Weimar Statistics Flashcards
German war economy
Long queues for food, malnutrition and starvation were common. 80,000 children died of starvation in 1916. The harsh winter of 1916-17 made shortages worse.
National Assembly January 1919 results
In January 1919 there were elections for the National Assembly. The KPD boycotted them. Political parties that later voted for the constitution won 77% of the vote: the SPD had 38%, the Z and BVP 20%, the DDP 19%.
Impact of World War I
Dead: 1.3 million in France; one million in Britain; two million in Germany. The war dead left widows and orphans to be cared for.
Wounded: four million in France; two million in Britain; 6.3 million in Germany.
In France, 300,000 buildings and 21,000 square km of farmland was destroyed. The war was not fought on British or German soil, so such damage was small.
Belgium’s economic losses were so large that it needed a hefty loan from the Allies to repair the damage done to its economy and infrastructure.
Inflation
Printing more money without economic growth leads to inflation. The currency loses value, so more money is demanded for goods by suppliers and shops.
Marks were soon losing value quickly. In January 1918, there were 8.9 marks to $1. In January 1920, there were 14; in January 1921, there were 64.9.
The fall in the value of marks accelerated in 1922. In January 1922, there were 191.8 marks to $1. In January 1923, there were 17, 792 marks to $1.
The German government fell behind with reparation payments.
GDP spent on reparations
2.5% of GDP was spent on reparations between 1925 and 1930.
Hugo Stinnes
Industrialist Hugo Stinnes used loans to buy competitors and other firms. By 1924, he owned 1,535 companies or 20% of German industries.
Ruhr Invasion casualties
The French and Belgians shot 132 Germans dead during their occupation. They also removed 150,000 people from the region for refusing to obey orders.
