Republic recovery after 1923 - Golden Era (CH1) Flashcards
Who was Gustav Stresemann?
- Chancellor of Germany in 1923
- One of the ablest politicians of the Weimar government
- Set out to solve Germany’s problems
What were some of the problems Stresemann was facing when he first became chancellor?
- Ruhr crisis
- Hyperinflation
- Destroyed German economy
- Massive reparations
- Other countries didn’t trust Germany
Describe the main foreign policy achievements
The Locarno Pact 1925
- Signed with Britain, France, Italy and Belgium
- Agreed to keep its 1919 borders with France and Belgium
League of Nations 1926
- Now trusted and treated as equal
- Got a place on the League council alongside B n F
Kellog Briand Pact 1928
- Signed with 61 other countries
- Agreed to not use war and violence to achieve their Foreign Policy aims
The Young Plan 1929
- Cut reparations to 2.2 billion
- 58 more years to pay
- Another American loan would help Germany
- Paved a way for an agreement of the removal of BnF from the Rhineland
What were some underlying problems of the Foreign Policy aims?
- Many nationalists opposed Stresemann’s policies as being too cautious
- They wanted to reject the TOV completely not just revise it
- The right-wing parties were suspicious of the social democrats
What were the political achievements between 1924-1929?
- Stresemann arranged a ‘Great Coalition’ of the moderate pro-democracy parties where the SDP joined a government coalition (first time since 1923)
- United together, they were able to resist criticism and challenges from smaller extremist parties
- The government had enough members to pass the laws it needed
What were some underlying political problems?
- There were still some opponents of the WR and its democratic system
- Hindenberg was elected as president in 1925 and he was openly against democracy
- He followed the Kaiser rule and many people wished for this
- Parties still couldn’t get a majority so all governments were still coalitions which often didn’t agree
Describe the economic achievements
Inflation controlled
- Introduced a temporary currency Rentenmark Nov 1923
- Renamed the currency to Reichsmark Aug 1924 and had real value
- Called off passive resistance in the Ruhr
Dawes Plan 1924
- Negotiated with the USA to help pay reparations
- Banks loaned 800 million Reichsmarks to German industries
- The German economy can grow and people have money to spend and businesses grow
The Young Plan 1929
- Reduced reparations to 2.2 billion
- 58 more years to pay
- Paved a way to remove BnF from the Rhineland
What were the underlying economic problems?
- They depended on American loans which could be withdrawn at any time
- There was still substantial unemployment
- Imports were rising than exports which meant Germany was trading at a lost
- Farmers income greatly reduced which increased their debts
List 5 cultural achievements during the golden era
- Cinema/Theatres
- Painting/Writers
- Arts/Film
- Architecture
- Cabaret/Night Life
How were Cinemas a success during the Golden era?
- In the Kaiser era women weren’t allowed to dress up and perform
- Now they got a chance to express themselves
- Fritz Lang produced epic films like Metropolis
- Marlene Dietrich was a popular film star
How were Paintings/Writers a success during the Golden era?
- Writers and poets flourished as they were able to express themselves
- Paintings portrayed everyday life
- They wanted to be understood by ordinary people
How were the arts/films a success?
- There was a rise in expressionism in the arts and films
- Both commented on everyday life
(Similar to cinema and paintings)
How was the cabaret and nightlife seen as a success?
- Berlin became famous for its nightclubs
- Homosexuality and Trans were no longer frowned upon
- This was all shocking to people who lived in Berlin before the war
Underlying cultural problems…
- Many people criticised the new artistic development as decadent and unpatriotic
- There was a decline in moral standards
- Berlin became notorious for its transvestite parties
- Berlin was seen as corrupt and sex-obsessed
What were the overall achievements of Gustave stresemann?
- Stopped passive resistance
- Introduced Rentenmark then reichsmark
- Dawes plan and Young Plan helped with reparations
- People were working again
- League of Nations and Kellog Briand Pact helped with relations with other countries
