Key Topic 1: The Weimar Republic 1918–33
Lesson plan pages 7–9
The Treaty of Versailles
Lesson objectives:By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
· describe the main terms of the Treaty of Versailles
· explain the reasons for German resentment of the Treaty of Versailles
· identify problems facing the German government in 1918.
Starter
Activity 1: Students look at the cartoon on page 7. Ask students to consider what it suggests about the situation in Germany in the early 1920s.
Possible responses: The impossibly high fences in the cartoon suggest Germany is facing enormous problems. The fences represent the large amount in reparations that Germany had to pay from 1921. The tiny horse marked ‘German industry’ represents Germany’s reduced industry (students may remember from Unit 1 that the Treaty of Versailles took key industrial areas from Germany) which prevented it from generating enough money to pay the reparations.
Development
Activity 2: Students divide their page into two columns: Terms of the Treaty of Versailles; Why the terms led to resentment in Germany. Students complete the table by making a list of the key terms of the treaty and writing a sentence of explanation for why each of them led to resentment. This will encourage the students to recognise the distinction between fact and explanation.
Possible responses: Key term: reparations set at £6,600 million in 1921. Explanation: caused resentment because it was felt to be too high a sum, especially given Germany’s debt after the war and the reduction in the size of its industrial territory. Key term: loss of Posen and West Prussia. Explanation: caused resentment because the newly created Polish corridor divided Germany in two.
Activity 3: Students read about the ‘stab in the back’ theory on page 9. Students design a poster presenting the view that Ebert’s government stabbed Germany in the back by signing the Treaty of Versailles. They should try to show key terms of the Treaty of Versailles as well as presenting the idea that the German military was betrayed by the politicians in the poster.
Conclusion
Activity 4: Students complete Activity 1 on page 7 which requires them to write a response from Chancellor Ebert justifying his decision to sign the Treaty of Versailles.
Possible responses: The military collapse and economic and political turmoil in Germany gave Ebert little option but to sign the Treaty of Versailles since they could not sustain a reopening of the war.
Lesson plan pages 10–11
The Weimar Republic – a new constitution
Lesson objectives:By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
· describe the main features of the Weimar constitution
· evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the Weimar constitution.
Starter
Activity 1: Students look at Source A on page 10. Ask students why they think this armed demonstration is taking place and what it suggests about the difficulties facing the new German government in 1919.
Possible responses: The armed demonstration might be taking place in protest at the government having signed the punitive Treaty of Versailles in 1919; it might be due to the belief that the new government were ‘November Criminals’ who had stabbed Germany in the back by signing the armistice. It shows the severity of the problems (potential armed uprisings) confronting the new German government.
Students read the opening section of page 10 on the early problems facing the new government.
Development
Activity 2: Students complete the diagram of the German constitution on Worksheet 1a using the information in the panel on page 10 (‘The terms of the constitution’).
Activity 3: Students consider the question: ‘What were the strengths and weaknesses of the new German constitution in 1919?’ Divide the class into two groups: one group collects evidence to show the strengths of the constitution; the other to show the weaknesses of the constitution. The findings could be presented as a debate or class discussion. Students should use pages 10–11 for information.
Possible responses: Strengths of the constitution: the system of checks and balances ensured that no one person or organisation within the government could have too much power under normal circumstances; it was democratic (the Reichstag, local government and the president were all elected). Weaknesses of the constitution: the president had potentially too much power and might exercise that in a dictatorial manner; the careful balancing of powers might make it difficult for the chancellor to govern decisively in times of crisis; extremist parties did not believe in the constitution and although these only had the support of a minority of Germans, the proportional representation system could give them some representation in the Reichstag.
Conclusion
Activity 4: Ask students to vote on whether they think the Weimar constitution was a poor constitution which was unlikely to ever bring about good government.
Possible responses: Although there were certainly weaknesses in the constitution, overall it probably had more strengths than weaknesses. It would only be in extremely difficult circumstances (like those that arose in the Great Depression) that the weaknesses of the constitution would become evident.
Worksheet 1a (pages 10-11)
The Weimar Constitution
Lesson plan pages 12–13
Economic problems, 1918–1923
Lesson objectives:By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
· describe the economic difficulties facing the Weimar government by 1923
· explain how the hyperinflationary situation occurred
· explain the impact of the economic crisis on people in Germany.
