GCSE edexcel history The Weimar Republic

What were the social impacts of ww1?

• Farmers short of labourers to bring in the harvest

• Wounded soldiers had returned home but couldn't work

• 600,000 widows and 2 million children were left fatherless

• The lack of food weakened the ability to fight off disease, nearly 750,000 died of a mix of flu and starvation

What were the economic impacts of ww1?

• Germany was virtually bankrupt

• Industrial production was down by 2/3 to what it had been in 1913

• $39 billion spent on war (excessive loans used as well)

• By 1925, 1/3 of state budget spent on pensions

What were the political impacts of ww1?

• Revolution in oct-nov 1918, it removed the Kaiser from power and left an unstable democratic republic

What are the origins of the Weimar Republic?

-Oct 1918 - new government set up led by Prince Max of Baden, he tried to discuss peace agreements with USA but they refused as Kaiser was in charge

-End of Oct 1918 - German navy mutinied - refused to fight British as they felt it may endanger ceasefire talks

-9th Nov 1918 - Kaiser abdicated

-10th Nov 1918 - new Republic established, led by Friedrich Ebert as Chancellor

-11th Nov - Ebert signed armistice

-Ebert announced the would be elections for a Constituent Assembly on 19th Jan 1919

What was the fist coalition government made of and why was it a coalition?

Formed because no single party had a majority

• Social Democratic Party (SPD)

• Centre Party (ZP)

• German Democratic Party (DDP)

• 1st president - Friedrich Ebert (SPD)

• 1st Chancellor - Philipp Scheidemann (SPD)

Why was the new government called the Weimar Republic?

In the final weeks of 1918, new government experienced upheaval and attacks from left and right. After the elections, Berlin was seen as too dangerous so they met in the more peaceful surroundings of the town of Weimar

What were the democratic features of the Weimar Republic?

-The Reichstag members elected by all men and women over 20

-Reichstag elected every 4 year President elected every 7 years

-Chancellor and ministers chosen by President but must have support of Reichstag. If Reichstag withdraws support Chancellor and ministers must resign

-Freedom of speech and religion

-Proportional representation

What was Article 48?

In the event that the public order and security are seriously disturbed or endangered, the Reich President may take the measures necessary for their restoration, intervening, if necessary with the aid of armed forces.’ This allowed the President to dismiss Parliament and rule alone if he thought it was a ‘state of emergency’

What is proportional representation?

The percentage number of votes equalled the percentage number of seats in the Reichstag

What were the weaknesses of the Weimar Republic?

-Proportional representation meant many small extreme parties had seats in Reichstag - made it difficult for parties to work together led to Article 48 being used.

-Article 48 allowed President to rule without Reichstag.

-In 1930 3x as many laws were passed by President than Reichstag.

-Between 1919-1933 15 Chancellors.

-Between 1919-1932 21 different governments.

-Between 1919-1923 9 coalition governments formed, then collapsed.

-Many judges and senior civil servants didn’t want Weimar because the didn't agree with its liberal political views.

-Leaders of army wanted Kaiser back because their status would be maintained under him

What were the strengths of the Weimar Republic?

• It was very democratic-men and women over 20 could vote at a time when in Britain the age for men was 21 and 30 for women

• The Chancellor had to have the support of most of the people in the Reichstag

• It had a good structure as the President and the Reichstag was elected by the people

What was the ‘stab in the back’ theory?

-Also called Dolchstoss -On the 28th June 1919, Treaty of Versailles was signed in Paris -Treaty caused shame and humiliation for Germany

-Treaty was a Diktat-a ‘dictated peace’ that they didn't want and that would harm them as a country

-Scapegoat needed-Ebert and Weimar government were blamed and labeled as the ‘November Criminals’

-However the German people didn’t know that the German cabinet originally rejected the Treaty and on 19th June 1919 Scheidemann resigned as Chancellor in protest

-Public also unaware that the Allies had informed the German leaders that refusal to accept would lead to a renewal of hostilities and an immediate invasion of Germany

What were the territorial terms of the Treaty of Versailles?

Land-

-All colonies given to the Allied Powers

-Alsace-Lorraine returned to France

-Eupen-Malmedy given to Belgium after a plebiscite

-Saar (coalfields) administered by the League of Nations

-Posen and West Prussia to Poland. Eastern Upper Silesia to Poland after a plebiscite

-Danzig created a Free City

-Memel administrated by the League of Nations

-No union (Anschluss) with Austria

-Northern Schleswig to Denmark after a plebiscite

-Overall Germany lost 13% of it’s territory and all overseas colonies

What were the military terms of the Treaty of Versailles?

