germany - topic 1

What was Germany like before WW1 ?

It became a unified country in 1871 - before this it was made up of independent states - the biggest and most powerful was Prussia

Why was there a rise in socialism ?

• workers were unhappy because their wages were low, food was expensive and working conditions were poor - they tended to vote for the Social Democratic Party (SPD) - they believe in socialism and want the kaiser to share some of his power and for the reichstag to make laws to improve workers rights and conditions

What was industrial production like ? What was wilhelm’s childhood like ?

• 1913 - Germany has higher percentage of world industrial production than Britain - produced more iron and steel and as much coal as Britain, German companies dominated Europe

• Wilhelm had a short left arm - attributed to nerve damage caused by his breech delivery - spent his youth in the army - wanted to make Germany powerful to show he wasn’t weak

What is weltpolitik ? What were wilhelm’s family connections ?

• weltpolitik - world policy - wants to be a global power and rival Britain because Britain had the largest empire and dominated trade

• Wilhelm is cousins with king of Britain and tsar of Russia (Queen Victoria’s grandchildren) - rivalry between the family meant wilhelm wanted to outdo his cousins

What did Wilhelm think about militarism ? About the navy ?

• Wilhelm believed in militarism - countries should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it - Wilhelm increased the size of the army to 1.9 million troops by 1914

• Before Wilhelm, Britain’s navy was twice the size of Germany’s - 1900 - doubles size of navy to 38 battleships - 1908 - 21 dreadnoughts are approved

What were the naval laws ?

• between 1898 and 1912 a series of laws were introduced to increase the size of the navy - huge amount of money was spent so taxes were increased - Kaiser did this to take over more countries, protect German empire and rival Britain

Series of naval laws

• 1897 - Germany had the 7th biggest navy in the world

• 1898 - first naval law - 7 battleships built over the next 3 years

• 1900 - 2nd naval law - doubled size of navy to 38 battleships

• 1906 - 6 more battleships

• 1907 - triple entente between Britain, France and Russia

• 1913 - Germany’s army is vied 800,000 - France and Russia feel threatened

• 1914 - Germany had 2nd biggest navy

Positives of the naval laws

• encouraged patriotism and nationalism - helped win support of weltpolitk

• Helped industries by creating more work - employing more people

• SPD was strongly against naval laws - kaiser painted them as the unpatriotic enemy

Negatives of the naval laws

• huge cost - raised taxes - affected everyone especially lower class

• Britain’s response to the laws created fear in Germany

• Conflict between kaiser and army general - thought army should get more money than navy

Germany and WW1

• August 1914 - war begins, Germany expect a quick win

• 1915 - 500 women gather outside parliament demanding their men back

• 1916 - 10,000 workers in Berlin assemble and shout ‘down with war, down with the government’

• Early 1918 - food shortages - people survived on turnips and bread - thousands die in the flu epidemic

• October 1918 - general ludendorff warns politicians Germany can’t win the war

Germany and WW1

• 28th October 1918 - German navy ordered out to sea from Kiel to attack British ships

• 3rd November- workers and soldiers councils were governing cities all over Germany

• 9th November - kaiser abdicates - goes to Holland

• 11th November - Germany surrender - Ebert (SPD leader) takes over the country

Social impacts of the war

• women worked during the war in factories - some Germans thought this damaged traditional family values

• Some factory owners made a lot of money during the war - their workers had restrictions on their wages - widened the gap between the rich and the poor

Economic impacts of the war

• 2 million children left without fathers - war pensions would cost the government a lot in the future

• Germany borrowed money from abroad (USA) - struggle to pay them back as the factories are exhausted by the war effort

Political impacts of the war

• before war Germany was stable, rich - kaiser is gone - some want revolution

• ex-soldiers and civilians feel as if they could’ve won the war - politicians who signed armistice are the November Criminals in their eyes

Revolution in Germany

• 9th November the kaiser left Germany - caused riots and rebellions - Ebert became the leader of Germany

• Ebert signed armistice - then improved working conditions, housing, helped unemployed - guaranteed freedom of speech and religion

• Arranged elections for a new parliament - Germany would be a democratic republic- no kaisers- Ebert wanted ordinary people to have a say in politics (not everyone was pleased)

When was the Weimar constitution?

1919 - 1933

What is coalition, proportional representation and article 48 ?

