Section 3 - The Democratic Experiment, 1919-1929

Question 1

What was the new system formed post WW1?

Answer 1

Post January 1919 elections, a Nation Assembly met in the city of Weimar to form an interim parliament and to agree a new constitution.The largest party in the Assembly was the SPD (38%). The SPD aimed to form a democracy that secured rights for workers, however they had to co-operate with other pro-democratic parties, such as the Centre Party and DDP (German Democratic Party). They agreed a liberal democratic system with protections for workers.

Question 2

What was the Weimar Republic?

Answer 2

Germany’s name between 1919-1933. Was a period of democracy. It had two presidents; Friedrich Ebert (1919-1925) and Paul von Hindenburg (1925-34).

Question 3

What were the key points of The Constitution?

Answer 3

A president was elected every 7 years, with powers to elect and dismiss the chancellor (who formed the government).
President was Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, could dissolve the Reichstag and call a new Reichstag election under Article 25 of the constitution. A new election had to occur 60 days later though.
The Chancellor and government were accountable to the Reichstag and had to resign if they lost the confidence of the Reichstag.
Reichstag: Elected every 4 years. There was universal suffrage for all people over the age of 20. Elections were to be conducted using proportional representation. 60’000 votes was the minimum in order for a seat in the Reichstag.
It was a federal system: Germany was divided into 18 regions/states, each of which had its own parliament and local powers.
The Reichsrat could propose amendments or postpone legislation passed by the Reichstag.
Referenda on single issues could be held if enough people petitioned for one.

Question 4

What were the key attributes of the Bill of Rights?

Answer 4

Freedom of speech, association and religion
the right to work (government had to find everyone a job or give financial support
Workers given special protection in the new state
Welfare rights (protection for the disabled etc)
The right to own property

Question 5

What emergency provisions were set in place within the constitution?

Answer 5

Under article 48 of the new constitution, the president had the power to rule via presidential decree in the event of an emergency. This power was checked as the Reichstag had the power to review or overturn any decree issued under Article 48.

Question 6

What were the democratic features of the Weimar Republic?

Answer 6

The President was elected.
Universal suffrage and the government were now accountable to the Reichstag.
Proportional representation produced very democratic results, people in the Reichstag were all elected.
An element of direct democracy was included, which allowed for referenda.
The President selected the Chancellor, but as the Reichstag had to support the government, a member of the Reichstag often became the Chancellor. This represented a change from the Second Reich when Junkers usually became Chancellors.
Checks and balances were also implemented to ensure one political system couldn’t become to powerful. The President could dissolve the Reichstag, but needed the Reichstag’s support to get the governments agenda into law.
The Bill of Rights also contained liberal reforms that helped support democracy, such as freedom of speech.

Question 7

What were the criticism of the Weimar Constitution?

Answer 7

Arguably Article 25 and 48 gave the President too much power, although both containing limitations. Proportional representation has been argued to have creating a fragmented party system, making it hard to form durable coalition governments and enabled extremist groups to gain backing — There were 20 separate coalition governments within Germany.

Question 8

Who supported the Weimar Constitution?

Answer 8

Supporters:
SPD, Centre Party and DDP were pro Weimar and won a majority in the 1919 elections.
After 1920 the DVP (German Peoples Party) started to supported the Weimar.

Question 9

Who opposed the Weimar Constitution?

Answer 9

The conservative DVP initially opposed the Weimar as they wished for a constitutional monarchy.
Right-wing DNVP (German Nationalist Peoples Party) wavered in their support for the Weimar, with many opposed prior to 1925 and after 1929
Many industrialists and business owners believed that the constitution gave to many rights to workers, resulting in a general lack of support by the early 1930’s.

Question 10

What was the Legacy of WW1?

