16% of coal and 48% of iron industry
Lost all overseas colonies
gov= weakened
society= struggling and weak
position of Germany= weakened -> not allowed to join League of Nations etc. (less power)
Land losses
Land lost from every border
- Schleswig -> Denmark
- Upper Silesia, West Prussia & Posen -> Poland
- land -> Czechoslovakia
- Alsace-Lorraine -> returned to France
- Eupen & Malmedy -> Belgium
- Saar -> Legaue of Nations
Not allowed to unite with Austria
Military losses
army reduced to 100,000 men
navy reduced to 15,000 men
forbidden to have tanks, aircraft, submarines and poison gas
no. of ships limited
Rhineland permanently demilitarised and Allied troops to occupy for 15 years
Reparations
Reparations Commission established and reported in 1921. Germany had to pay £6000 million in instalments
forced to accept guilt for starting war (War Guilt Clause 231) => not publicly v. popular as Germans believed allies started war but forced to accept due to British Naval Blockade
Overall impact of the Treaty of Versailles
some now live under foreign rule/ occupied areas
military losses and land loss dented national pride
BUT Germany still powerful (Austro-Hungarian Empire collapse and defeat of Russia) => strongest power in central Europe)
German people struggled to see positives (social tension)
How serious were the challenges to the Weimar Republic 1919-23?
The nature of the constitution
Communist revolts
Kapp Putsch
The invasion of the Ruhr
Hyperinflation
Munich Putsch
Strengths of the constitution
universal franchise (every adult has a vote) -> most democratic country in Europe
proportional representation -> true democracy
people in diff. cabinets rarely changed
Article 48: all constitutions have provisions for similar powers in states of emergency
survived attacks from 1918-23
no worse than any other constitution in 1920s - Richard Evans
Weaknesses of the constitution
created instability
proportional representation in Reichstag -> weak : no majority and small parties => coalitions (unstable)
-> frequent changes in gov. undermined confidence in new democracy (want right wing)
20 diff. cabinets from Jan 1919-30
-> allowed NSDAP to gain foothold
opponents preferred less democratic
system
presidential power undermined the system -> Article 48 (emergency decree) happened during Ruhr and hyperinflation crisis in 1923-24 and again in Wall Street Crash and Muller gov. collapse in 1930-33)
cannot cope with political pressure
Communist revolts
5th - 12th Jan 1919: revolt
-> hoped soviet-style gov. would be established and industry nationalised after war (was not) -> Independent Socialist left Council of People’s Representation to join KDP
Next four months: series of strikes and worker’s council set up in cities (e.g Munich and Bremen) => crushed by Freikorps
March 1920: KDP able to take control of much of the Ruhr => crushed by army
Why were the communist revolts
Spartacists attempted to seize power in Berlin
had to call the military in which led to the Kapp Putsch later
series of strikes in the next four months
workers councils set up in citizens - many believed soviet-style revolution planned
March 1920: take much of Ruhr (KDP)
Why were the Communist revolts not a threat?
too few workers, trade unions and SD supported rising
had inadequate armed forces and revolt did not spread through Germany
military and Freikorps able to suppress
communist leaders Rosa Luxembourg and Karl Liebknecht murdered
strikes = brutally crushed by Freikorps
army and Freikorps crushed KDP take over of Ruhr and many then saw left as undemocratic
threats from the right
many in right (particularly army officers and civil servants from regime of kaiser) disliked the new Republic
=> some wanted to remove it, others wanted to rebuild their position
patriotic and anti-Semitic groups that existed in WWI started to reform
-> German Worker’s Party under Anton Drexter: Hitler attended and they believed Germany had been destroyed by the jews
-> German National People’s Party (DNVP) nationalists who wanted to combat left and establish conservative nationalist government
Kapp Putsch
Threat:
-gov. began to disband Friekorps so one group marched to Verlin and proclaimed Wolfgang Kapp as Chancellor (ex-military)
- army refused to crush rising so the gov. fled. Took Berlin
- success in Bavaria where army installed right-wing gov. (hotbed for radicalism)
- elections of June 1920 show loss of support for democratic parties (eg. SPD) and increased support for the right wing (determined to abandon social and economic reforms)
- > encouraged further hostility from workers - further left-wing uprising is in 1921-23 and extreme right contributed to grow as disputes with Allies over peace terms and reparations created further resentment
Not a threat:
-trade unions called a general strike (paralysed public services) the rising was defeated. Trade unions have support of workers who help to stop the recount but are not supporters of communism due to failures of Russia and extreme nature of KPD
- army eventually stop revolt
- localised support, not national
The invasion of the Ruhr
Jan 1923: Germany fell behind on reparations payments of coal and timber -> gov. of France and Belgium sent troops to occupy the Ruhr.
helped to unite German people behind gov.
- > reparation payments stopped
- > workers in Ruhr went on strike (left wing workers who were supported by the gov. who payed them)
- > French brought in own workers as a result to operate mines
resistance added to economic problems
- inflation & gov. had to print more money. August 1923: Germany currency virtually worthless (starvation in towns and cities as food became unobtainable)
- new gov. (Great Coalition) formed under Stresemann & passive resistance ended - have to go back to work
- > caused anger among nationalists (‘surrender to allies’) - encouraged Munich Putsch
Stresemann had no choice (some DNVP planning a coup to bring in dictatorship, KPD planning uprisings in Saxony, Hamburg, plans for nationalist coup in Bavaria)
Why did the invasion of the Ruhr destabilise the Republic?
land had been invaded
inflation and starvation -> tension
new gov. had to be formed and passive resistance ended - surrender to allies
faced with internal problems from DNVP, KPD and far right
politically and militarily weak
Hyperinflation
cost of war and reparation caused inflation (493.2 marks to a $ in 1922)
-> needed to print more money to pay striking workers and by Oct. 1923 4,200,000,000,000 marks to a $)
Richard Evans: “money lost its meaning completely”
Decline in value ruined many (pensioners, civil servants, middle class on fixed incomes)
- black market & bartering flourished
- people had to use wheelbarrows etc. to hold the money needed for food
some people did well: people able to pay off loans inflation made worthless
Why was hyperinflation a threat to the Republic?
loss of money/economic ruin diminished support
people had been impoverished so turned to extreme left and right
Why was hyperinflation not a threat to the republic?
Stresemann took decisive action and ended passive resistance, co-operated with the Allies and brought in a new currency, destroying the old worthless mark
helped by willingness of many Germans to give Republic a chance
opponents = divided (von Kahr, von Seisser and von Lossow all backed out of Munich Putsch)
Dawes Plan: Stresemann solved issue with political will