• coalition - political parties join forces to become a majority in reichstag

• Proportional representation - political parties get the same proportion of seats in reichstag as they got votes

• Article 48 - allows the president to ignore Reichstag and make laws himself

Strengths and weaknesses of Weimar ?

• all Germans had equal rights including the right to vote HOWEVER in 1919 the republic had many enemies - it wasn’t sensible to give equal rights to those who wished to destroy it

• Proportional representation meant that all parties were allocated the correct proportion of seats meaning it was the fairest way HOWEVER it caused coalitions as no one party could get a majority so there would never be a strong government

• A strong president was needed to make sure the country remained controlled in a crisis HOWEVER article 48 gave the president too much power meaning he could turn into a dictator

• Each state had its own traditions and were allowed to keep some control over their own affairs HOWEVER the states could be hostile and try to overthrow the national government

What was the Spartacist uprising and what was its causes ?

• 1919 - left wing - led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht

• they did this as it was an opportunity to become a communist country like Russia, they didn’t trust Ebert to look after the workers, concerned there might be a right wing take over if they don’t act quickly

What happened during Spartacist uprising ?

• regular clashes between spartacists and government in December 1918

• 5th January 1919 - Spartacist capture government newspapers

• 15th January - organised freikorp sent to put down the revolution - hundreds of spartacists killed only 13 freikorp were killed

• Luxemburg and Liebknecht captured and murdered

Impacts of Spartacist uprising

• short term - Ebert had achieved success and survived first uprising, spartacists are robbed of their leaders and never recovered

• Long term - freikorp now has power after saving the government and kills thousands of of communists over next few months, communists never support Weimar Republic

What was Kapp Putsch and what were the causes ?

• 1920 - right wing uprising - led by Dr Kapp

• Kapp and Freikorp want to prevent TOV from taking place, hate November criminals for humiliating Germany, Ebert is trying to disband freikorp as they became too powerful

Events of Kapp putsch

• March 1920 - 5000 freikorp marched in Berlin - German government fled as army refused to fight - workers go on strike as they don’t want Kapp to be the leader - gas, water, electricity cut off from Berlin and Berlin comes to a halt - it fails - Kapp flees to Sweden after 5 days

Impact of Kapp putsch

• short term - freikorp disbanded, German government returns as the Kapp putsch wasn’t popular

• long term - most rebels went unpunished - government can’t deal with opposition effectively, another example of how weak the government are

What was the red rising in the Ruhr ?

• happened as soon as Kapp fled abroad - March 1920

• Left wing workers in industrial area of the Ruhr stayed on strike - the government sent soldiers and freikorp to deal with this - over 1000 workers killed

Political assassinations

• 1919-1922

• Over 350 political murders - most carries out by right wing groups - August 1921 Matthias Erzbereger (signed armistice) was killed by a right wing group

• Many right wing murderers were given short sentence (average of 4 years)

How did hyperinflation start ?

• January 1923 - 60,000 French and Belgian soldiers took what Germany owed them back to France - german government orders workers to go on strike and to not transport goods (passive resistance) - 150,000 workers kicked out of their homes and 100 were killed - government need to pay workers in Ruhr but don’t have enough money as coal, iron and steel aren’t being produced - print large amounts of money - people spent money quickly - shops put up prices - printed more money - people were being paid up to twice a day and carried wages in wheelbarrows

How did the price of an egg and bread change ?

• bread - 1921 = 4 marks, September 1923 = 1,512,000 marks, November 1923 = 201,000,000,000 marks

• egg - 1921 = 0.6 marks, September 1923 = 4,000,000 marks, November 1923 = 320,000,000,000 marks

Who benefitted and who lost out during hyperinflation ? Who was blamed ?

• benefit - big businesses, farmers, people who borrowed money

• lose out - those with savings, elderly, small businesses

• People blames Ebert and the government - many lost their homes and are unable to feed themselves

What was the Munich putsch ?

• 8th November 1923 - beer hall in Munich

• Hitler interrupted a meeting with a gunshot where von kahr (leader of Bavarian government) was speaking - Hitler announces he was taking over Bavaria - locked kahr and companions into a small room - General Ludendorff came in and supported Hitler - SA members took control if government buildings in Munich - kahr promised to help Hitler and was released but caontacted the police - 16 Nazis died

What happened at the trial ?