Army-

• Army not to exceed 100,000

• No tanks, armoured cars or heavy artillery

• No military aircrafts

• No naval vessels could exceed 10,000 tons

• Rhineland demilitarised

• No submarines

• Navy limited to 15,000 sailors and 6 battleships

What were the financial terms of yhe Treaty of Versailles?

Money-

• Coal to be mined in the Saar by France

• Had to pay reparations of £6.6 billion

• Cattle and sheep given to Belgium and France as reparations

• Ships over 1600 tons given up

• Germany had to build merchant ships to replace Allied ships sunk by U-boats

What was the war guilt clause?

Blame-

• Germany had to accept full responsibility for starting ww1-Article 231

How much of the population did Germany lose as a result of the Treaty of Versailles?

12.5%

Why did Germany fear communism and what did Ebert do to try and stop an uprising if it happened?

-After the Bolshevic Revolution in Russia in October 1917, Germany feared communism and Germans who wanted a socialist country felt that they could succeed after the Bolshevik success

-Ebert made a deal with the army leader Groener that the army would support the new government against revolution and Ebert would support and supply the army-army agreed as they thought communism would be the worst outcome

What were the events of the Spartacist Uprising?

-On 6th Jan 1919, the Spartacists began their attemp to overthrow the Weimar Government to create a Communist State

-It look place in Berlin

-The Spartacists were led by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg

-Ebert and his defence minister, Noske used the Reichswehr (regular army) and the Berlin Freikorps to put down the rebellion

-The Spartacists were defeated by the Freikorps and the Reichswehr within days and Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg were captured and killed

What were the events of the Kapp Putsch?

-March 1920 in Berlin

-Led by Dr Wolfgang Kapp and Freikorps

-When Weimar Government announced measures in March 1920 to reduce size of army and disband Freikorps, there was uproar in Berlin and leader of Berlin Freikorps refused to comply

-Wanted to form new right-wing government with Kapp as Chancellor

-The Reichswehr in Berlin commanded by General Luttwitz supported Kapp and new regular army asked to put down Kapp Putsch after they seized Berlin on 13th March 1920 but Commander in Chief, von Seeckt refused

-Ebert and Scheidemann asked Berlin citizens not to support Kapp Putsch and asked them to strike. Trade unionists and civil servants supported government and Putsch collapsed as it had little support

What further uprisings took place after the Kapp Putsch?

-1 week after Kapp Putsch began, communist rising occurred in the Ruhr - army was involved and brutally put down the rebellion, hundreds were killed

-1919-1922- 376 murders (354 carried out by the right). No right wing sentenced to death but 10 left wing were

-1921- Matthias Erzberger, leader of Centre Party and signatory of Treaty of Versailles assassinated

-1922- Walther Rathenau, Foreign Minister assassinated

What were the events of the occupation of the Ruhr?

-1923 Germany couldn’t pay reparations

-December 1922, Germany failed to send coal to France

-11th January 1923, 60,000 French and Belgian troops marched into Ruhr and seized control of machinery and took raw materials

-Ruhr was in demilitarised Rhineland so Germans couldn't resist especially as France had an army of 750,000 and Germany 100,000. Government urged ‘passive resistance’- workers striked making German industry halt.Was violence and many workers shot. French army arrested Ruhr police force to ensure no resistance

-Germany lost 80% of it’s coal, iron and steel-meant Germany couldn’t pay debts

-Unemployment increased and extreme shortage of food and goods

What were the causes of hyperinflation?

• When the workers striked, the government printed more money to pay them

• Food and goods shortages meant that prices rose

• The government needed to pay its debts but with prices and unemployment rising, there was less tax money so Ebert decided to print more money

What were the consequences of hyperinflation?

-There were food shortages and stealing became common

-Many Germans lost everything-pensions and savings

-Prices increased rapidly-in Nov 1918 bread was 1 mark but in Nov 1923 it was 200 trillion marks

-German economy crumbled-banks and businesses closed, international trade collapsed

-Workers were paid twice a day- to give workers time to spend the morning money before it lost value in the afternoon

-Germans angry at the government

-German mark became useless

What were Gustav Stresemann 2 main aims?

• Restore the German economy

• Restore Germany's position in foreign affairs

What was the Dawes plan?

