Weimar Republic

How long was Von Schleicher chancellor?

3 December 1932 – 30 January 1933

What did Von Schleicher do?

• army general + last Weimar Chancellor

• tried stop Hitler by trying to split NSDA

• try to form coalition with moderate wing (Strasser led) + trade unions.

• plan failed

• infuriated rival Papen; who then schemed with Hind to make Hitler Chan, thinking they could control him.

• brief, unstable chancellorship marks final collapse of W’s system

• opening door for Hitler to take power legally.

How long was Von Papen chancellor?

1st June 1932 to 1st December 1932

What did Von Papen do?

• convinced Hind to appoint AH as Chan (01/33), serving as AH Vice-Chan

• Believed he could manipulate AH,

• Struck deal = make AH Chan + himself as Vice-Chan

• "Within two months, we will have pushed Hitler so far into a corner that he'll squeak."

• scheming + miscalculation bypassed Reichstag,

• handing the keys of power to the NSDAP/destroying the Republic.

How long was Bruning chancellor? His nickname?

30th March 1930 to 10th April 1932

The Hungry Chancellor

What did Bruning do?

• Relied on A48 vs. Reichstag

• ended parliamentary democracy in G 3 years before AH took power

• His brutal austerity measures worsened depression

• earned him public hatred + drove millions desperate + unemployed voters toward extremists

How long was Stresemann in government? His nickname?

Chancellor - August 1923 to November 1923

ECONOMICS DECK

What is the significance of the Great Inflation?

• wiped out life savings, pensions, + safety nets of the middle class

• created hatred for W

• forced W to appoint Gustav Stresemann (who successfully stabilized economy by introducing Rentenmark)

When was the Great Inflation?Nov 1923

In 1914 how many marks made up £ then in 1919?

20

250

When was the Wall Street Crash?

29th October 1929

What was the wall street crash?

sudden, catastrophic collapse of US stock market on Wall Street

triggered a global economic crisis = the Great Depression.

How did the Wall Street Crash effect Germany?

• The US banks recalled the massive short-term loans (under the Dawes Plan) that kept W economy afloat,

• G businesses = collapse eg. 50 firms closed

• unemployment skyrocketed

• poverty + despair destroyed public faith in democracy,

• led to rise of extremism

What did AJP Taylor say about the Wall Street Crash? What is his argument?

“Wind in Hitlers sail“

• did not possess a long-term plan to conquer Europe/seize power from start

• AH = supreme opportunist simply reacted to events + capitalized on failures of others

• without Wall Street Crash, AH would have remained on radical side lines of politics

How many major banks collapsed in 1931 due to the Wall Street Crash? How much welfare did the government have after?

5

800k lasts a few months

What % did industrial production decrease by following the Wall Street Crash?

40%

What was the Dawes Plan and its significance?

• stabilized G currency

• ended hyperinflation

• triggered immense economic recovery/cultural boom: "Golden Twenties"

• plan made W completely dependent on American loans

How much did the US pay Germany in the Dawes Plan?

800 million gold marks

What was the Young Plan? What did it reduce reparations to?

Revised plan to lower reparations

1.8 billion

What were the war reparations Germany needed to pay?

£6.6 billion

In 1914 then Nov 1923 how much did a loaf of bread cost?

20 marks

201 billion

How much did an egg cost in Nov 1923?

80 million

How many paper mills produce money in 1923?

300

In Nov 1923 how much did a kilo of butter cost?

6 trillion

Between 1913 and 1918 how much did the German mark lose value?

75%

How many were unemployed due to the Great Depression in 1932?

6 million