Impact of the first world war + Weimar democracy

Question 1

Why did Germany emerge from WW1 in a very bad state? (Weimar republic attack)

Answer 1

The transition from monarchy to democracy was achieved very quickly, Spartacists and Freikorps didn’t agree
When Germany was losing, the Kaiser abdicated the throne and left the government in the hands of Friedrich Ebert
Some Germans wanted a system of government based on Communism
In Jan 1919 the Spartacists (extreme left wing) led a revolt in Berlin to try and seize power to make Germany communist
Ebert’s government enlisted in the help of Freikorps (extreme right wingers) who were ex soldiers and they fought back as the opposed communism and crushed the revolt

Question 2

Why did Germany emerge from WW1 in a bad state? (Wolfgang Kapp)

Answer 2

In March 1920 Wolfgang Kapp (extreme nationalist) and some Freikorps (saw democracy as weak) seized control of Berlin. Kapp was not popular with the workers of Berlin so they organised a strike in support of the Weimar Government. Supplies of gas, water and coal stopped. Kapp fled Berlin

Question 3

Why did Germany emerge from WW1 in a bad state? (Treaty, Weimar associated with defeat)

Answer 3

Lots of Germans didn’t know Germany was doing bad in the war , they thought they were winning.
Many felt Weimar politicians were betraying them and the army by ‘stabbing them in the back’ - surrendering when they supposedly weren’t losing
In reality the Treaty had to be signed as they were so weak, they couldn’t cope with being invaded again which would’ve happened if they didn’t sign.
The Weimar politicians who signed it became known as the ‘November Criminals’ as it was signed in November 1918

Question 4

What was the Impact of the Treaty (initial reaction)

Answer 4

Germans were furious as it was so vindictive. It punished Germany
It was split in 2 and lost 13% of its territory including Alsace-Lorraine and West Prussia
Its army could have a max of 100,000 men
Germany had to take the blame for starting the War and causing any of the damaged caused
They had to pay £6600 million in reparations
They were also furious as they thought the treaty would be based on Wilson’s 14 points (lot less harsh)
They though it was a diktat as they had no say in it
The Weimar Government had to sign it as they would’ve been invaded again but they became very unpopular for signing it

Question 5

Impact of the Treaty (Kapp Putsch March 1920)

Answer 5

Many Germans associated the government as weak and with defeat.
The Treaty said that the army mustn’t have more than 100,000 men which included the Freikorps
When Ebert tried to disband them there was a rebellion
Freikorps marched on Berlin and proclaimed Wolfgang kapp as Germany’s new leader
The army refused to fire on the Freikorps and the gov fled from Berlin to Weimar
Some Freikorps thought democracy was weak and were furious for them signing the Treaty
In March 1920 Kapp and some Freikorps seized control of Berlin.
Kapp wasn’t popular with the workers of Berlin so they organised a strike in support of the Weimar gov
Supplies of gas, water and coal stopped
Kapp gave up and fled Berlin

Question 6

Impact of the Treaty (Munich Putsch)

Answer 6

Another attempt to overthrow Weimar republic
By 1923 the German economy was in ruins due to hyperinflation and the occupation of the Rhur
Hitler seized power as he thought the republic was about to collapse
In Nov the Nazis broke up a meeting of Bavarian state gov that was taking place in a Munich Beer hall
The Next day Hitler + Ludendorff + 3000 Nazis marched on Munich
The police fired on them and killed 16 Nazis
Hitler + Ludendorff got arrested. Hitler got 5 years but only served 9 months
Hitler realised power could best be achieved via legal means eg getting elected rather than through an armed uprising
He also began to write Mein Kampf a book where he set out his main beliefs

Question 7

Impact of the Treaty (occupation of the Rhur)

Answer 7

In 1921 Allies fixed Germanys reparations at £6600 millions
After the war raw materials like coal + iron were taken away as Allies wanted to make sure Germany remained weak
Germany managed to pay the first reparations payment but failed the second one in 1922
French + Belgium armies occupied the Rhur (industrial centre of Germany)
It was where Germany’s coal, iron and steel was produced, without those materials Germany would be in severe trouble
It damaged production in industries that needed coal
The collapse of industrial production caused chaos
German gov ordered a policy of passive resistance and German workers went on strike
Production fell and the French + Belgians could not take what they wanted

Question 8

Impact of the Treaty (economic crisis 1923)