Answer 10

Defeat presented problems. Politicians couldn’t refuse to sign the armistice, ending the war in November 1918. Many democratic politicians were labelled ‘November Criminals’. The ‘stab in the back’ myth also arose, portraying the German loss to be the result of a revolution and betrayal by the democratic and socialist politicians.This reduced support for Weimar Germany. The Treaty of Versailles caused problems for the new political system as it was imposed on the population. Inflation was another result of the war, contributing to post war economic problems.

Question 11

What restrictions did the Treaty of Versailles place on Germany?

Answer 11

Germany’s army was restricted to 100’000 men
Only 6 battle ships, no submarines, no air force.
Germany lost territory. e.g. West Prussia going to newly created Poland. Alsace Lorraine went to France.
The Rhineland which bordered France was demilitarised and the Saarland was put under League of Nations control.
Union with Austria (Anschluss) was banned and Germany had to accept liability for the war in the ‘War Guilt’ clause and pay reparations to the victors for damages. 269 billion gold marks decided in 1921.

Question 12

What was the support like for the Democracy?

Answer 12

Didn’t have the support from the public. The 1919 election saw the majority of support for the Weimar, whereas the 1920 election saw support slump to 45%

Question 13

What remained from the old regime?

Answer 13

The further issue was that many of the second Reich’s old elite remained in place. In 1918, the radical socialist USPD had called for the comprehensive removal of all these people from the positions of power. However, moderates in the SPD, seeking to promote stability and avoid the possibility of an army rebellion, chose instead to reach a compromise. The deal left the armed forces, judiciary and civil service unreformed, still dominated by old elites. These elements from the old regime sometimes undermined democracy. In 1920, during the Kapp Putsch, the army didn’t support the government, and the judiciary response to right-wing rebellions was weak. In 1924, Hitler was found guilty of treason following the Munich Putsch and was only sentenced to 5 years in jail, only serving 9 months though. The lack of support for the new system from some elites undermined it.

Question 14

What did the extreme left want?

Answer 14

Some Left extremists wanted a communist state like the Soviet Union, therefore seeking to destroy the Weimar Republic

Question 15

What was the The Spartacist Uprising, 1919?

Answer 15

The Spartacists were a communist political group and took advantage of a large political protest in Berlin to launch an attempted communist revolution. President Ebert ordered the paramilitary Freikorps, volunteer armed ex-servicemen, to crush the rebellion. The leaders of the Spartacists were killed.

Question 16

What made the left wing seem like more of a threat than the right?

Answer 16

Widespread strike action and communist street violence contributed to political instability and caused many to fear a communist revolution within Germany. This caused many to overlook the extreme right who were the larger threat of danger.

Question 17

What was Kapp Putsch, 1920?

Answer 17

Following the disbandment of a Freikorps group as part of post war disarmament, a group of right-wing politicians and soldiers, led by Wolfgang Kapp, seized control of Berlin. The government fled to Stuttgart. The Putsch had little support from the public or elite so quickly collapsed.

Question 18

What was the ‘White Terror’? Facts and Figures

Answer 18

354 assassinations between 1919-1922 by right-wing death groups, primarily from Organisation Consul. Centre Party Matthias Erzberger and foreign minister Walther Rathenau were among those murdered.
Out of the 354 murders, 326 were unpunished. Only one life sentence and a total of 90 years in prisons were handed out.
By comparison, 22 murders were committed by the left, only 4 went unpunished. 10 death sentences were handed out, and a total of 250 years in prison were handed out.

Question 19

What was the year hyper inflation began?

Answer 19

1922-1923

Question 20

Why was 1923 dubbed the beginning of the years of crisis?

Answer 20

Many of the political and economic problems of Weimar Germany reached crisis point by 1923, as inflation spiralled out of control, the Ruhr was invaded and the Nazis attempted to overthrow the government.

Question 21

What was Wartime and Demobilisation Inflation?

