The Golden Age 1924-28 Flashcards
How was the currency stabilised?
- Stresemann’s ‘great coalition’ was first to include right and left wing - DVP, Centre, SPD and DDP
- By the time he left, currency had been stabilised, inflation under control and attempts to overthrow republic had failed
What were Stresemann’s 3 steps to bring inflation under control?
- End of passive resistance against occupation of Ruhr was unpopular and led to Beer Hall Putsch but meant that gov stopped paying workers who refused to work for French / reduced gov expenditure
- New Rentenmark introduced to replace worthless Reichsmark - gov kept tight control over amount of money in circulation to prevent inflation reappearing (happened under Schacht)
- Balancing the budget - Stresemann cut expenditure and raised taxes, salaries cut, 300,000 civil servants lost jobs but gov debt fell
What was the 1924 Dawes Plan?
- Stablisation of German economy relied on settling reparations dispute
- US wanted Germany to make payments to France since much of this money was then passed to US to repay loans
- American banker Dawes (chairman) confirmed original £6.6 billion but made payments more manageable
- Amount paid each year should be reduced to 1000 million marks but raised annually by 2500
- Germany should receive loan of 800 million marks from US to help start plan and allow for heavy investment for German infrastructure
What were the benefits of the Dawes plan for Germany?
- Allies accepted Germany’s problem that reparation payment was real
- Loans were granted with new machinery, factories, houses and jobs provided and German economy rebuilt
- French gradually left Ruhr as Germany restarted payments
To what extent did the economy recover?
- Industrial output grew after 1924 but did not reach 1913 levels until 1929
- Extent of boom shouldn’t be exaggerated as growth rates were unsteady
- By end of 1925, unemployment reached 1 million and by March 1925, 3 million due to more people seeking work, public spending cuts and companies reducing workforces
- Mittelstand gained little in ‘golden age’
- White collar workers didn’t enjoy wage rises of the industrial sector (e.g 1927 - real wages increased by 9%, 1928 increased by 12%
- Farmers gained little from economic recovery
- Increased bankruptcies as many lost land to banks who demanded repayment of loans
What was the 1929 Young Plan?
- Dawes Plan was only a temporary settlement for reparations issue
- French wouldn’t withdraw forces in Rhineland until final settlement of reparations issue was agreed
- Young Plan obliged Germany to continue paying reparations until 1988
- Reduced bill from 6.6 to 1.8 but annual payment required increased
- Responsibility for paying reparations placed solely on German gov, in return, Brit/Fra withdrew troops from Rhineland by 1930
What were some social welfare reforms between 1924-7?
- 1924 - Public Assistance system which provided help to poor and destitute was modernised
- 1925 - The state accident insurance system to help those injured at work was extended to cover those suffering from occupational diseases
- 1927 - National unemployment insurance system introduced to provide benefits to unemployed
What were living standards like during the Golden age?
- Undoubtedly improved
- Those in work were able to maintain living standards by negotiating wage increases
- Those dependent on welfare benefits were less well off but prevented from falling into poverty
- Exceptions to the rule included those who lost savings during hyperinflation and farmers incomes fell
Changes for women
- ‘New woman’ was free, independent, sexually liberated and more visible in public life
- Given equal voting rights as men and access to education
- Equal opportunities in civil service and equal pay, could become Reichstag deputies
- Birth control more widely available and divorce rates increased
Reality:
- Still required to give up employment when married, paid less for same job
- Abortion was criminal offence / performed by unqualified people
- CC opposed birth control/divorce/abortion
- No female representatives in Reichstag
Changes for young people
- Concern that young people were turning increasingly to a life of crime and anti-social behaviour
- Suffered from unemployment after 1924, partly due to baby boom between 1900-10
- Resulted in many joining gangs for comradeship and adventure
- Germany prided itself for having one of the best state education systems in Europe, main educational reform was introduction of elementary schools
Youth groups
- Wandervogel for middle class boys was highly nationalistic, hated industrialisation / spent time in nature
- Cath/Prot church youth groups promoted respect for church/family/school
- Political youth groups - most parties had youth section e.g SPD
Changes for Jews
- 80% lived in cities and were well-educated, many felt more German than Jew/very patriotic
- Represented 1% of the population but had influence over books / newspapers / music / theatre / cinema
- Owned 50% of private banks
- Successful in retailing / owned half the firms in cloth trade
- Successful in law and medicine
- Perceived threat of Jewish Bolshevism / anti-semitism was part of the violent nationalism behind right-wing movements like Freikorps and NSDAP
- Frequent accusations of corruption and exploitation by Jewish bankers and businessmen
How did the arts develop during the Golden age?
- Explosion of art, architecture, music, literature, film, theatre during 1920s but tension between modernists and conservatives
- Nightclubs and cabarets propered, American jazz music popular, some comedians attacks politicians
- Expressionism movement works showed meaning/emotion over physical reality in art, music and literature, avoided traditional forms of beauty
- Bauhaus movement in architecture used new materials like steel / glass
- Theatre used symbolism to convey political message, attacking capitalism / nationalism / war
- Film later was exploited by Nazi propaganda
1924 Elections
- Indicated a return of greater support for the parties that supported the Weimar republic (SPD, DDP, DVP, Centre)
- 65% voted for pro-republicans in May 1924, 67% in Dec
- Nazis won 6.5% of vote May, 3% Dec
- Communist party saw votes fall after May 1924
- 1928 election showed support for extremist and anti-republican parties decline further, Nazis declined
Coalition governments 1924-8
- 7 coalitions between 1923-30, just as unstable as before so called ‘golden age’
- 1926 Luther gov collapsed over dispute of flag (red, black, gold instead of imperial red, white, black)
- Grand coalition 1928 led by Muller (SPD) was longest-lived coalition of whole Weimar era(1928-30) but still disputes over budget and foreign policy, survived due to strong relationship between Muller and Stresemann
How did each political party develop during golden age?
SPD:
- Remained largest single party but only in 1 of 6 coalitions
- Was inflexible on important issues so unwilling to compromise in coalitions
- Appealed to workers mainly, not young people, farmers or Mittelstand
Centre:
- Defended CC, based on religion
- Supported by workers, farmers, landlords, teachers / broad appeal made it more flexible
- No coalition formed without its participation
DDP:
- In decline, main appeal to academics / professionals
- Had difficulty conveying what it stood for but participated in all coalitions
DVP:
- Committed to parliamentary democracy and participated in all coalitions
- Main support from industrialists
- After Stresemann’s death, leaned towards right
DNVP:
- Broadened appeal to industrialists and professional groups
- Aimed to restore monarchy and dismantle Versaille
- Suffered loss of support in 1928
- Shifted to right with Hugenberg as leader, made alliance with Nazis
NSDAP:
- Period of decline but reorganisation, Hitler wrote Mein Kampf, decided violence needed but route to power was through winning mass support
- Concentrated on rural, Protestant areas
- By 1929, showed clear signs of revival
KPD:
- Largest communist party out of Russia, support in industrial RUhr/Saxony/Hamburg
- Dedicated to overthrow Weimar republic and attack SPD as a party that betrayed working class