• lasted 24 days - hitler pleaded as guilty - uses audience to share his views and criticise Ebert and the TOV

• Ludendorff is set free - Hitler sentenced to 5 years - serves 9 months

Impact of Munich putsch

• Mein Kampf - book he write to share political beliefs

• Political strategy - no longer what’s to use violence to achieve power - wants to use democracy

Nazi party

• flag is swatstika

• SA (stormtroopers) were thugs on the street

• There were 3000 in 1920 and 5000 in 1921

Who was Stresemann ?

• he was chancellor in 1923 and foreign secretary in 1924-1929

• The stresemann years are known as Germany’s recovery/ the golden years

• In the short term economically, stresemann is a huge success but in the long term a potential failure

What was the rentenmark ?

• November 1923 - Germany’s new currency - had real value

• Good - people trusted it and it was tied to the price of gold

• But - can’t bring back the losses from hyperinflation

What was the Dawes plan ?

• 1924 - Charles Dawes - US banks gave £800 million in loans to Germany to help pay reparations

• good - French left the Ruhr, industrial output doubled between 1923-28 and employment, trade, income from taxation increased

• But - german economy depends on American loans - Wall Street crash, extremist parties furious Germany have to pay reparations

What was the young plan ?

• 1929 - Owen young - reduce reparations from £6.6 billion to £1.8 billion , give Germany an extra 59 years to pay (until 1988)

• Good - lower taxes - Germans have more spending money

• But - extremists were unhappy - Hitler said they’re ’passing on the penalty to the unborn’

What was the Locarno pact ?

• 1925 - treaty between Germany, UK, France, Italy and Belgium - agree the 1919 borders with France and Rhineland would be free from soldiers

• Good - war in Europe was less likely, Germany was treated like an equal - increased confidence in the Weimar Republic

• But - some parties hated that the Versailles borders had been confirmed

What was the League of Nations ?

• 1926 - having being banned, stresemann convinced the allies to let Germany join

• Good - joined in September - had a place in the council and made important decisions - boosted confidence

• But - some parties believed the league was a symbol of the treaty and the allies - wanted nothing to do with it

What was the Kellogg - Briand pact ?

• 1928 - 61 countries signed promising to not use war to solve foreign policies

• Good - Germany was now a main power - Weimar Republic was now respected and stable

• But - didn’t remove the hated terms of the treaty such as territorial losses and military restrictions

Cinema in Weimar

• metropolis directed by Fritz lang was a popular film

• Marlene Dietrich was a famous actress

• Impact - now that censorship has been removed on art and culture people get to enjoy their free time - boosts morale

Literature in Weimar

• ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ was an anti war novel by Erich Remarque - sold half a million copies in 3 months

• 120 newspapers and magazines to choose from

• Impact - people are no longer under censorship and can express their feelings - could create anti-government feelings

Design in Weimar

• Bauhaus - group of designers who designed chairs, coffee pots, office buildings and more

• Impact - improves quality of life as more houses, schools and hospitals are being built quickly - people can’t afford complex houses

Art in Weimar

• Otto Dix and George Grosz believed art should show the reality in every day life - painted in a way which criticises current events

• Impact - people can become aware if things such as class inequalities and express their own viewpoints - however disagreements may occur

Nightlife in Weimar

• vulgar songs about politicians were banned under the kaiser

• Berlin was famous for nightclubs with live bands that played American jazz

• Positives impact - freedom for all in Berlin, people can express their feelings through music, this was only acceptable in Berlin - rural areas weren’t as developed

Was everyone happy with the cultural revival ?

• Berlin wasn’t like the rest of Germany - it was seen by the right wing as sleazy, corrupt and sex obsessed - undermined traditional German values

Golden PIE

• political stability - more support for Weimar, less for extremist groups

• improved international relations

• economic recovery

Did Weimar Republic recover ?

• 1924 Dawes plan helped German economy recover

• 1926 - Germany gained back a great power status after joining the LON

• Weimar culture flourished

• 1929 young plan promised further support for Germany with American loans

• 1930 - Germany was one of the biggest exporting countries

• 1925 - Hindenburg became president and was a very strong leader

Did Weimar Republic not recover ?

• German economy was based on American loans - Wall Street crash

• Many Germans were still poor - even the middle class

• Unemployment was a serious problem

• Many Germans still hated the Weimar democracy - extremists wanted to overthrow the republic

• Lots of coalitions - government couldn’t rule effectively