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1918-1939
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What was the impact of the first ww1 on Germany?
Two million German troops died
Four million were wounded
Goverment debts increased to 150 billion marks
750000 Germans died from food shortages
Riots called the German revolution
What was the armistice?
Signed 11 november 1918
A peace agreement between Germany and its allies which ended war
Germany was forced to sign it as they were out of resources and social issues
What was the treaty of versailles?
Signed 1919
Formally ended ww1 and imposed harsh terms on Germany:
No more then 100,000 men in the army
No tanks
No submarines
No airplanes
Pay war reporations
Take responsibility for WW1
How did the German people begin to rebel against Kaiser?
Some crews in the German navy refused to follow orders
In munich, workers were lead to a revolt by jewish communist
What happened during the abdication of Kaiser?
1918 - Kaisers ministers tell him the only way to restore oder is if he abdicates due to a lack of suppor from Germany after loosing WW1 and he refuses
Army officers refused to support Kaiser so he had no choice but to abdicate and flee to Holland
Who was Kaiser?
The German emperor (head of the state)
What were the strengths of the Weimar republic?
Proportional voting aloud small parties a fair share of seats - wouldnt get outvoted with a small number of votes
Women were able to vote
Voting age reduced from 25 to 21
No one group or person could have too much power
There was a election for president every seven years
The Reichstat could regulate the power of the Reichstrag by delaying new laws
What were the weaknesses of the Weimar republic?
Proportional representation led to a temporary alliance for votes on new laws as no party got 50% of the votes which made it hard to have strong policies
The lack of strong goverment lead to weaknesses in crisis
Why was the Wiemar republic unpopular?
Weak due to a bad economy from signing the treat of Versailles
Germans blame them for signing the treaty of Versailles
Who were the november criminals and why where they called this?
Leaders of the Weimar called this for signing the Versailles as they surrundered in November and were seen at traitors
What was the ‘stab in the back’?
Many Germans belived the army could have won in ww1, and the politicians ‘stabbed them in the back’ by signing the Versailles and forced them to surrender
The left wing
Wanted to share all wealth
Want equality
Wommunist
The right wing
Wanted a strong goverment
Want a hierarchy
Who were the Sparatacists?
Left-wing
Had backing from the sovient union
Led by rose luxemburg and karl liebknecht
What was the Spartacist revolt?
1919
Took over the goverments newspaper and telegraph and tried to organise a strike in Berlin
Freikoros put down the revolt
Who were the Freikorps?
Right-wing
Made up of ex army soldiers who had kept their weapons (lost their jobs due to the restrictions from the Versailles)
Had 250,000 men in march 1919
Organised by a regular army
What was the Kapp Putsch?
1920
Freikorps feared unemployment so marched in Berlin
Head of army was asked to stop them but refused as he did not want to attack his own men (they were forced to leave due to the signing of the Versailles)
Weimar republic fled out of Berlin for safety
Right-wing politician Dr Wolfgang Kapp was put in charge by the rebels, declaring a new government in Germany, even asking Kaiser to return
The government ask people to go on strike and not to cooperate and socialist agree as they do not want Kaiser to return (unreliable)
Necessities such as gas, water and transport are stopped in Berlin
4 days later Kapp realises he cant govern under these conditions and tries to flee but is caught, put into prison and later dies
The Weimar ministers return
What other political violence occured on top of the Spartacists revolt and Kapp Putsch?
Encouraged violence
The Weimar goverment faces political assinations
376 political murders
What is Hyperinflation?
1923
The price of goods increase
Why was there Hyperinflation?
Bankrupt from WW1
The Ruhr occured
Germany kept printing more money to cover this which eventually made marks worthless
What was the Ruhr?
1923
The french invade the Ruhr to take goods as Germany had no paid reparation payments and the french needed to pay off debts from the USA
What are the negative effects of hyperinflation?
People could not afford essentials
Wages rose, but not as quickly as prices
Businesses went bankrupt
People with fixed incomes eg pentions suffered the most
Saving become worthless
People blamed the Weimar republic
What are the benefits of hyperinflation?
Farmers were paid more for food
Money owed to loans decrease and are easier to pay off
Fixed rents for rooms or shops become cheap
Foreighn visitors could buy more for their money
What were the Golden years?
Between 1924 and 1929
The period of economic recovery for Germany
Who was Gustav Stresemann and what did he do to help hyperinflation/the econonmy?
Appointed the new chancellor but resigns and remains the foreign secretary
Set up the Rentenmark, the dawes plan and the young plan
What was the Rentenmark plan? (Golden years)
1923-1924
Sets up a new bank, the Rentenbank
Makes a new currency called the Rentenmark which is strictly limited and is valued to the same price as gold
The Rentenmark was give to the new Reichsbank and is renamed to the Reichsmark
This stopped hyperinflastion
What was the Dawes plan? (Golden years)
1929
Charles Dawes, a american banker, designed a plan for Germany to pay it resparations which involves:
Temporarily reducing reparations to 50 million a year
US banks agreed to give loans to German industrys (amounted to 25 billion dollars)
What was the young plan? (Golden years)
1929
A comittee and American banker Owen Young proposed a plan:
The total reparations debt is decreased from 6.6 billion to 2 billion
This means the payments could be paid over 59 years, up until 1988
Lower reparations meant lower taxes for German people
However
Extreme politcal parties felt the burden was being carried on through generations
What were the improvements and drawbacks in the economy after the golden years?
