Weimar Republic, 1918-1933 Flashcards
Political problems facing Germany in 1918
- Govt lost war- people wanted new govt
- Foreign relations at low- no trade
- Small destruction of cities- govt have to sort out
- Kaiser abdicated- no one in charge- coalition govt
Economic problems facing Germany in 1918
- Economy collapsing- war time economy meant money spent on war, not on Germany itself
- War was expensive- Germany in debt
- German mark worth half of what it was before war
- Money needed to be spent on rebuilding cities
- Countries wouldn’t trade with Germany, so Germany couldn’t sell any goods
- Men injured or dead- couldn’t work
- Expensive to maintain military
Social problems facing Germany in 1918
- Money not spent on agriculture+ no trade- starvation
- British naval blockade- starvation
- Men injured/ dead- couldn’t work- no money for families
- Some houses destroyed- homelessness
- War based factories closed down- loss of jobs
Military problems facing Germany in 1918
- -Military wanted Kaiser- reputation
- Armed forces depleted- vulnerable
- Expensive to maintain military
- Military reduced to 8 million- unemployment
- Naval mutiny- refused to attack
Features of the Weimar constitution- democracy
- All men and women over 18 could vote
- No one person in complete control
- Many different views represented
- Elected, so no one could complain
- Lots of political parties due to proportional rep
Features of the Weimar constitution- organisation
- President every 7 years, Reichstag every 4 years
- President chose chancellor
- Easy to re-elect Reichstag
- President could dismiss elections
Features of the Weimar constitution- proportional representation
- Many parties could have their say
- No one could win majority- coalitions
Features of the Weimar constitution- article 48
- President could suspend democracy in emergency and rule alone
- President could do what is best
- Easy to assume dictatorship
Treaty of Versailles date
28th June 1919
Treaty of Versailles terms
Territorial: -Colonies given to allies- coal in Saar to France -No union with Austria (Anschluss) -Lost 13% of land Financial: -£6.6 billion reparations -Coal in Saar mined by France -Cattle and sheep given to France Military: -Army not exceed 100,000 -No tanks or submarines -Rhineland demilitarised League of Nations: -Denied access War guilt: -Article 231- accept blame
Effects of Treaty of Versailles
- Bad start for new govt
- Opponents of govt blamed them for signing armistice- November criminals
- Govt stabbed Germany in the back- dolchstoss
- Could not afford reparations
Political problems from the left facing Wiemar, 1918-1923
Left- Spartacists: -Communists lead by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht- blamed govt for T of V
- Jan 1919- Communist activists seized power in Berlin and Baltic ports
- Independent socialist state created in Bavaria
- Revolts crushed in weeks by Freikorps (ex-soldiers)
- Leaders executed
Political problems from the right facing Wiemar, 1918-1923
Right- nationalists: -Saw govt as weak- defeat in war and T of V
- March 1920- Kapp Putsch- Group of Freikorps seized power in Berlin
- Not supported by factory workers- went on strike- supplies of gas, coal and water to Berlin stopped in hours
- Gave up after 4 days
Economic problems facing Wiemar, 1918-1923 -Ruhr
- 1922- Germany couldn’t pay reparations- asked more time
- Jan 1923- France and Belgium send troops to Ruhr, centre of German industry
- Army refused to fire on Freikorps
- German workers refused to work- industry stopped
Economic problems facing Wiemar, 1918-1923 -Hyperinflation causes
Causes-Germany borrowed money in WW1- debts
- Lost land in T of V- lost agriculture, workers and resources
- Loss of trade due to war guilt clause
- Reparations- debt- Germany fails to pay
- France invade Ruhr- strikes- drop in industry
Economic problems facing Wiemar, 1918-1923 -Hyperinflation key features
- More money printed- Mark devalues
- 1914- $1=4 marks, 1923- $1=4,200,000,000 marks
- Prices increased hourly
- People paid twice a day to keep up with food prices
Economic problems facing Wiemar, 1918-1923 -Hyperinflation effects
-Forced into poverty, life savings gone
-Those on fixed pay like pensions suffered
Benefit- People who owned property and goods before inflation- worth more
-Business owners
-Poor levelled with rich
-Extremist parties who offer a way out
When was the Rentenmark introduced and what was it?
1923, a new currency issued on limited amounts, replaced by Reichsmark next year backed by gold reserves
When was the Dawes Plan and what was it?
1924
- Reparations set at one billion marks the first year, rising anually to two and a half billion marks after five years
- USA gave loans to Germany- meant Germany depended on them
- Ruhr evacuated by Allies (1925)
When were the Locarno Treaties and what was it?
1925
- Agreed Germany, France and Belgium would keep the same borders- they trusted Germany more
- Trade encouraged to regain trust
- Allies retreat from Ruhr
When was Germany accepted into the League of Nations and what was it?
1926
-Germany allowed to join! - More trust, recognised as great power
When was the Kellogg-Briand Pact and what was it?
1928
- Signed by Germany and 64 other nations
- Said they would keep armies solely for defence and solve disputes peacefully
When was the Young Plan and what was it?
1929, reduced reparations by 67% to £1850 million, with an extra 59 years to pay it off
Wall Street Crash date
1929
Wall Street Crash key features
- US stock market collapsed
- USA recalled loans, Germany couldn’t pay
Wall Street Crash effects
- German businesses closed- loss of jobs- unemployment at 6 million in 1932
- Farmers unemployed as food prices fell- food shortages
- Govt cut spending and increase taxes (Article 48)
- 1931- Banks collapsed
- Foreign investors withdrew
- Reparations payment delayed
- Govt called lots of elections
Wall Street Crash effects on extremist parties
- Offered a short term solution- easy way out -People were desperate
- Let down by Weimar govt
- More people involved in politics
- 1930 election- communists increased seats from 54 to 77
- Nazi increased from 12 seats in 1928 to 107 in 1930