Answer 8

Germany seemed like it had won this battle (Rhur) but they still had to pay their workers and pay their bills
They printed more banknotes
This led to hyperinflation - a very extreme rise in prices but not wages
Hardest hit people were people with savings and those on fixed incomes eg pensions
Their savings couldn’t buy food
In 1921 a loaf of bread cost 4 marks and in 1923 it cost 1.5 million marks
Living standards fell, hunger became common, people became hopeless and destitute

Question 9

Why did inflation happen during WW1

Answer 9

The gov had paid its bills by printing more money
Having more money in circulation caused problems as it caused prices to rise
As prices rise, workers demand more wages etc

Question 10

What were the Nazis like in their early years

Answer 10

They started off as the German workers party led by Drexter
Hitler joined in 1919 and was in charge of propaganda and political ideas
In 1920 it announced its 25 point programme and renamed itself the National Socialist German workers party (NSDAP Nazis for short)
It had socialist aims - to help workers with generous benefits and pensions and the nationalisation of large businesses
It had nationalist aims - Abolishing the Treaty and only allowing ‘true’ Germans to live in Germany
In 1921 Hitler became leader

Question 11

What were the Nazis ideas and methods

How did they appeal to people

Answer 11

Hitler appealed to Nationalists by giving them people to blame for Germany’s problems: Allies, Treaty, Communists, Jews, ‘November criminals’
His appeal meant he was popular and his meetings were so successful that his opponents eg Communists tried to disrupt them
To counter this he set up the SA in 1921 (brownshirts or stormtroopers)
They were thugs who protected Hitler’s meetings and disrupted those of other parties
By 1923 they were a minority party

Question 12

Why did the Munich Putsch happen (Nov 1923)

Answer 12

Hitler thought he could overthrow the Weimar gov
The gov was busy with the economic crisis and the hardships people were facing due to hyperinflation
The Nazis hijacked a local Bavarian government meeting that was taking place in a Beer hall in Munich
Hitler said he was seizing control of the gov of Bavaria as a prelude to seizing power in Germany
He was joined by Ludendorff + 3000 Nazi stormtroopers
The SA took over official buildings but the next day the Weimar forces hit back

Question 13

Positive effects of the Munich Putsch for Hitler and Nazis

Answer 13

At Hitlers trial he gained enormous publicity for himself as every word became front page news
He impressed the judges and got off lightly, he only got 5 years but should’ve got a life sentence and he only served 9 months in comfort of Landsberg Castle
It was clear Hitler had support from important people like judges
As he had links with Ludendorff Hitler gained support of important individuals in the army

Question 14

Negative effects of the Putsch for Hitler and Nazis

Answer 14

Police rounded up stormtroopers and 16 Nazis were killed
It ended in chaos and was a disaster for the Nazis. Hitler had misjudged the mood the the German people
They didn’t rise up to support him and other leading Nazis were arrested and charged with treason

Question 15

To what extent did the republic recover after 1923 (The economy)
Positives

Answer 15

Stresemann called off the passive resistance of the Ruhr
He called in the worthless marks and burned them replacing them with the rentenmark
He negotiated loans of $800 million marks from the USA under the Dawes plan - Germany could pay its reparations and invest money back in the industry
Dawes plan meant reparations could be spread over a longer period
1927 German industry was doing well
1928 industrial production was the same as before war, it was the 2nd greatest industrial production (USA was first)
Wages rose, higher standard of living, reparations were payed

Question 16

To what extent did the republic recover after 1923 (The economy)
Negatives - problems that remained

Answer 16

Problems under the surface
Economic boom of 1920 was based off US loans and they could be called back at short notice and would cause ruin
Main economic winners were big businesses, controlled about 50% of Germanys industrial production
6% unenployment in 1928
Farmers had increased production to meet demands of wartime and in peacetime were overproducing. They still had mortgages + loans to pay but not enough demand for food
Small businesses struggled as they became threatened with department stores
These groups felt the government had little to offer them and may feel attracted to Nazi ideas

Question 17

To what extent did the republic recover after 1923 (Culture)

Positives

Answer 17

Economic recovery after 1924 was reflected in cultural revival in all fields
Under the Kaiser there was censorship in Germany
Songs and books mentioning sex were allowed
German literature flourished
German playwrights eg Bertolt Brecht won international fame
Golden age for cinema, fame for actress Marlene Dietrich + director Fritz lang
Bauhaus group brought in new ideas in architecture and sculpture

