Recovery under Gustav Stresemann in the Weimar Republic

Question 1

Who was Gustav Stresemann, what was his role and what would he cause?

Answer 1

• Chancellor for 100 days, Foreign Minister till 1929

- 6 years of recovery ‘Golden years of the Weimar Republic’

Question 2

What would be Stresemann’s first moves to recovery?

Answer 2

• Established the Rentenmark (later Reichsmark) in 1923 under the printing of Hjalmar Schacht
• Sacked 300,000 civil servants
• Increased taxes, note strong action

Question 3

What results would Stresemann end with?

Answer 3

1929 Germany producing 33% more than they were in 1913

Question 4

What were key aspects of the 1924 Dawes Plan?

Answer 4

• Germany remained liable
• First 5 years Germany would pay on a sliding scale of £50M to £125M, then based on prosperity index
• Loan to Germany of £40M to help new currency
• Ruhr to be evacuated August 1925

Question 5

What were key aspects of the 1929 Young Plan?

Answer 5

• Agreement to pay reparations till 1988
• Reduction from £6500M demanded in 1921 to £1,850M
• Withdrawal of UK/French troops from Rhineland in June 1930
• Stresemann dies in negotiations :(

Question 6

What was Stresemann’s Foreign Policy like?

Answer 6

Erfüllungspoltik - Compliance

• Negotiations with new British PM - Ramsay Macdonald
• 1922 - Rapallo Treaty with USSR
• 1925 - Locarno Pact
• 1926 - Treaty of Berlin
• 1926 - Entered League of Nations
• 1928 - Kellog-brand pact

Question 7

What was the Controversy over the Locarno Pact?

Answer 7

Only got passed in December of 1925 with the SPD
SPD would adopt the Heidelberg Program to support this (marxism)
- Germany agreed Alsace Lorraine was French (Western Borders)
- Agreed to not use force to reclaim borders
- France agreed to not attack Germany provided Poland is the aggressor
- The DNVP strongly opposed the giving up of Western Borders and lack of cover of Eastern Borders

Question 8

What was the National Opposition, what did they oppose and why?

Answer 8

• They opposed the Young Plan (re-affirmation of war guilt) and wanted a freedom law instated, Fritz Thysen, Hugenburg and Schacht were part of this.
• Note, Hitler now rubbing shoulders with big boys on the right wing
• They would invoke Article 73 to ask for a petition for referendum

Question 9

What was the result of the referendum put up by the National Opposition?

Answer 9

December 1929 only gains 13.9% support, however:

• Stirs up nationalist emotions
• Hitler gains access to Hugeburgs media empire
• Nazi membership grew to 130,000 at the end of 1929

Question 10

What were the results of the 1924 May elections (Give Reasons)

Answer 10

• Nazi’s 32 seats (Hitlers trial gained him popularity)
• SPD 100 seats
• DNVP 95 seats
• KPD 62 seats (more radicalised vote, USPD non-existent)

Question 11

What were the results of the 1924 December elections (Give Reasons)

Answer 11

• Nazi’s 14 seats (economy improving)
• SPD 131 seats
• DNVP 103 seats
• KPD 45 seats (economy improving)

Question 12

When was the Wall Street Crash, what did this mean?

Answer 12

24th October 1929

• Stocks were over-inflated and crashed
• German recovery was reliant on foreign investment, they now wanted their money back
• Caused unemployment
• Reduced German Export
• Agricultural prices fell and rye exports hit

Question 13

When were Reich Relief and Serious disability laws passed?

Answer 13

1920

Question 14

What was codification and when was it passed as a law?

Answer 14

1924

It put all laws together and tidies them up

Question 15

When were the Labour Exchanges and Unemployment Insurance laws passed, what effect would this have?

Answer 15

1927

• A fixed rate unemployment benefit provided
• Lots of unemployment after Wall Street crash would end up meaning lots of payments

Question 16

What was the effect of state spending on housing?

Answer 16

1929 Spending 33 times more on housing than in 1913

Question 17

What was the effect of building and refurbishing housing?

Answer 17

1927-1930 300,000 houses built or refurbished

Question 18

What would be the result of better health insurance

Answer 18

Less deaths from teburculosis

Question 19

What was the Lambach Article 1928?

Answer 19

• Article titled ‘Monarchism’ by William Lambach
• Told that the restoration of the monarchy was no longer possible
• Attempt to reduce anger at drop in vote in the 1928 elections (103 -> 73)

Question 20

What did the Treaty of Berlin reaffirm?

Answer 20

• The Rapallo Treaty

Question 21

When was the Bamberg Conference and what was it?

Answer 21

1926

• A meeting for the Nazi Party by Hitler where he attempted to placate the split party
• Said they would honour the 25 point programme (even socialist)
• Gregor Strasser would lead the ‘left’ of the party
• Established Führerprinzip, partys leader was in absolute control and no dissent would be tolerated.