Political instability and extremism (1919-24)

Question 1

How many coalition govts were there between February 1919 and November 1923?

Answer 1

10

Question 2

Why was it difficult to form stable coalitions?

Answer 2

• many parties were dedicated to overthrowing the republic which meant the moderate centre parties had to work together in coalitions to form a majority or risk democratic collapse
• party leaders understood the need for compromise but problems e.g reparations put a lot of strain on coalitions
• in times of crisis, support for extreme parties increase meaning it is harder for moderate centre parties to form coalitions and form a majority

Question 3

What was the effect of unstable coalitions?

Answer 3

frequent coalition breakdowns meant the continuity of policy was impossible and confidence in the democratic system decreased significantly (benefitted extreme anti-Republic parties of the left and right)

Question 4

What and when was the Spartacists uprising?

Answer 4

• 5th Jan 1919
• led by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg
• armed uprising in Berlin to overthrow Ebert’s govt and set up a communist regime
• newspaper offices and some public buildings occupied
• the revolt failed to gain support
• uprising crushed by Freikorps by the 13th of Jan after brutal street fighting
• Liebknecht and Luxemburg executed during fighting

Question 5

Who were the Freikorps?

Answer 5

• as the army was limited to 100000 men, the Freikorps acted as an unofficial army
• led by General Walter Luttwitz
• members were mostly demobilised junior army officers, corporals, sergeants etc but also attracted students, adventurers etc.
• supported right wing ideas

Question 6

What other left-wing uprisings occurred?

Answer 6

• March 1919: another Spartacist Uprising; communist govt established in Bavaria: both supressed
• April 1919: many strikes in Halle and Ruhr valley demanding shorter hours, more control over their industries and a govt based on workers’ councils
• 1920: communists formed a Red Army of 50000 workers and seized the Ruhr; over 1000 workers and 250 soldiers and police killed
• March 1921: KPD uprising in Saxony; crushed by police; 145 people killed
• 1923: strikes in Saxony and Hamburg but again supressed

Question 7

What and when was the Kapp Putsch?

Answer 7

• Feb 1920
• Defence Minister Gustav Noske called for the disbanding of 2 Freikorp units to abide by the terms of the Treaty of Versailles
• General Walter Luttwitz refused to disband one which meant the govt ordered his arrest
• Luttwitz decided to march his troops to Berlin in protest
• supported by officers and the right wing civil servant and politician Wolfgang Kapp who wanted a putsch (coup)
• General Hans von Seeckt and Ludendorff were sympathetic but didn’t voice support as they knew the dangers of doing so

Question 8

How did the Kapp putsch collapse?

Answer 8

• Ebert’s govt forced to withdraw to Dresden and called army to crush rising but Seekt refused
• failed to gain widespread support, even from right wing
• civil servants and bankers weren’t fully supportive and sometimes hostile
• socialists of Ebert’s govt called a general strike
• within 4 days, putsch collapsed and Kapp and Luttwitz forced to flee

Question 9

Give 3 examples of political assassinations.

Answer 9

• Hugo Hasse (USPD member) in October 1919 in front of the Reichstag
• Matthias Erzberger (former finance minister) in August 1921 by the Organisation Consul; had led delegation for signing of armistice, signed ToV and was rep for reparations committee
• Walther Rathenau (foreign minister) on the 24th of June 1922 by Organisation Consul; was a Jew, leading minister in republican govt, signed armistice and negotiated to improve ToV; he was popular and next day 700000 protestors lined streets of Berlin

Question 10

How many political assassinations were there between 1919 and 1923?

Answer 10

• 376
• 22 by the left and 354 by the right
• 326 right wing murderers went unpunished while 10 left wing murderers sentenced to death

Question 11

How did the Reichstag respond to these assassinations and was their response effective?

Answer 11

• July 1922 a law passed which imposed severe penalties on those involved in conspiracy to murder and banned extremist organisations
• Organisation Consul forced to disband
• law ineffective because judges were right-wing supporters and so charged them lightly
• Bavaria refused to even implement the law

Question 12

What was the political impact of the Ruhr invasion?

Answer 12

• country was united than ever since end of WW1
• outrage over the occupation and increased anti-French sentiments
• many also blamed the govt esp. Mittelstand
• communists tried to use the crisis to stage uprisings
• ending passive resistance triggered accusation of betrayal from the national right wing

Question 13

How was the Nazi Party established?

Answer 13

• started as a small, right-wing party; the German Workers’ Party
• set up in 1919 by Anton Drexler
• 1920: name changed to NSDAP
• 1921: Hitler became leader and became dedicated to overthrowing republic and replacing with Nazi dictatorship
• at this point was only a small group in Munich, unknown to rest of Germany

Question 14

What led to the Beer Hall Putsch?

Answer 14

• NSDAP argued that German patriots should first remove the ‘November Criminals’ from govt then deal with the French
• calling off passive resistance led to the declaration of a state of emergency in Bavaria and Gustav von Kahr appointed state commissioner
• there was a growing agitation for a ‘march on Berlin’ to overthrow the govt and replace it with a dictatorship among right-wing nationalists in Munich (Bavarian capital)
• forefront of the agitation for a ‘march on Berlin’ was Adolf Hitler

Question 15

What and when was the Beer Hall Putsch in Munich?

Answer 15

• Hitler knew for a putsch to be successful he needed the support of powerful figures
• already had the support of Ludendorff, tried to win support of Ritter von Kahr and Otto von Lossow
• 8th Nov 1923: he burst into the Munich Beer Hall where they were addressing 2000 people and surrounded it with his SA
• at gunpoint, Kahr and Lossow persuaded to agree to march on Berlin and install Ludendorff as new Commander-in-Chief
• SA unable to gain control of Munich army barracks
  -by the 9th, Hitler’s original plan failed but he marched on Berlin anyway leading to a gun battle with the police
• Hitler captured next day, Ludendorff allowed himself to be arrested and Nazis banned
  -Hitler only served 9 months of his 5 year sentence; putsch brought him fame (made a speech during trial and wrote Mein Kampf in prison)