8/10/2019 Weimar Republic Topic 1

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Weimar Republic Topic 1

The Treaty of Versailles

The Diktat

Signed in November 1918, Germans were give15 days to respond. Germans bitterly apposeinvited to no negotiations, was imposed on th

Terms of the Treaty

Land - 13% of EAlsace and LorraWest Prussia.

Army - limitsubmarines,

Money - pa

Blame - had

Dolchstoss

'Stab back' believed Army had not been 'November criminals'.

Treaty e!eccaused politeconomy.

Weimar - new constitution

Central gov - given more power, local gov kelocal parliaments.

Reichstag was dominant, people over 20 cougot, proportional representation.

Reichstrat - could delay new law unless oveby Reichstag.

Chancellor - chose ministers and run thecountry, needed support of Reichstag to passlaws.

President - head of state, elected every 7 yeadismiss reichstag article 48.

Ebert - promised no army reform, reassuredthere would be nationalisation of business. Sto trade unions a max of eight out working d

Economic problems 1918 - 1923

Occupation of the Ruhr - French set troops toruhr and confiscated goods and raw materials,urged passive resistance (some went on strike)but failed. Germans resented Weimar. German100k troops France 750k.

Bankruptcy - gold reserves gone, TOV madethings worse, reparations, Germany couldn't payFrance to pay USA.

Hyperinflation - prices went up, gov just printedmore money, needed to pay reparations.

Political problems, 1918-23

Right wing and left wing conflicting views. RWwanted stable society, strong gov, supportcapitalism, are nationalist. Left wing wantedrapid societal change, internationalist, opposedcapitalism.

Right Wing - resented Weimar, hated Communistwho undermined Kaiser, feared Communistdamage, reverse Versailles and reinstate Kaiser.

Left wing - wanted revolution, W.R too littlepower to the workers, wanted to abolish powerof land owning classes.

People were unhappy - Weimars decision not tofight, TOV and unemployment and hyperinflation.

Violent uproar - political parties had their ownarmy, bitter their gov had accepted peace, TheRed Front Fighters (Left wing), right wing wereSPD. Private armies caused uproar. 1919 - 1922over 370 politicalise murdered, most left ofmoderate. Law system filled with right wing.

Spartacists League (left wing) - Tried tooverthrow god, set up uprising, set up new govcouncil of commissions, led by Luxemburg andKarl Liebknacht, 1919 100,000 communistsdestroyed things in Berlin. Ebert turned toFreikorps (anti com) with 250,000 members in1919. Put down uprising and 2 were arrested andothers killed.

Kapp Putsch (right wing) - 5000 people marchedto overthrow Weimar, rebels controlled city,capital came to a halt, Kapp realised he couldn'tgovern so fled, caught and then unrest stillcontinued.

Unrest subsidies - until 1923 political unrestcalmed, Weimar permanently weakened, couldn'tgovern on it's own authority, extremists hadgathered in strength.

Weimar Recovery 1924 - 29Stresemann helped to bring recovery into theWeimar Republic, Reichsbank now in charge ofcurrency.

The Dawes plan (1924) introduced byStresemenn under his plan: Annual payments atan a!ordable right, American banks would investin German industry (allies would get reparations),imports and exports increased, gov income fromtaxation improved. Recovery depended onAmericans loans.

The Young Plan 1929 - Reduced debt from 6.6Bto 2B and longer to pay, reduced annualpayment, lower taxed, boosted industry. Stillpaying 50M a year.

The Locarno pact 1925 - international a!air,treaty between FandB agreed new border. INturned left rhineland, france promised peace,discussed Germany getting in the League ofNations.The League of Nations - Discussed solving words

problems, Germany was excluded, 1926Stresemann persuaded them to invite Germany(not all agreed), but helped for equality.

Kellog Briand Pact - 1928, signed it, internationalagreement not to use war, persuaded people tosee Germany as respectable, make mod germansthink Weimar was a success.

Overall - Ebert replaced by Hindenburg (strongerfigurehead). Stresemann had restored economicstability, regained Germanys place ininternational stage, kept support of moderateparties.

Economic crisis - 1929 - 32

The wall street crash in 1929, stock marketscrashed, people lost money, 24th october 13million shares sold, depreciated shares.

Economic e!ects of the wall street crash - lostmajor investors, unemployments rose, banksneeded loan repayments, industry fell.

Social and political e!ects - middle class lostsavings, workers unemployed, raised tax, need toreduce unemployment. Rich and right wingapposed taxes, could decree but showedweakness, He left created power vacuum.