Empire to Democracy: 9 government and opposition 1924-1929 Flashcards
what was the impact of the Ruhr invasion?
- German public outraged
- passive resistance was expensive and unsuccessful
- last straw for Germany’s inflated economy
- gov met demand for strike pay by printing more money
who was Stresemann’s coalition?
leader of the DVP
coalition with SPD and Zentrum August 1923
fell apart as SPD withdraw
what were Stresemann’s main praised measures?
- ending of passive resistance in September 1923
- reduction in gov expenditure
- appointed Schacht as Reich Currency Commissioner and head of the Reichsbank - new currency and brought inflation under control
- negotiation of the Dawes Plan - scaling down reparations and arranging American loans (attacked in the Reichstag by the far right who disliked the compromise)
- recommencement of reparation payments
- Lorcarno treaties in 1925
- acceptance into the League of Nations
- negotiation of the 1926 Treaty of Berlin with the USSR
- 1928 Kellogg-Briand Pact
- improvements in industrial relations, public works and house-building programmes, extension of welfare programmes
- Young Plan of 1929
what were the Locarno treaties of 1925?
Germany would respect the western frontier - carefully avoided a similar commitment for the east - awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 1926
what was the treaty of Berlin in 1926?
with the USSR
confirmed the treaty of Rapallo with an additional pledge of neutrality for 5 years in the event of an attack by a third party
helped win the trust of the German army which was evading disarmament clauses of the ToV by conducting military training on Russian soil
what was the Kellogg-Briand Pact of 1928?
condemned recourse to war as a means of solving international disputes
Stresemann signed this as an equal alongside 64 other states
what was the Young Plan of August 1929?
reduced total reparations bill by around 75% and lessened annual payments
plan was also tied to the evacuation of the Rhineland occupation five years before the due date (stationed there to ensure compliance with the ToV)
plan opposed by nationalist groups such as the DNVP who forced a referendum on the issue in December 1929
right wing lost with only 14% of votes but it gave Hitler a propagandist opportunity
what are the general views on Stresemann?
able politician and skilful and influential diplomat
helped establish Germany’s position as an equal partner in diplomatic negotiations and as a political realist he achieved a good deal for his country
however…
his commitment for fulfilment was no more than a devious policy to hide his nationalist agenda
though he resisted the demands of nationalists and particularly those army officers who believed Germany should work with Russia to overthrow the independent Poland created in 1919 and avoid disarmament through collaboration with the Red Army
what effect did the improving economy in 1924 have on politics?
extremism on the left and right declined
fall in number of right-wing paramilitary organisations and the threat of assassination receded
establishment of the Reichsbanner (a republican defence force comprised of SPD, Zentrum and DDP party supporters) in 1924 helped spread pro-republican sentiment
what were the results of the two 1924 elections?
May - 61% pro republican parties (SPD, DDP, DVP, Z)
Nazis polled 6.5% 32 seats
December - 67.5% pro republican
Nazis polled 3% 14 seats
how could a new president be elected?
must receive more than 50% of the votes otherwise there would be a second ballot where new candidates could be nominated
in the first ballot Hindenburg won 48.3% of the vote
(Ebert died in February 1925)
who was Hindenburg?
77 yo, renowned for his military leadership in WW1, strongly conservative and nationalist views, openly disliked democracy, little understanding of economics, intolerant of the cultural ‘modernism’ of the Weimar years
what political developments were there between 1925 and 1929?
- nationalist DNVP chose to work with the republic rather than against it for prospect of greater stability
- 6 different coalition governments between nov 1923 and 1928 - saw increasing dominance of the right
- Zentrum weakened by a split of its left and right
- DDP moved further right
- DVP suffered disunity
- SPD remained largest party however did not serve any gov from nov 1923 to 1928 - poorly led and tended to move leftwards
- cabinets fell on minor issues
extremist parties performed badly in polls
traditional elites retained their power
what was Muller’s Grand Coalition?
SPD, Zentrum, DVP, DDP
Jun 1928 - March 1930
still constant disagreements between SPD and DVP/BVP
how did the NSDAP fare 1925-1929?
- following Hitler’s release from prison the Nazis had built up a national organisation
- 1928 only won 2.6% of the vote and gained only 12 seats
- the Communists had done slightly better though their ‘Red Fighting League’ clashed in the streets with the Nazi SA
