Germany 1919-1939: A Depth Study

Section 1 – The Weimar Republic

  • Kaiser Wilhelm I and Germany during WWI (1914-1918):
    • Germany was ruled by the Kaiser.
    • The Kaiser controlled the government and the army.
    • The Chancellor made government decisions, but the Kaiser chose the Chancellor.
    • People could vote, but MPs had limited power.
    • The Kaiser focused on military buildup, spending and borrowing heavily.
    • Germans generally supported this system, valuing military tradition and strong leadership.
    • The Kaiser fled into exile just before the war ended.
    • Link to the German people being obsessed with their military past. One of the reasons no one supported the Weimar Republic was because they were used to being told what to do.
  • Effects of WWI on Germany:
    • Political Effects:
      • The Kaiser's departure left Reichstag parties, lacking experience, in charge.
      • Opposition leaders had been imprisoned during the war, reducing available talent.
    • Physical and Financial Effects:
      • Farming was disrupted, leading to food shortages (only 50% milk and 60% meat production).
      • British naval blockades restricted imports.
      • About 750,000 Germans died from hunger and disease.
      • Germany was effectively bankrupt due to war loans.
    • Psychological Effects:
      • Germans experienced devastation and loss of pride after defeat.
      • They sought someone to blame, pointing to weak politicians in the Weimar Republic.
      • "The Stab in the Back" myth emerged, blaming the Weimar Republic for the surrender, despite it being signed by the army.
      • The army pretended this was true because people couldn’t understand why they had lost the war when Germany had not been invaded.
  • The Weimar Republic's Weak Start:
    • The new government, "The Weimar Republic," began in a weak state.
    • Germany faced significant problems, and the population initially opposed the government, blaming it for the war loss.

The Weimar Republic’s Constitution

  • The Weimar Republic was named after Weimar, the town where it originated (outside Berlin).
  • It began in 1918, just before Germany's WWI surrender.
  • Friedrich Ebert, the first president, helped shape the constitution.
  • A formal constitution was established in 1919 defining the government's powers and functions.

The Treaty of Versailles 1919

  • Importance:
    • Key topic for exam questions on the Weimar Republic.
    • Its effects lasted into the 1930s.
    • Hitler's popularity stemmed from promises to overturn it.
    • Specific terms and German resentment are essential knowledge.
  • Major Strengths and achievements of the Constitution:
    • Voting Rights: Universal suffrage for Germans over 20.
    • Proportional Representation (PR): Fairer system where parties gained seats based on vote percentage.
    • Presidential Power: Strong powers to protect the Republic in crises.
    • Freedoms: Freedom of speech, press, trade unions, and political parties.
  • Proportional Representation (PR):
    • Modern and fair voting system giving parties seats proportional to votes received.
    • Example: 12% of votes equaled 12% of Reichstag seats.
    • Led to many small parties gaining seats.
    • No government ever had a majority, requiring coalitions.
    • Coalitions, made up of various parties, often disagreed and caused indecision.
  • Article 48 (The suicide clause):
    • Allowed the President to rule by decree in emergencies.
    • Designed to protect Germany during crises.
    • The President could bypass the Reichstag.
    • The President had the power to decide what an emergency was, which was open to abuse.
  • Major Weaknesses of the Constitution:
    • PR: Governments remained weak due to the need to compromise; decisions were slow, and frequent elections occurred.
    • Article 48: Later abused by Hitler to legally become a dictator.
    • Enemies of the Republic: The constitution's fairness allowed enemies like the Nazis to gain influence.
    • Voting Seen as Weakness: Voting was perceived negatively by Germans accustomed to authoritarian leadership.
  • Remember
    • Constitution-related questions often concern the Weimar Republic's overall achievements or problems.
    • Achievements included free speech and voting.
    • Problems included Proportional Representation and enemies of the Republic.

Remember - LAMB

  • Terms of the Treaty of Versailles and Their Effects on Germany:
    • Land
      • Germany lost 13% of its land and 6 million people.
      • 10% of industry and 15% of agriculture was seized.
      • Alsace and Lorraine were given to France.
      • Saar coalfields were given to France for 15 years.
      • West Prussia (Polish Corridor) was given to Poland (later triggers WWII).
      • Anger and hardship: Germans felt their land and people were stolen, leaving some in other countries (France/Poland).
      • Land loss caused money problems, with a significant portion of industry and agriculture taken from a bankrupt nation.
    • Army
      • The army was reduced to 100,000 men.
      • No air force was allowed.
      • Navy was limited to 6 battleships and no submarines.
      • No poison gas or tanks were permitted.
      • The Rhineland, near France, was to have French troops for 15 years.
      • Humiliation: Germany became weak, no longer feared, and at the mercy of the Allies.
      • Germany, with a strong military tradition, felt humiliated, causing a loss of pride.
      • Millions of soldiers became unemployed, joining the Freikorps.
    • Money
      • Germany had to pay Britain, France, and the USA £6.6 billion in reparations.
      • Economic Crisis: Already bankrupt from the war, the Weimar government doubted their ability to meet payments.
      • Land loss worsened the situation. Reparations hindered Germany's recovery.
    • Blame
      • Germany had to accept complete blame for starting WWI.
      • Anger: Germans felt the treaty was forced upon them by evil Allies and weak politicians, believing they weren't solely to blame.
  • Context of the Treaty:
    • The Treaty of Versailles was a peace agreement forced on Germany in 1919 after losing WWI.
    • Defeated countries usually sign agreements with the victors, giving concessions to avoid invasion or destruction.
  • German Expectations of a Fair Treaty:
    • Germany was in dire straits, with a bankrupt economy and starvation.
    • They expected a lenient treaty to minimize further suffering.
    • The Kaiser was gone, replaced by a democratic government.
    • Germans hoped the Allied powers would support its stability.
    • Woodrow Wilson (USA) advocated for a fair treaty based on his "14 points" and believed Germany should recover.
  • The Goals of the Winning Powers:
    • France (Georges Clemenceau): wanted to crush Germany to prevent it from being a major power, demanding high reparations and disarmament.
    • Britain (David Lloyd-George): sought to punish Germany and extract money but wanted Germany to recover to some extent.
    • USA (Woodrow Wilson): believed the war was a collective fault and feared harsh terms would lead to future German revenge.