Answer 21

WW1 left Germany with high inflation: most of the costs for the war were paid for by increasing the money supply.
Wartime shortages exacerbaed the problem and caused price rises.
After the war government expenditure remained high as the government had to support war widows, injured war veterans and demobilised soldiers.
The new constitution made social security a constitutional right, obligating the government to provide support for the unemployed.

Question 22

When did reparation payments begin and what were the problems that arose?

Answer 22

From 1921, problems increased due to the reparation payments
Most reparations had to be paid in gold marks, which held its value as the German currency declined
As inflation increased, the burden became greater.
In 1922, The German government sought to postpone reparation payment, but were declined
By 1923, Germany was failing to meet all of its reparation obligations.

Question 23

What was the Ruhr crisis?

Answer 23

January 1923, Belgium and French governments responded to German failures in reaching all reparation payments, by ordering an invasion of the German industrial region, the Ruhr. The armies occupied factories and mines and seized raw materials. With government support, workers and business owners employed a policy of passive resistance., refusing to cooperate with the invaders by going on strike. The German government compensated the German workers and owners for lost revenue, further adding to public expenditure. This situation damaged the economy.

Question 24

Following the Ruhr Crisis, how was Hyperinflation effected?

Answer 24

Following the Ruhr crisis, the already high inflation spiralled into the collapse of German currency and economy due to the lack of confidence following the crisis. The government continued to print more money to try and meet spending obligations, but simply furthered the deterioration of the currency. In 1923, 300 paper mills and 150 printing presses worked 24 hours a day to print money. While the government of Stresemann struggled to resolve the crisis, the Nazi’s failed a putsch in Munich in November 1923. Eventually hyperinflation was resolved, however not without a great shock to Germans, who’s savings and standards of living were eradicated. Debtors and and businesses however benefited, with the value of their debts wiped out by hyperinflation.

Question 25

What are some examples of the poor leadership that opponents to the early Weimar system enacted?

Answer 25

The Spartacists didn’t carefully plan their attempted takeover of power, as Lenin had in Russia, but opportunistically tried to turn a protests into a revolution
During the Munich Putsch, Hitler exhibited indecision overnight about whether to launch his coup, given time to others to inform the authorities. Also the route taken during the putsch, down a fairly narrow street allowed the Bavarian police to easily trap the rebels and defeat them.

Question 26

How was the Weimar Republic able to survive the initial period of control despite opposition?

Answer 26

The Weakness of Weimar Opponents. Such opponents were disunited, often with different goals, while lacking effective coordination and widespread support.
Lack of Public Support.
Actions of Ebert and Stresemann
Gustav Stresemann
Dawes Plan 1924
The Elite
Support from the International Community

Question 27

Examples of the lack of support for opposition against the Weimar?

Answer 27

Despite the immense opposition to the government, there wasn’t wide spread support for extremist groups. The Spartacist group only had 15’000 members and a huge general strike brought down the government established by Kapp 700’000 people protested against political assassinations following the murder of Walther Rathenau. It was public reactions rather than police or government intervention that stopped political assassinations.

Question 28

How did the actions of Ebert prevent opposition taking over?

Answer 28

President Ebert ruthlessly acted against the Spartacists and other left-wing rebels. He also led the call for a general strike following the Kapp Putsch. He ruled under Article 48, allowing him to take control over the situation.

Question 29

How was Gustav Stressmann significant in ensuring the early Weimar Republic wasn’t defeated?

Answer 29

As Chancellor Stresemann called off resistance to French occupation, reducing government expenditure and calming the situation. He relied Germany would only receive international confidence if Germany met its obligations, so started to pay reparation payments. In order to do this, government expenditure had to be cut back (so 700’000 state employees were sacked). and Stresemann worked to negotiate the Dawes Plan. This would alleviate the burden of reparation payments and the economy would improve due to loans and investment into the economy from the US. In addition, Stresemann worked with banker Schacht and finance minister Hans Luther to resolve inflation. The old currency was abolished, and the new currency, the Rentenmark, was established. One unit of the new currency was worth 1 trillion of the old. Collateral for the new currency was provided by linking the new currency to German industrial and agricultural assets.

