History (Weimar: 1924-29) Flashcards
What were the economic strenghts of the economy ?
Despite loss in territory in T of V- industrial prodcution was same as in 1913 in 1928
- more efficent production
- more investment/foreign banking
- more cartel- better purchasing power than smaller industries
- 1925-30: wage rates increased yearly and exports rose by 40%
What were the social benefits of this economic recovery?
- sickness benefits/pensions
- unemplyment scheme covering 17 million men
- fundign for schools, parks
What was boom refernenced as?
golden twenties
What were the weaknesses int he German economy?
- trade- imports still exceeded export
- unemplyment never fell below 1.3 million
- agriculture- prioduction levels weren’t 3/4 of in 1913
fundamental problems in the economy?
pre-war: releid on seeling a lot but countires ahd protected tariffs aginst german goods
world fall in food prices meant farmers in germany suffered>governemtn raised tarrifs>reduced internal demand due to raised income
high pre-war brith rate meant large workforce- more unemployed
Great Inflation meant peple didn’t want to invest- Germany relied on USA loans/foreign banking
governement fiancies- 1924- balanced budget
1925- debt/1928- governetn expenditure of GNP was 26% (highest its ever been)
What did proportional representation contribute to?
limited, unworkable coalitions
self-interested/represned certain areas/religions so couldn’tm work ogether
examples of unworkable coaltions?
The SPD and DVP were fundamentally opposed on basics: committed to democracy and rejection of weimar
KPD remained isolated
Coaliton of more righ-wing: DVP DNVP and centre could agree on foreign but not domestic policy
COaliton of more democratic parties:DDP DVP and Centre could agree on domestic but not foreign policy (diffucult to get a coalition that could agree)
Ho9w many governments were there between 1923-30 and how long did the longest last?
7
21 months
Wghat divided the SPD?
torn between committment to democracy and to the working class
Some feared a coaliton-weaken their principles
Some more moderate-wanted to form coalition-exert infleuce
Didn’t enter into any of the fragiel coaltions-weakened their power-base
What were the limitations of the ZP (Centre Party)?
leadership of Weimar (was in all the coaltions)
Didn’t increase support- onyl appealed to traditional Catholic areas
internal quarres about uniting class (dismissed by Erzberger) but during the 1920’s they removed instead to the right (clearly biased towards them)
1928- Bruning-more conservatvie than liberal -worrying for change
What were the weaknesses of the German liberal parties?
DDP and DVP-enter into coaltions/has Stresemann
1920-25- share of the vote halved
DDP- memebers ahd many arguments (hard to agree on antyhing- lacked clear leadership
DVP- remained divided despite Stresemanns efforts to unite it
1929-30- suport declined dramatically and they collapsed
How did the DNVP change over time?
1919- totally opposed to Weimar-didn’t join any coalitions
enjoy soem success- 1924 election (20.5% of votes)
After economic revoery (afetr 1923 crisis)- support dropped
Why did the DNVP ahd to follow a more concilatory policy?
because of the oppositon policy-had no power
had to eb willing to form a coaliton
some hated it- 1928 election - lost 1/4 of their votes extreme right stepped in
Hugneberg- media tycoon used newpapers to send message of DNVP reverting back to old-style complete rejection of Weimar
Who get elected President in 1925? what were the good things an bad thigns about him?
Hindenberg (Ebert died)-
rejected democracy- wanted authrotiarian ruel back
good: no swing to right/loyal to constituion/did his duties- seen by conservatives as a replacement monarchy-they less resentful
Bad: had no real sympathy for the republic/advisors that were ant-repblican/preferred to exclude SPD and include DNVP
Background on Stresemann?
created DVP
1918- hostile to Weimar/rejected it
>failure of Kapp Putsch/muder of Erzberger
-changed to be sympatheic to Weimar
ideal was a constitutional monarchy but realised Republic was the only way of preventing a dictatorship