1919 Other Problems – Political extremists.

  • The Weimar Republic faced challenges from political extremists seeking to overthrow it and establish a dictatorship.
  • Problems:
    • The Treaty of Versailles had weakened and bankrupted Germany.
    • The Weimar Republic was blamed for signing the treaty, increasing its unpopularity.
    • President Ebert signed reluctantly, under army pressure due to the threat of Allied invasion.
  • Communists
    • Extreme left-wing ideology advocating for equal pay and shared ownership of resources and factories.
  • Fascists
    • Extreme right-wing ideology believing in survival of the fittest, justifying the wealth of the rich and opposing aid for the weak.

Other Attempted uprisings at this time

  • Red Rising in the Ruhr (1920): A Communist attempt to take over the Ruhr region.
  • Munich Putsch (1923): Hitler’s failed attempt to seize power.

1923 – The Year of Crisis

  • 1923 was a crucial year in German history due to:
    • Hyperinflation
    • Hitler’s Munich Putsch
  • The ability of the Weimar Republic to survive in 1923 was one of its greatest achievements.
  • January 1919 – The Spartacists:
    • Politics: Communists, extreme left wing
    • Leaders: Karl Liebnecht and Rosa Luxemburg
    • Aims: Overthrow the Weimar Republic and create a Communist Government in Germany
    • What they did: Tried to start a Revolution in Berlin. They took control of the Government’s newspaper headquarters and the telegraph bureau, but they failed to capture anything else. They won some support from working class,
    • What happened: the Weimar Government used the Freikorps (right wing ex-soldiers) to defeat the Spartacist. They murdered Liebnecht and Luxemburg and crushed the uprising. Freikorps put down several other Communist risings in 1919 as well
  • March 1920 – The Kapp Putsch:
    • Politics: The Freikorps, extreme right wing
    • Leaders: Wolfgang Kapp, one of the Freikorps commanders
    • Aims: To overthrow the Weimar Republic and create a military right wing dictatorship; to ignore the TOV.
    • What they did: Marched into Berlin and took it over. President Ebert and the Weimar Government were forced to run away. Kapp declared a new right wing Government.
    • What happened: President Ebert appealed to ordinary workers to help – and they went on strike, refusing to work for Kapp and the Freikorps. The strike was so successful that Kapp had to pull out of Berlin within days.
  • Recap – Problems so far.:
    • Germany was still in financial crisis from WW1. Inflation was already happening.
    • They had to pay annual instalments of the £6.6 billion reparations – these were crippling Germany
    • Germany was hated and distrusted by other countries, so no one would lend Germany money to help it recover

Crisis 1 – The French Invade the Ruhr

  • In January 1923, Germany defaulted on its reparations payments to France.
  • France responded by invading the Ruhr, Germany’s most important industrial area, containing over 80% of its steel production.
  • France intended to seize steel production to compensate for missed reparations.
  • Effects:
    • The Weimar Government condemned the invasion.
    • Workers in the Ruhr went on strike, further harming the economy.
    • The Weimar Government printed more money to support the strikers.

Crisis 2 – Hyperinflation

  • Why:
    • Printed money to support Ruhr workers.
    • Increased money supply devalued currency, called inflation.
  • What:
    • Government continued printing money.
    • Money became worthless.
    • February 1923: 7000 marks per dollar.
    • November 1923: 130,000 million marks per dollar.
    • Workers rushed to spend wages as prices rose hourly.
    • Billion marks barely bought bread.
  • Effects of Hyper- inflation:
    • Pensioners: Savings worthless.
    • Middle class: Savings worthless, supported extremists.
    • Workers: Few savings, job security, lost faith in government.
    • The Rich: Unaffected.
    • Hatred of Jews: Led to hatred of Jews that people like Hitler seized on.
    • Unrest: Munich Putsch People blamed the Weimar Government for these problems.