Question 30

What was the Dawes Plan, 1924?

Answer 30

Banker Charles Dawes led an international committee which redesigned reparation payments. The annual payment of gold marks was reduced to 1 million, rising to 2.5 million by 1929. An international loan was made to help Germany pay.

Question 31

What other factors helped the Weimar survive?

Answer 31

The Elite: Some members of the elite helped the government survive despite the opposition among the elite towards it. The army enthusiastically crushed left-wing rebellions and supported the government during the Munich Putsch. The Civil Service and banking industry refused to co-operate with the Kapp government.
Support from the International Community: The Dawes plan of 1924 helped stabilise the German economy and currency.

Question 32

1924-1929: ‘Golden Years’ -

Foreign Policy?

Answer 32

Ruhr Crisis ended: Stresemann’s actions ended the Ruhr Crisis, with France and Belgium leaving the Ruhr in 1925.
Reparations were negotiated. Steersmen, as Foreign Minister, pursued a policy of fulfilment of Germanys international obligations through paying reparation payments. Fulfilment enabled Stresemann to renegotiate reparations and gain foreign loans and investment through the Dawes Plan of 1924 and the Young Plan of 1929.
In 1925, Stresemann agreed to Germany’s post war borders with France as part of the Locarno Pact.
Germany was admitted to the League of Nations in 1926

Question 33

What was the Young Plan

Answer 33

An international agreement easing the burden of reparations on Germany, increasing the repayment term to 59 years, whilst reducing the yearly reparation amount. This plan was opposed by the nationalist right but. A right-wing coalition, including the DNVP and the Nazis with some backing from national industrialists organised a referendum opposing the Young Plan. Their proposal only received 13.9% of the people vote.

Question 34

The Weimar Culture and Society in the 1920s?

Answer 34

Newly democratic Germany saw a flourishing of culture experimentation and a more liberal and tolerant atmosphere. Society reflected these valued, with gay life flourishing in Berlin, and some young woman in the cities were able to pursue careers and live in an independent manner. Many Germans dud not regard these cultural changes positively, however, and came to associate the Weimar system with decadence and experimentation. Outside large urban areas, most Germans still preferred traditional culture and traditional roles for women, and did not tolerate homosexuality.

Question 35

Positive political features of the golden years.

Answer 35

No putsch attempts
No political assassinations
Mullers grand coalition 1928, coalition of the left right and centre secured a reichstag majority
1928 - 76% people supported pro-Weimar parties
Low Nazi support 2.6%
Far right coalition failed to get support in their anti-young referendum
Hindenburg upheld the constitution and appointed a SPD chancellor despite his hostility of socialism

Question 36

Negative political features of the golden years.

Answer 36

Parties did not cooperate well
SPD reluctant to work with other parties
Forming stable coalition governments proved difficult
Centre right and right could agree on domestic policies but not foreign policies
Centre right and left could agree on foreign policies but not domestic
7 governments 1923-1929 and some did not have majority support in the reichstag
Extremist support reduced but 25% of people voted for anti-Weimar parties
KPD 10.6% of the vote in 1928
Hindenburg hostile to working with the SPD before 1928

Question 37

Positive economic features of the golden years.

Answer 37

1928 production equalled 1923
1928 national income was 12% higher than in 1923
Chemicals company IG Farben became the largest manufacturer in Europe
Exports rose by 40% 1925 and 1929
Loans from USA financed the development of infrastructure
Inflation remained low
Unemployment was relatively low
Wages rose every year between 1924, 1930

Question 38

Negative features of the golden years.

Answer 38

Agricultural recession from 1927
Heavily reliant on German loans, so vulnerable to the U.S. Economic problems
Unemployment did not fall below 1.3 million and it was climbing before 1929
German economy did not perform as well as Britain or France
Tensions remained high between workers and business owners