Germany, 2a Weimar Flashcards
Treaty of Versailles
government was called November criminals because they signed the treaty of versialles in November and they betrayed Germany by signing it.
-£6.6 billion in reparations
- demilitarisation of the rhineland
- military restricted to 100,000 soldiers
-saarland given back to France
-War guilt clause
-no airforce
The big three
France, America, Britain.
France waned to punish germany severely for the damage they did in WW1.
Britain wanted to punish Germany, but also help them recover so they wouldn’t start another war.
America didn’t want to punish Germany at all, they wanted to help Germany.
Germany expected to be let off lightly as they believed it wasn’t their fault for WW1.
Parts of the Weimar government
- All men and women over the age of 20 were able vote.
- German citizens were guaranteed freedom of speech and religion.
-All German citizens were to be equal.
-German citizens would elect the President and the Reichstag (Parliament).
-The Reichstag made the laws and appointed the Government and Chancellor.
-Article 48 meant that in an event of an emergency the president could take control of the Germany and issue laws, which could lead to a dictatorship to develop.
Spartacists
The spartacists were a communist group that saw the Russian revolution and thought they could do the same in Germany. They were lead by Rosa Luxembourg and Karl Lienbknecht.
On January 1919 100,000 workers went on strike for the spartacsists. They took over newspaper and communications buildings.
Rosa Luxembourg didn’t wish for the revolution to turn violent but she was swept up as the demonstrators armed themselves.
The Weimar got the right wing Friekorps, a group of ex-military soldiers who hated the communists, to stop the revolution.
Over 100 workers were killed by the friekorps in what became known as Bloody week.
Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxembourg were killed by the friekorps without a train.
Communists now hate the Social Democrats and won’t ever help them.
Results of the spartacists
The Spartacist Revolt had serious repercussions for the Weimar Government. When its power was threatened by a growing Nazi Party, the Communist and Social Democrat parties could not set aside their differences. The Weimar was supposed to be left-wing but they teamed up with the right-wing freikorps to betray the communist party.
Rhur invasion
Because of the treaty of versailles weimar had to pay yearly reparations to France. In 1922 Weimar couldn’t pay the reparations so France invaded to claim the money in the form of resources.
In 1923 France and Belguim sent 60,000 soldiers to the Rhur in Germany, it’s industrial district.
Because the weimar had a small military they couldn’t fight back so they told workers in the Rhur to passively resist and not help the invaders.
This made the weimar popular, but to pay the workers they printed off money to pay them which lead to more money being printed and led to hyperinflation.
Hyperinflation rate rose so quickly that money lost all value, the price of bread was cheaper in the morning than in the afternoon. it rose from 250 marks in January of 1923 to 200,000 million marks by November.
Different ways hyperinflation affected people
People with saving lost all their money as it lost its value.
People on a fixed income, like old people on a pension couldn’t afford anything.
Poor people were used to being poor so it didn’t affect them too much.
Farmers could grow their own food so they were okay.
People with debts could pay them back easily.
Big businesses could take out massive loans, buy out smaller businesses and pay their loans back easily, they benefited from hyperinflation.
How hyperinflation ended
In 1924, the crisis was brought to an end by the Dawes Plan and the introduction of a new currency, the Rentenmark. The German economy was now dependent on loans from the USA.
The Munich Putsch
They were supported by General Ludendorff, who they intended to make leader of Germany.
Leading Bavarian politicians including Kahr were meeting in a beer hall in Munich on 8 November, 1923.
Hitler and the SA interrupted the meeting, threatening the crowd with violence.
Kahr, General von Lossow and Colonel von Seisser were locked in a back room. They were forced to publically announce their support for the Nazis.
Hitler left the beer hall in order to oversee clashes between the SA and the German army elsewhere in Munich
Ludendorff allowed the politicians to leave the beer hall.
This was a mistake as they immediately renounced support for the Nazis.
The next morning the Nazis, led by Hitler and Ludendorff, marched into the centre of Munich.
The police and army confronted them and shots were fired. The Nazi supporters and SA were scattered.
Aftermath of Munich Putsch
16 nazis and 4 policemen died.
Hitler was charged with treason and was sentenced to 5 years but got out after 9 months.
While in prison he wrote Mein Kampf which outlined his facist ideals and plans for Germany.
The putsch showed that there was opposition to the Weimar.
From the failed putsch he learned that he needed more support before he could successfully overthrow the weimar, especially from the army.
Great depression
In 1929 wall street lost the value of its shares when everyone took out their shares. America ended their loans to Germany and demanded repayment of loans given to Germany.
Many German businesses had to close.
The government increased taxes.
The government got rid of the unemployment benefit to save money.
By 1932 40% of factory workers were unemployed.
By 1932 60% of university grads were unemployed.
Most germans blamed the weimar for becoming reliant on US loans and for cutting unemployment benefit and increasing taxes.