Industrial output doubled by 1928 and finally passed pre ww1 levels
Employment and trade increased
However
The extreme politcal parties were completely against Germany paying the reparations at all
The economic recovery relied on american loans
How did Gustav Stresemann improve foreign relationships?
He improved foreign relationships through ensuring Germany was apart of the Locarno pact, League of nations and Kellogg-Briand pact
What was the Locarno pact?
1925
An agreement between Germany, Britian, France and Belgium. In it:
Germany agreed to its new border with France, improving the Germans relationship with the French
The allies and Germany agreed to the permanent demilitarisation of the Rhineland (no military) to prevent invations through the area
German membership to the leagur of nations was up for discussion
Why was the Locarno pact a success for Germany?
Improved relationship with France
Was not imposed on Germany (had a choice)
War in europe is much less likely
Increased popularity of the weimer republic
What was the league of nations?
Founded in 1920
Discussed world problems in order to avoid war
Germany was invited to join in 1926
Why was the league of nations a success for Germany?
It showed Germanys view counted
Boosted the confidence of the Wiemar republic
What was the Kellogg-Briand pact?
1928
A agreement between 62 nations
It commited countries to avoid the use of war
Why was the Kellogg-Briand pact a success for Germany?
It showed once again Germany was a major power
Increased public confidence on how Germany was being led
What were Stressemanns success?
Strengthened the confidence of people towards the Weimar republic which reduced support to extremist like the Nazis
Reduced the economic hardships of Germany
What are the positive changes to the standard of living during the golden years?
Working hours reduced
Wages rosed
Working conditions improved
15% rent tax was introduced to support to fund building associaions
1925-1929, 101,000 homes were built
3% of workers wages were put towards insurance to cover days off
What are the negative changes to the standard of living during the golden years?
Hyperinflation made unemployment unsecure
Well-off Germans resented seeing workers benefiting
While things had improved, there was still a housing shortage
What were the affects towards women at work during the golden years?
Gains in equality brought around from the war were lost
Most women gave up work after they married
There was a drop in women in employment from 75% to 36%
Few women secured high status jobs
However
There was a increase in part-time work
Women were encouraged to go to university
Some professions offered new oppertunities to women
What were the affects on women at leisure during the golden years?
leisure - freedom from the demands of work
Greater earnings lead to more independent, single women
Women are less intrested in marrige and family
Women are more intrested in having a ‘good time’
However
Some women and men disagreed with this as they felt Traditional values were being ignored
What were the affects for women in politics during the golden years?
Women earned the right to vote in 1918 and could stand in elections
90% participated in voteing
Article 109 stated women had equal rights to men and may enter professions on a equal bias
Marriage was a equal partnership
What were the cultural changes during the golden years?
Art
Made art that would make people ‘think’ and art based on everyday life and problems in Germany
Used the style ‘expressionism’ (raw emotions)
Cinema
Films become popular
Expressionism was used in making films
Architecture
Architecture school ‘Bauhaus’ was set up
Allowed people to go creative, bringing together people with all different types of talent
Timeline of Hitler joining the NSDAP/DP (the nazis during the golden years)
1919 Hitler joined
1920 Hitler become second in command of the DAP
1920 the DAP became NSDAP (the nazi party for short) as Hitler changed the name
1921 Hitler took over control of the Nazi party
What did Hitler introduce after taking control of the NSDAP?
The 25-point programme - 1920
A list of rules Hitler wanted to introduce such as get rid of the Versailles, only German races may be members of the nation, build up armys force, ect
The Sturmabteiling (SA)
Formed 1921
A force made up of ex-soldiers
Put under the command of Ernst Rohm
Wore brown uniforms and nicknamed the ‘brownshirts’
Used to disrupt opposition meetings, control crowds and oppositions to Hitler - often violently
What was the Munich Putsch? (the nazis during the golden years 1)
1923
Hitlers attempt to overthrow the Weimer goverment
Why did Hitler make the Munich pustch happen?
Resentment to the goverment because of the ‘stab in the back’, reparations, the loss of Germanys colonies, hyperinflation, the ruhr attack and Hitler believing he had support
Hitler was influenced by the Fascists (a right-wing group in italy) whose leader forced the democratic goverment to make him leader
The events of the Putsch
Hitler with 600 SA men entered a beer hall in Munich where the government was
at gunpoint, Hitler forced the leaders to support him
Rohm (the leader of the SA) took over local police and army headquarters
However, behind Hitlers back, Ludendorff (leader of the army in ww1 who Hitler planned to make leader of the SA and trusted to watch the beer hall) let the goverment leaders go
After this fail, Hitler decided to march down the city of Munich to declare himself president with 1000 SA and 2000 supporters
However, they were caught by the state police were open fire went down and Ludendorff and Rohm were arrested
Hitler fleed and hid in a friends house, later to be arrested
What were the consequences of the Putsch?
Hitler was in prison and the NSDAP were banned
However, the long term affects were positive
Hitler used his trial to publicise his views
Used his time in prison to write his book ‘Mein Kompf’ (my struggles) where he explained his political ideas and highlighted his views on Jews
Helped Hitler realise he need to be more organised in order to win support
What was the Bamberg conference? (the nazis during the golden years 2)
1926
Hitler organised this to address splits between the socialist and nationalist wings of the nazi movement
Hitlers power was secured and he could now to nazism forward