Germany: Development Of Dictatorship, 1918-45

When was the mutiny at the end of WW1?

25th October 1918

What was the mutiny at the end of WW1?

The naval commanders at Kiel ordered their ships to fight against British naval forces, even though it was clear they would lose. The sailors led a mutiny across Germany and other soldiers also mutinied against army leaders.

When did the Kaiser abdicate?

9th November 1918

Who was the chancellor that took office after the Kaiser abdicated?

Friedrich Ebert, a Social Democrat

When was the armistice after WW1 agreed between Germany and the Allies?

11th November 1918

Who signed the armistice after WW1 agreed between Germany and the Allies?

Friedrich Ebert’s representative, Matthias Erz

What were the people who signed the armistice after WW1 labeled as?

November Criminals

Why were the people who signed the armistice after WW1 labeled as ‘November Criminals’?

Senior members of the German armed forces claimed that Germany had been close to victory and that the surrender was unnecessary. This was not true, but many Germans chose to believe it and would not accept that Germany had lost the war. This theory was also known as the ‘stab in the back’ and helps to explain why the new republic was so unpopular from the beginning.

What was the temporary measure that took control of Germany in November 1918, after the Kaiser’s abdication, until a new permanent government system could be put in place?

A Council of People’s Representatives

After the Kaiser’s abdication whe

What was the result of the national elections held for a new National Assembly, after the Kaiser’s abdication?

Moderate parties gained most seats, Friedrich Ebert’s Social Democrat Party won 40% of the seats

What was the new (permanent) system of government in Germany after the Kaiser’s abdication known as?

The ‘Weimar Republic’

What was the new constitution the new National Assembly drew up (after the Kaiser’s abdication) known as?

The ‘Weimar Constitution’

What was the new (permanent) system of government in Germany after the Kaiser’s abdication known as the ‘Weimar Republic’?

Because the National Assembly first met in Weimar (Berlin was too dangerous at the time)

What were the principles of the ‘Weimar Republic?’

• Ever German citizen was guaranteed freedom of speech and religion, and equality under the law

• All men and women over the age of 20 were given the vote

• It set up a parliamentary democracy in which the elected Reichstag (parliament) made laws and appointed the government

• The head of the government was the chancellor, and was appointed by the president (head of state)

• The chancellor could use his powers to provide checks and balances to the Reichstag

• The Weimar Republic consisted of 18 states, organised as a federation, this meant that each state had its own parliament, passed its own laws and ran its own police force.

How did Friedrich Ebert keep the state running smoothly when the new republic was formed?

• He kept civil servant from the previous government and told them to work with the new workers’ and soldier’s councils (formed during calls for the Kaiser’s abdication)

• He reassured industry leaders that the new government would not take state control over private industries

• He promised trade unions that the new republic would try to reduce working hours to 8 hours a day.

What opposition did the new ‘Weimar Republic’ face from the start?

• Many of the country’s senior figures, such as army leaders, did not support the new democratic republic

• Many other Germans wanted the Kaiser to return

• People who had been influenced by the Russian Revolution in 1917 wanted a communist revolution to red Germany of the industrialists and the traditional ruling class.

What did opposition did the new ‘Weimar Republic’ look like?

Germany remained very unstable and riots and demonstrations were common in many cities. Friedrich Ebert’s grip on power was not secure, but, despite these problems, he managed to establish Germany’s new constitution.

What were the main problems with Germany’s new ‘Weimar Constitution’?

• Germany was politically divided and economically damaged after WW1. For the new system to be a success, politicians and other powerful forces in Germany would have to work together. However, there was a lack of commitment to do this.

• Many small and sometimes extremist parties won seats in the Reichstag, this led to an unstable government because no individual party had a majority and several parties had to form a coalition.

What was Article 48?

In an emergency, the president help powers to pass laws without Reichstag approval.

Why did Germany expect the peace treaty after WW1 to not be too harsh?

• The Kaiser had fled and Germany had a new democratic government, that did not influence the decisions of the Kaiser.

• A harsh treaty would not give the new German government a chance to restore stability.

• The President of the USA at the time, Woodrow Wilson, was a key figure in the negotiations and was keen to make the treaty fair because he thought that harsh terms would lead to German bitterness and a desire for revenge in the longer term, In January 1918, Wilson had produced a list of ‘Fourteen Points’ and the Germans expected any new treaty to be based on this list.

What was France’s position of the peace treaty for Germany after WW1?

Georges Clemenceau, the prime minister of France, was determined to make Germany pay for the terrible destruction that had occurred in France during the war. He also wanted to weaken the German armed forces, so that France wold not have to fear another attack from Germa

What were the conditions of the peace treaty for Germany after WW1?

