the Weimar economic crisis and recovery (1918-29) Flashcards
what economic crises did the government have to deal with?
social welfare
debt and reparations
the Ruhr
hyperinflation
how was social welfare an issue for the Weimar economy?
the Weimar government was liberal so it set provided loans to former soldiers as well as pension payments for widows and orphans
this meant that the government was paying a lot for welfare
how much of the population were receiving welfare payments?
10%
by 1924 how many people were the government supporting financially?
2.5 million Germans
children, disabled, war widows
how much did the government owe by 1918?
150 billion marks were borrowed for WW1
what put Germany in further debt?
the reparations set out by the Treaty of Versailles
until 1924, what did Germany pay reparations in?
wood
coal
railway carriages
what did Germany do to deal with reparations?
print more money which led to a deeper state of inflation
what was the London Ultimatum of 1921?
stated that if Germany failed to meet reparation payments by 1923, the allies would occupy the Ruhr
why was the Ruhr so important for the German economy?
its coal and industries provided a major source of income for Germany
without it, Germany would lose a lot of money
when did the French and Belgians occupy the Ruhr?
January 1923
what was the response of the German govt to the occupation of the Ruhr?
they stopped paying reparation
they funded passive resistance
what was passive resistance?
German workers in the Ruhr were instructed to work slower, strike more often and sabotage
when was passive resistance ended?
September 1923 by Stresemann
what had the occupation of the Ruhr lead to in Germany?
hyperinflation
what had hyperinflation lead to the creation of?
a black market
what happened to trust in currency?
the German people lost complete faith in the Mark
instead they looked to alternative currencies
what alternative currencies were used?
bartering
Notgeld (emergency money)
who profited from hyperinflation?
those with goods to sell
who suffered from hyperinflation?
the poor
the govt
anyone with savings
SO PRETTY MUCH EVERYONE
how many jobs did the govt cut to deal with hyperinflation?
750,000 jobs
how many Marks in circulation in 1918?
33,000
how many Marks in circulation in 1923?
17,000,000
when did Stresemann’s coalition government takeover?
August 1923