Gustav Stresemann and Recovery from the 1923 crisis.

  • Gustav Stresemann was made Chancellor of Germany in 1923.

  • He was one of the most able politicians of the Weimar Republic.

  • He faced several problems – Germany was on the brink of collapse, and groups like the Nazi’s were seeing a chance to take over.

  • People were having to barter and swap things because money was worthless.

  • He set out solve Germany’s problems.

  • Problem, Stresemann’s solution, Good because, But:

    • French Invasion of the Ruhr, Stresemann sent the Ruhr workers back to work for the French, It meant that the workers were being paid again
    • Hyperinflation, Stresemann stopped the Government printing money, It stopped hyperinflation and made German money worth something again…, The damage was already done
    • Destroyed German economy, Stresemann took out a huge loan from the USA called the Dawes Plan, It gave Germany an injection of cashTo help its people and invest in its industry., Germany started to recover.
    • Massive Reparations, The Dawes plan also restructured the Reparations payments
    • Countries don’t trust Germany, Stresemann signs the Locarno pact, Countries are willing to talk to Germany, TheWeimar Republic finally had to give in and accept theTOV.

  • It is really important to know that this period is known as the Weimar Republic’s “Golden age”.

A Golden Age?

  • For the exam, it is important to be able to say how far Stresemann’s policies helped Germany recover.
  • Politics in the Golden Age
    • The Government started to become more stable
    • People were no longer supporting extreme parties
  • The Economy in the Golden Age
    • The Economy started doing well in the Golden age thanks to Stresemann’s changes and the Dawes plan
    • Production went to its highest level in decades.
    • Germany became a leading exporter in the world for manufactured goods.

German Culture in the Golden Age

  • Culture was a big achievement of the Weimar Golden era.
  • Artists began depicting everyday life in a way not seen before.
  • German Cinema boomed, and movies like Metropolis became classics all over the world
  • Architecture was admired in this era.
  • Berlin became seen as sleazy and sex- obsessed.

Achievements of the Weimar Republic

  • Surviving Political extremists and several uprisings
  • The Weimar Constitution
  • Surviving despite being hated
  • Recovering from 1923
  • Improved relations with other countries
  • The Golden Age
  • Weimar Culture

Section 2 – The Rise of Hitler and the Nazis.

  • Adolf Hitler:
    • Born in Austria in 1889
    • Wanted to be an artist, but was rejected by Vienna art school.
    • Joined the German army in 1914
    • Awarded Iron Cross for bravery
  • The Nazi Party:
    • Founded in 1919 as the German Workers Party (DAP) and based in Munich.
    • Founder was Anton Drexler
    • A very small party – only around 50 members in 1920

The Munich Putsch 1923

  • Key event in the Nazi party's rise to power.
  • Took place in November 1923 during the hyperinflation crisis.
  • The subsequent trial raised the Nazis' profile across Germany.
  • Hitler persuaded Ernst Rohm and the SA to support the Nazis.
  • The plan • Hitler would go to the Beer Hall where Gustav Kahr was giving a speech

The successes of the Munich Putsch

  • The Putsch itself was a disaster
  • The main successes of Hitler’s trial for Treason:
    • The Judge liked him
    • Reporters
    • Light sentence
    • His Prison was very cushy
    • Hitler had the time to write Mein Kampf

Answering source questions

  • Look and Describe: Briefly explain whats happening in the picture
  • Analyse: pick out parts, like pictures on the walls, and say what they mean
  • Think: what is this source about? What does it tell us about the time? How does it link to your knowledge?
  • Explain: use the source and your own knowledge to answer the question

1924-1929 – The Nazi’s change tactics.

  • Hitler got out of prison late in 1924, and realised that violent methods would no longer work.
  • He started to change the party so they could do well in the Reichstag.

How Hitler did it

  • Reorganising the Party
  • Mein Kampf
  • Increasing membership There was a drive for new members, and membership increased every year.
  • Winning the middle class and business
  • Public meetings and propaganda
  • Failure or Success?
    Nazis became one of the best funded parties in Germany due to support from business.

Why had the Nazi’s failed to get into power by 1928?

  • The Wall Street Crash Everything changed for the Nazi Party on October 24th 1929
  • Hitler failed to win over the working Class*
  • The Weimar Republic was going through its “Golden age”
  • People were put off by Nazi’s extreme views

Effects of the Wall Street Crash

Mass Unemployment

  • Loss of confidence in German Goods
  • Businesses closed
  • Poverty
  • Young people first to be made redundant
  • Working class and Middle classes most affected

What stood in Hitler’s way?

  • Even though The Nazi’s were the biggest party by 1932, they still couldn’t get a majority of seats to seize power.
  • Unfortunately, the president decided who the chancellor would be – and Hindenburg hated Hitler!

Outside events that helped Hitler become Chancellor in January 1933

  • The American stock market crashed in 1929
  • America called in all the loans it had given to Germany.
  • What stood in Hitler’s way?

Economic Miracle?

  • German workers front
  • Strength through Joy
  • Rad (Reich Labour Service)
  • Beauty of Labour