Question 18

To what extent did the republic recover after 1923 (Culture)

Negatives

Answer 18

Some Germans hated the new ideas + art, thought it was decadent (state of moral and cultural decline)
They wanted art to celebrate traditional values of German society, especially in the countryside
The culture of the cities to them represented moral decline, made worse by American immigrants, Jewish artists and Black musicians
They wanted a return to simple country values, more help for the countryside and less decadence in the towns

Question 19

To what extent did the republic recover after 1923 (Politics)
Positives

Answer 19

Politics became more stable
After 1923 there were no attempted revolutions
Political parties that supported Weimar democracy did well in these years
By 1928 moderate parties (not extreme) had 136 more seats in Reichstag than extremist parties
In 1928 election Nazi part only gained under 3% of the vote
Main political parties began to co-operate and work together

Question 20

To what extent did the republic recover after 1923 (Politics)
Negatives

Answer 20

Extremist parties ie Nazis and Communists were building up their part organisations
Due to the proportional representation system meant there were 4 different chancellors , 30% of the vote went to parties who opposed the Republic
The right wing nationalist party and Nazis began to work together and appear ‘respectable’
In 1926 the German people elected Hindenburg as president who was opposed to democracy

Question 21

To what extent did the republic recover after 1923 (Foreign Policy)
Positives

Answer 21

In 1925 Stresemann signed the Locarno Treaties, guaranteeing not to try change Germany’s western borders with France + Belgium
In 1926 Germany was accepted into the League of Nations
Because of this Stresemann was able to reverse some of the Treaty terms especially reparations and Germany’s eastern frontiers
In 1929 Stresemann had negotiated the Young plan, which further lightened reparations and led to removal of French + Belgian troops from the Rhur

Question 22

To what extent did the republic recover after 1923 (Politics)
Negatives

Answer 22

Nationalists attacked Stresemann for joining League of Nations and for signing Locarno pact - they thought it was an acceptance of the Treaty
Communists attacked Locarno as they though it was part of a plot against the Communist govt in the USSR

Question 23

People problems in Germany in WW1

Answer 23

People in Germany soon started to suffer during the war, when the British used their large navy to stop supply ships getting to Germany. As a result, there were terrible shortages of food, medicines and clothing. As the war continued, people grew weary and tired of it.
The German people were so short of food that they were surviving on turnips and bread, and a deadly flu epidemic was sweeping the country, killing thousands already weak from a poor diet.

In 1915, 500 women gathered in front of the German parliament buildings and said that they wanted their men back from the trenches.
A year later, 10,000 workers assembled in Berlin to shout, ‘Down with war, down with the government!’ The police quickly moved in to make arrests and calm the situation

Question 24

Why and what did the Kaiser do to change the German parliament

Answer 24

In October, General Ludendorff, a leading German army general and war hero, told German politicians that they could never win the war. He advised the Kaiser that the British, French and Americans might treat Germany more fairly if the
country became more democratic - in other words, the Kaiser must share more of his power with the German parliament.

The Kaiser reluctantly did exactly that. He allowed the main political parties to form a new government, and transferred some of his powers to the Reichstag.
However, the changes came too late to satisfy the German people.
More demonstrations were held against the war and some said the Kaiser should give up his throne. Others talked of overthrowing him in a revolution.

Question 25

What caused Kaiser to abdicate

Answer 25

On 28 October 1918, the German navy was ordered out to sea from Kiel in northern Germany to attack British ships.
Sailors on the ships refused to follow orders because they no longer wanted to fight.

News of their mutiny began to spread. In ports nearby, other sailors refused to follow orders.
Workers in the towns supported them.
Soldiers, sent to deal with the protests, joined the sailors and workers.
They took over towns there and set up special councils to run them. In just six days, workers’ and soldiers’ councils were governing cities all over Germany, such as Hamburg and Munich.

The country was in chaos and there was little the Kaiser could do. He had lost control and his army generals refused to support him. On 9 November 1918, he abdicated and secretly left Germany, never to return.

Question 26

What happened when the SPD took the Kaiser’s place

Answer 26

Friedrich Ebert, the leader of Germany’s largest political party (the SPD], took the Kaiser’s place as leader of Germany, on a temporary basis.
He promised to hold elections soon. If ordinary German people wanted him as their leader, they would get the chance to vote for him if they wished.
Meanwhile, he gave the people what they really wanted - an end to the war. On 11 November 1918, Germany surrendered: the First World War was over.