• Germany lost about 13% of its European territory; as a result, it lost almost 50% of its iron reserves and 15% of its coal reserves

• Germany lost all 11 of its colonies in Africa and the Far East. These colonies were given victorious countries as mandates (territories to look over)

• Germany had to accept blame for the war (war guilt)

• Germany had to pay reparations of £6,600 million to the Allies

• Army was limited to 100,000 men, to be used internally only

• German military forces were cut, including no air force.

When was the Spartacist Uprising?

January 1919

What was the Spartacist Uprising?

The Spartacus League (Germany’s communist party) tried to set up a communist government in Berlin. On 5th January 1919, they organised a revolt in Berlin. The government found it very difficult to put down the revolt because the Treaty of Versailles had limited the number of troops in the German army. Instead, the government turned to the Freikorps, who were volunteer soldiers who had been demobilised after the war. The Freikorps hated communists and soon ended the revolt. The communist leaders, Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht were shot by Freikorps fighters.

When was the Kapp Putsch?

March 1920

What was the Kapp Putsch?

Ebert tried to disband two Freikorps units, the Freikorps revolted, marching into Berlin and declaring Dr Wolfgang Kapp as Germany’s new leader. Kapp was an extreme nationalist what had the support of a number of army officers. The German army refused to stop the Freikorps, as they felt sympathy for the aims of the Kapp Putsch. Ebert was forced to move the government out of Berlin and encourage people to go on a general strike to stop the revolt. Kapp realised he did not have the support he would need to govern Germany and fled to Sweden. The government returned to Berlin and the Freikorps were disbanded.

When was the invasion of the Ruhr?

January 1923

What was the invasion of the Ruhr?

Belgian and French troops marched into the Ruhr, the centre of Germany’s production of iron, steel and coal after Germany missed reparation payments, the occupation was profitable to France and Belgium.

What did the Germany government do to resist the invasion of the Ruhr?

Encourage German works in the Ruhr to carry out passive resistance, such as going on strike, stop producing goods that the French could seize, some Germans used arson and sabotage to damage the factories and mines so that production had to stop. The French brought in their own workers.

How many German workers were killed by the occupying forces in the invasions of the Ruhr.

100 German civilians

When did the invasion of the Ruhr end?

July 1925, when Belgium and France removed their forces after the Dawes Plan.

What was the effects of the invasion of the Ruhr>

• Brought the German government temporary popularity, as it had resisted France and provided strike pay for works involved in passive resistance.

• Germany lost income as a result of France and Belgium taking industrial products from the Ruhr and the German government was forced to print more money to pay the striking workers. Germany entered a period of hyperinflation.

What were the effects of Hyperinflation in Germany?

• People on fixed incomes (who received the same amount of money each week or month) such as pensioners were affected most badly.

• The value of people’s savings or insurance policies was also wiped out almost overnight.

• People with loans and mortgages could pay them off much more quickly

• People who owned possessions, such as land or buildings, were generally protected as the value of these possessions rose in line with inflation.

• Millions of middle class Germans were thrown into poverty and blamed the Weimar government for their problems

When did Gustav Stresemann become chancellor?

1923

When did Gustav Stresemann introduce the Rentenmark?

November 1923

What was the Rentenmark?

• A new currency as a temporary solution to hyperinflation to stabilise the value of the currency.

• The amount of money printed was tightly controlled.

• The value of the Rentenmark was based on Germany’s industrial and agricultural worth, and promised to exchange the notes for shares in German land or industry if the currency failed. This gave the German people confidence in the new currency.

What was the Dawes Plan and when was it agreed?

• 1924

• The USA loaned Germany 800 million gold marks, this gave a massive boost to German industry

• Reparation payments were lowered to 1000 million marks for the first 5 years, to make them more affordable. After this time, the payments would be increased to 2500 million marks.

• The French agreed to withdraw troops from the Ruhr. They also agreed that any missed payments in the future would be dealt with by the Allies together.

What was the result of the 1924 Dawes Plan?

• Over the next 6 years, Germany received more than 25 billion marks in loans. This allowed German industry to recover.

• German industrial output doubled in the years 1923-29

What were the problems with the 1924 Dawes Plan?

• The recovery of Germany was based largely on American loans, which could lead to over reliance

What was the Young Plan and when was it agreed?

• 1929

• The total reparations bill was reduced to around $8 billion.

• The payments were to be made of 59 years

• Germany was only obliged to pay a third of the annual sum each year. It should pay the rest if it could afford to do so.

Why did many people in Germany disagree with the Young Plan?

Some nationalist groups were angry that Germany