Summary 3 : Germany 1924-1929 The Golden Years Flashcards
Introduction?
Some say it was a golden era for Germany,a period of relative stability and progress, the alternative view is that progress was merely a facade which masked fundamental weaknesses and problems
- define golden:longlasting,positive progress where people have freedom
who has Gustav Streseman?
the most able politician - DVP,supportive of the new republic as it faced threats from the left and right
- appointed chancellor of ‘great coalition’ in August 1923 (1st LW and RW coalition)
✅ - dealt with hyperinflation and Ruhr cries in his 103 days as chancellor and then became foreign minister until death in Oct 1929
- awarded the Nobel peace price fro his diplomacy in the mid 1920s
how was the German economy stabilised?
- Ending passive resistance in the Ruhr
- streseman had no alt. as economy grinding to a halt and inflation was out of control
-govt stopped paying striking workers (essential to lower expenditure)
➡️unpopular so led to serious unrest eg Munich Putsch
2.Replacing currency
- replaced the worthless currency with a temporary new currency called rentemark which was backed by industry and agricultural land
- amount of money in circulation carefully controlled
➡️within 9 months the currency had stabilised and new reichsmark was introduced so inflation was under control and new currency established securely at home and abroad
3.Balancing the budget
- streseman cut govt. expenditure and raised taxes
- govt employees’ salaries cut
-300,000 civil servants lost jobs
4.Compensating those who had lost savings
- govt couldn’t afford to compensate all who had lost savings but agreed to help those who had lost all their investments in war bonds at 12.5% of original value
- debts reassessed at 15% of former value
➡️bitter resentment from middle class who felt betrayed by the republic,crediots annoyed only receiving 15% of loans and debtors annoys they had to pay back 15%
5.Restarting payments to fulfil the terms of Versailles treaty
- Ruhr crisis had also devalued French frank, British and American forced French to agree to reconsider reparation
- final amount of reparations wasn’t altered
- agreed that payments would start slowly and rise to max in 5 years
- a loan would be given of 800million marks to aid economic recovery
- in fact they recieved loans totalling nearly $3000million between 1924-30
➡️bitterly attacked by right (wanted germany to go against),helped the economic recovery, showed the allies accepted that reparations were a problem (future re-negotiation?) and French left the Ruhr during 1924/5 as Germany started reparation payments
6.Renegotiating reparations
- 1928 Young Plan
- total to be repaid reduced to 37,000 million marks (by 1988)
- higher annual payments agreed
➡️ allied troop withdrew from the Rhineland,major internal opposition from RW (referendum campaign showed extent of German resentment and gave Hitler valuable national prominence) but little time for the plan to have an impact as all reparation payments were suspended in 1931 due to depression
to what extent did the German economy make progress? (evidence of a golden era)
1.Economic growth was positive (but relatively low growth rate)
2.Industrail production rose (most in 1924/5/7) and advances in chemical, car and airplane manufacturing
3.Real wages increased due to unions ensuring they rose especially for the working class and as inflation rate was close to 0 rising wages made people better off
4.Improvements in agriculture
5.Welfare state had made huge progresses since 1919 as a result of loans hospitals, schools and housing improved and war pensions paid.After 1927 the beginning on unemployment insurance established from less than 17m workers
6.Strikers and workers’ rights ,number of strikes declined after 1924,as a result of new compulsory arbitration system forced on employers - govt had already enforced max 8 hour day
to what extent did the German economy make progress? (evidence of continuing weakness and problems)
1.Economic growth rate behind Br/Fr and USA,was fuelled by short-term foreign loans and in 1928/9 economy shrunk
2.Unemployment,exports were expensive so industrialists had to cut costs with workers and overall rising trend, over 1m persisted and the baby boom meant more jobs were needed
3.Industrail production, not enough investments to improve the long term, prospects of the German economy and although it rose not back to 1913 levels till 1929 and increasing stiles after 1925
4.Real wages,mittlestand (tradesmen,artisans and shopkeepers) resented the working class closing the gap on their income (another group that would turn to voting Nazi)
5.Agriculture depression in 1927 where prices of produce fell so debts and bankruptcies grew, after 1923 govt made it easier for farmers to borrow money but then increases taxes so harder to pay off debts, by 1929 30-50% of all German farms not making a profit so many farmers voting for Nzis in 1928
6.Welfare state, high taxes and redistubtion of resources needed to pay for welfare state resented the unions and challenge some of the govt. demand on employers, demands of the welfare state were putting an increasing and unsustainable strain on the republic
what was the social welfare reform?
