Weimar Germany Flashcards
What is meant by the ‘stab in the back’ myth?
Idea that the German army was betrayed by the German government and civilians as they began to make negotiations with the allies for the end of the war yet the German army believed they were not defeated in 1918
Why the Weimar government managed to survive the crisis years of 1919-1923?
Weaknesses of their opposition - right didn’t have support and left were not organised or powerful
Had majority of support shown when the general public ended the Kapp Putsch
Despite economic problems they still had the support of the people - democratic parties 60% of votes in 1924
Had support of the army at major events such as the Munich putsch in 1923
In Ebert the republic had a president genuinely committed to democracy
Threats of the Weimar Republic 1919-1923:
Communist uprisings - many communist uprisings
Treaty of Versailles - Germans believe that as Weimar accepted War Guilt had “stabbed them in the back”
Kapp Putsch - Weimar Republic lacked trust of army leaders
Munich Putsch - had support of generals and judges showing their contempt of Weimar
Inflation - crippled economy could not afford 6.6 billion of reparations
Extent of recovery and growth of stability in the mid 1920s:
Economic stability - in 1925 number of days lost through strikes was less than 25% of what it had been in 1923
Political stability - Stresemann was only Chancellor for 3 months but during that time he laid foundations for economic and political recovery
Weimar Culture - became a more liberal society that upheld toleration and reduced censorship
Foreign policy - made Germany more stable due to the tweaks to the TOV as well as benefitting from the Dawes Plan, 1924
What problems were caused for the German government by the Treaty of Versailles?
Germany lost territory, 13%, and economic resources as result
Lost 12% of German population
Reparations - made to pay 132,000 million gold marks over 30 years
War guilt - had to take blame and responsibility
German people felt they had been “stabbed in the back”
Impact of the Great Depression and how it undermined the Weimar Political system?
Unemployment more than quadrupled, reaching nearly 6 million
5 party coalition could not reach agreement on what to do about the crisis therefore opportunity for radical parties to undermine
50,000 businesses went bankrupt thus foreign investors lacked confidence in the German economy
Government income fell to 27%
Reasons for the Nazi party’s rise to power:
Germany’s unstable political institutions and parties
Hindenburg and his conservative clique
Charismatic genius of Adolf Hitler
Weaknesses and failures of other parties
Hitler had a combination of demographic gifts and political instinct
Reasons why the Weimar government was able to survive the 1920s:
Lots of elections which were designed to make political institutions reflect the needs of the people - this enabled freedom of speech
Politics stabilised 1924-28, with the SPD gaining votes while the DNVP and Nazis lost them; in 1928 only 2.6% of Germans voted Nazi
Germany enjoyed strong economic recovery between 1924-29: industrialised production trebled, real wages rose by 50% and only 1/10 as many days were lost through strikes as in 1921
Stresemann’s policies:
Ended 4 years of political and economic crisis
Restored the value of the currency and ended hyperinflation by introducing new currency the rentenmark at end of 1923
Dawes Plan in 1924 - rescheduled Germany’s reparations payments and provided US loans to help pay for them
Young Plan in 1929 - reduced Germany’s reparations, provided US loans and secured departure of enemy troops from Rhineland by 1930
Locarno treaties in 1925 improved Germany’s relations with the Western powers and enabled Germany to join the League of Nations in 1926
By serving continuously as Foreign minister 1923-29, Stresemann ensured continuity
Economic recovery:
Germany enjoyed a strong economic recovery 1924-9: industrial production trebled, real wages rose by 50% and only 1/10 as many days were lost through strikes as in 1921
Support for democracy grew 1924-29 because of this: SPD support rose 1924-28 while Nazi and DNVP support fell
Dawes Plan:
1924
Rescheduled Germany’s reparations payments
Provided US loans to help pay reparations and revive the German economy
Young Plan:
1929
Reduced Germany’s reparations payments
Provided US loans to help pay reparations and revive German economy
Secured departure of enemy troops from the Rhineland by 1930
Locarno treaties:
1925
Improved Germany’s relations with the Western powers
Enabled Germany to join the League of Nations in 1926
Boosted trade with West and encouraged US investment in Germany
How effectively did Weimar governments deal with problems they faced in the years 1919-29?
Successes
Republic survived all attempts to overthrow it: Army crushed the communist uprisings and Munich Putsch while Kapp Putsch in 1920 was brought down by a general strike
No serious political violence in Germany between 1923 and the early 1930s
Stresemann ended hyperinflation of 1923 by introducing a new currency
How effectively did Weimar governments deal with problems they faced in the years 1919-29?
Failures
Treaty of Versailles disarmed Germany, damaged her economy and reduced her territory
Germany suffered from continuously high inflation and low living standards between 1919-23, culminating in hyperinflation of 1923
Economic recovery between 1923-29 was fragile, resulting in collapse following the Wall Street Crash in 1929
