Weimar Republic

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Weimar Republic

  • On November 9th, 1918, Kaiser Wilhelm 2 abdicated his throne after people revolted and he refused to make Germany more democratic.
  • The next day, Friedrich Ebert (who was socialist_ became the new leader of the Republic of Germany, and the next day signed an armistice.

Strengths of the Weimar Constitution

  • A Bill of rights guaranteed every Germany citizen freedom of speech and religion, and equality under the law.
  • All men and women over the age of 20 could vote.
  • There was an elected president and an elected Reichstag.
  • The Reichstag made the laws and appointed the government.

Weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution

Proportional Representation

  • Weimar Germans voted for a party, not an MP. Each party was then allocated seats in the Reichstag exactly reflecting the number of people who had voted for it, which meant that there were lots of tiny parties and no one got the majority,

Article 48

  • In an 'emergency', the president didn't need the agreement of the Reichstag and so could issue decrees.

Spartacist Revolt - 1919

  • A left-wing uprising designed to establish a communist state in the Weimar Republic.
  • It was led y the Spartacist League (a group within the Communist Party) led by Rosa Luxembourg and Karl Liebknecht.
  • In January 1919, the Spartacist League attempted to bring down the government during a strike when they seized key government buildings.
  • The Freikoprs put down the rebellion, and Luxembourg and Liebknecht died.

Freikorps

  • Groups of former soldiers who fought in WW1, but because of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles they were unemployed.
  • Many were still loyal to the Kaiser and supported right-wing parties.
  • When the Spartacist Revolt broke put, they were organized by Ebert and told to suppress the uprising.

Hyperinflation

  • The Weimar government's main crisis occupied in 1923 after the Germans missed a reparations payment in 1922.
  • When French and Belgian troops marched into the Ruhr, workers were ordered to do passive resistance which was bad.
  • The government began printing more and more money in order to pay reparations which made the value of the money decrease enormously.

Munich Putsch

  • On November 8th, 1923, Nazis hijacked a government meeting announcing that Adolf Hitler was taking over the Bavarian government. He was joined by the respected old war new Ludendorff.
  • Was a failure for Hitler and the Nazis, but gained them popularity.
  • Although treason was a crime punishable by life in prison, he was only sentenced to 6 years but only served 9 months.

Achievements and Failures under Stresemann

Good
Bad
Economy

  • Under the Dawes Plan, reparations were reduced a spread over a longer period of time.
  • With loans from the US, businesses were updated and public facilities were created, making jobs.
  • By 1927, the German economy had recovered on by 1929 it was the 2nd greatest industrial power after the US.

  • The US loans could be called in at any given time.
  • Big business controlled about half of Germany’s production
  • Peasant farmers and some parts of the middle class weren’t earning enough, as farmers were overproducing and small businesses were shadowed by large department stores.
Politics

  • There were no more attempted revolutions after 1923.
  • By 1928, moderate parties had more seats than radical parties

  • The Nazis and Communists were building up their parties.
  • 30% of the vote regularly went to parties against the Weimar Republic.

Culture

    • The Weimar constitution allowed free expression, so writers and poets flourished and painters and architects created new styles (i.e. Bauhaus).
    • Germany cinema created stars like Marlene Dietrich.
    • Clubs and dancing became popular.

    • For old-fashioned Germans in the countryside said Weimar culture in cities was moral decline.
    • Organizations like Wandervogel called for a return to a simpler life and its values.
    Foreign Policy

    • In 1925, Locarno was signed.
    • In 1926, Germany was allowed into the League of Nations.
    • By the time Stresemann died in 1929, he had negotiated the Young Plan.

    • Nationalists attacked him for joining the League and for signing the Locarno treaty.

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