1924 - public assistance system modernised to help poor and destitute
1925 - state accident insurance extended to cover those injured at work or suffering industrial diseases
1927 - national unemployment insurance introduced
but new welfare system was expensive fro the govt so taxes had to be raised to pay for it
how did living standards change?
improved ,by 1924-29 workers saw real wages rise, welfare system supported the poorest, business owners benefitted from improved currency and trading position
but those who had lost savings in 1923 never regained their comfortable life-styles
what changes did woman experience?
the most significant
-The new constitution gave women equality in voting rights, equal pay and equal opportunities in civil service appointments. (Remember the population was imbalanced after war and opportunities for conventional marriage and motherhood not available for all women). War had also meant women had got used to working.
-By 1925 36% of German workforce = women (is this actual change or just a result of men dying at war?)
-Birth control more available
-Divorce rate rose,wives were not worried about not having a husband etc
-Reichstag had higher proportion on women deputies than British House of Commons (again is this just due to the war)
-Talk about the ‘new woman’ who symbolised the way women’s lives had changed since the end of the war,portrayed as free,independent,sexuallly liberated and increasingly visible in public life
-Equality through the vote in WR constitution and equal opportunities and pay in workforce
Now had an economic effect as they would contribute more due to having the opportunity to do so
continuity for woman?
-the most popular women’s group was the BDF with 90,000 members – promoting traditional values. Christian churches and more conservative political parties were also alarmed by new values.
-Demobilisation laws required women to give up job to returning ex-soldiers
-Equal pay not achieved in reality
-Married women often required to give up job when married
-Abortion illegal and the decline in birth rate was attacked by conservatives.
-No women cabinet members and no parties led by women
-New women has never a majority and was unable to change most people’s views of women in society
-Many of Germany’s major political parties believed that reinforcing the traditional roles of women and men in the family “would provide stability in a social world that seemed to be rapidly slipping from their control.”
-Motherhood made more attractive
overall for woman?
Change for some and Germany was notably ambitious in the de jure rights promised to women but in reality some rights were not fully delivered and many women did not chose to grasp the chance for change - they were happy to continue with traditional and religious values. Political participation was notable but still restricted to the few and not at the highest level.
change for young people?
-There was notable youth unemployment. 1924-5: 17% of the unemployed were 17-24 – partly due to baby boom 1900-1910 (more workers competing for jobs).
-sport became more competitive
continuity for young people?
majority stayed the same
-State education system well regarded but divided clearly on class lines (Upper/middle classes attending Gymnasiums which directed pupils towards university, working classes tended to go to Realschule which directed pupils towards apprenticeships)
- most teachers conservative both politically and in there way of teaching,and many were anti-socialist and anti-sematic
-Church influence also strong
-youth groups eg Wandervogel: Sought the freedom of wild spaces…hiking/camping…..nationalistic & middle class
- Political parties in the Weimar Republic also competed for young people’s interest and loyalty. Many created youth groups to attract young members to their parties eg the Nazi Party established the Hitler Youth in the 1920s in an effort to win over young supporters, and they were especially successful by the end of the decade in attracting university students to another organisation, the National Socialist German Students’ League
conclusion for young people?
Much stayed the same for Germany’s young people, with a class and income divide deciding the type of school and future pathways for students. Church influence remained strong however for young urban working class Germans there was a notable downturn in their prospects with high unemployment and increasing unrest and crime
jews?
500,000 Jews living in Germany (1% of population). 80% in cities/well educated. Many assimilated and intensely patriotic
-jews expressed communal identities in many ways
-Achievements: Influential in press, politics, business, universities, culture and banking
-Politics and press: Jewish publishing firms promoted liberal values. Theodore Wolff editor of Berliner Tageblatt was driving force behind DDP and Walter Rathenau was a prominent Jewish politician
-Jews also prominent in SPD and KPD (Rosa Luxemburg)
-Rathenau family controlled huge electrical firm AEG. Jewish firms dominated coal-mining, steel works and chemical industries in Silesia. Jewish families owned 18% of banking sector e.g. Rothschilds. 16% lawyers and 11% doctors = Jewish. 24% of Germany’s Nobel Prizes before 1938 were awarded to Jews.Jews were disproportionately represented in some areas of the economy, such as journalism, law, medicine, and retailing
the development of art and culture?
due to the removal of strict censorship the way for new development and experimentation (this was exciting and innovative for some whilst others thought it was shocking and decadent)
- mass culture developed mirroring development in the consumerist and ‘swinging twenties’ - a craze for all things American from the Charleston to chewing gum
- RW groups exploited developments in their own interests claiming that the traditional aspects of German culture were being undermined