-It was agreed in August 1924 and went into effect in September 1924

-Reparation payments would begin at 1 billion marks for the first year and increase over a period of four years to 2.5 billion marks per year

-The Ruhr area was to be evacuated by Allied occupation troops-carried out in 1925

-German Reichsbank reorganised under Allied supervision

-USA would give loans to Germany to help economic recovery beginning with a loan of 800 million marks and over the next 6 years Germany received loans of nearly $3000 million

What was the Retenmark?

• In Nov 1923 Stresemann introduced a temporary currency called the Retenmark

• It was issued in limited amounts and was based on property values rather than gold reserves

• In 1924, Retenmark converted to Reichsmark, new currency backed by gold reserves

What was the Young Plan?

• Germany still struggled to meet reparations payments

• In 1929, the Allied Reparations Committee asked US banker Owen Young to investigate, he came up with new plan

• Reparations reduced to £1850 million and length of time Germany had to pay was extended to 59 years with payments at an average of 2.05 billion marks per year

What was the Locarno Pact?

In 1925 Germany signed Locarno Pact with Britain, France, Belgium and Italy. Countries agreed to keep existing borders between Germany, France and Britain

When did Germany join the League of Nations and why?

September 1926, Germany given permanent seat on the Council of the League of Nations

Joined in order for the Locarno Pact to operate

What was the League of Nations?

An international organisation established in 1920 to maintain peace

What was the Kellogg-Briand Pact?

• 1928- Germany signed Pact along with 64 other nations

• Agreed that they would keep armies for self defense and to solve all international disputes by peaceful means

• Showed improved relationships between USA and leading European nations

What is the evidence for recovery between 1924-29?

-Greater political stability- no majority party but Social Democrats won most votes until 1930. In May 1924 they had 100 seats and in May 1928 they had 153 seats in the Reichstag- there was less support for extremist groups such as the Nazis

-Many workers were better off, wages increased and avarage working day remained 8 hours, better relations between workers and employees with fewer strikes between 1924-29

What was the evidence against recovery from 1924-29?

• Germany perhaps too reliant on loans from USA- if short term loans called in by America, economy would collapse

• Unemployment increased and reached a peak in 1926

• In 1929, when industrial production had returned to pre-war levels, agricultural production was still 74% of it’s pre-war level

What were the changes in the standard of living -wages from 1924-29?

Wages-

• By 1928 real wages increased by 10%

• High unemployment among lawyers, civil servants and teachers

• In April 1928 almost 184000 middle class workers were seeking employment and did not qualify for any unemployment insurance from the state

What were the changes in the standard of living -housing from 1924-29?

• Between 1924-31 over 2 million new homes were built, almost 200,000 renovated or expanded

• Government investment, tax breaks, land grants and low interest loans used to simulate the building of new accommodation

• By 1929 state spending 33 times more on housing than in 1913

• By 1928 homelessness reduced by more than 60%

What were the changes in the standard of living - unemployment insurance from 1924-29?

• Weimar Republic extended reforms introduced in 1880s (helped the ill and old, including health, accident and illness insurance) to include an unemployment insurance law in 1927

• Law required workers and employees to make contributions to a national scheme for unemployment welfare

• Other reforms provided benefits and assistance to war veterans, wives and dependents of the war dead, single mothers and the disabled

What were the changes in the position of women in politics 1924-29?

• Weimar Republic introduced equality in education for the sexes, equal opportunity in civil service appointments and equal pay in the professions

• In 1926 there were 32 women deputies in the Reichstag

What were the changes in the position of women's employment 1924-29?

• Growing number of women in public employment, for example civil service, teaching or social work, in shops or on the assembly line

• Those in civil service earned the same as men

• By 1933 there were 100,000 female teachers and 3000 doctors

What were the changes in women's leisure 1924-29?

• Enjoyed much more freedom socially

What were the cultural changes in art from 1924-29?

-New style called new objectivity because artists tried to portray society in an objective way

-Artists included George Grosz and Otto Dix

What were the cultural changes in architecture from 1924-29?

-Bauhaus movement founded by Walter Gropius, he believed in only using basic shapes and colours as well as economy in the use of space, materials, time and money

What were the cultural changes in cinema from 1924-29?

-Fritz Lang produced the film Metropolis, generally acclaimed as the most technically advanced film of the decade

What were the cultural changes in literature from 1924-29?

-On the right writers were were highly critical of democracy and glorified experiences of ww1. Writers included Oswald Spengler and Arthur Moeller

-On the left writers including Erich Remarque and Ludwig Renn were very anti-war

What were the cultural changes in theatre from 1924-29?

-New plays and operas called Zeittheatre and Zeitoper meaning theatre and opera ‘of the time’ and featured greater realism