Starter
Activity 1: Students use the information on page 12 to draw a flow diagram showing the main stages of the descent into hyperinflation. The flow diagram should begin with ‘Germany was bankrupt after World War One, having spent all its gold reserves in the war’, and go on to include the economic impact of losses from the Treaty of Versailles; reparations; French occupation of the Ruhr and loss of profits from industrial production in the region as a result; decision of the German government to print more money; inflationary spiral.
Alternative activity: Students do the card-ordering Activity on page 13 to establish the causes of the economic crisis.
Development
Activity 2: Ask students to explain how each of the following might have been affected by the period of hyperinflation in 1923, using page 13 for information:
A retired couple (probably lost much of their savings and pension; unable to buy much food as prices rose).
A German factory worker (wages increased – sometimes had to carry money home in a wheelbarrow – but prices rose even quicker, so unable to afford much food).
A baker (had to put up prices of bread dramatically; may have refused to accept cash payments, asking for payment in kind instead).
A businessman with substantial savings in the bank (savings probably lost value; experienced shortages of goods).
An American company trading with Germany (refused to accept marks in payment for goods, only accepting dollars; may have stopped sending goods to Germany if they did not receive dollars).
Activity 3: Ask students to consider who/what these Germans might have blamed for their problems.
Possible responses: Blamed the Treaty of Versailles (so therefore blamed the Allies, particularly France); blamed the French for their occupation of the Ruhr; blamed the Weimar government (for signing the Treaty of Versailles; failing to end the French occupation of the Ruhr; printing more money).
Conclusion
Activity 4: Students look at Source A on page 12. Ask students to consider the message of the cartoon.
Possible responses: It comments on French aggression in occupying the Ruhr. The French woman has, however, impaled her right hand on the chimneys of German industry which suggests perhaps that Germany will one day gain revenge on France for the occupation of the Ruhr.
Lesson plan pages 14–15
Political problems, 1918–23
Lesson objectives:By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
· identify the differences between left-wing and right-wing political views
· describe the main political parties in Weimar Germany
· explain why extremist parties were dissatisfied with the Weimar government.
Starter
Activity 1: Students fill in the panels on Worksheet 1b, recording the views of left- and right-wing politicians, using the information on page 14.
Development
Activity 2: Students read the political views of each of the characters listed on Worksheet 1b and mark the appropriate letter on the arrow to show the extent to which their views are left or right wing.
Possible responses: The letters should be marked from left to right in roughly the following order: A (the student is the most extreme left-wing character); E (the factory worker is still strongly left wing, but not quite so much as the revolutionary student); D and F (these characters should be placed in a roughly central/centre-right position as their beliefs represent elements of left- and right-wing views); C; B (the ex-soldier is the most extreme right-wing character).
Activity 3: Students mark onto the arrow on Worksheet 1b the initials of the political parties shown in the table on page 15, in appropriate positions.
Activity 4: Students look at Source B on page 15 and answer the following question: What can be learned about the German Communist Party (KPD) from this poster?
Possible responses: The poster shows the aims of the communists: to get rid of capitalism, the wealthy, the landed nobility and militarism. The poster shows an ordinary working man slaying the monster representing these things – this reflects the communist belief that workers should be given power and that change should be brought about by revolution (violence).
Conclusion
Activity 5: Students look at Source A on page 14, which presents an alternative view of a communist revolutionary. Ask students to consider the ways in which and the reasons why this poster is very different from Source B on page 15.
Possible responses: Source A is drawn from the perspective of a right-wing politician, so the communist revolutionary is not shown as heroic but as destructive, needlessly violent and destabilising German society by attacking family values, property, businesses and money.
© Pearson Education 2009
Key Topic 1: The Weimar Republic 1918–33
Worksheet 1b (pages 14-15)
Political Parties in Weimar Germany
1. Use the information on page 14 to fill in the panels on left-wing and right-wing views below.2. Read the political views of each of the characters listed below and mark them in the appropriate position on the arrow to show how left or right wing they are.
A. A student who wants to abolish the power of the wealthy in Germany and overthrow the Weimar government to give more political power to the workers.
B. An ex-soldier who fought during World War One and resented the Weimar government for signing the Treaty of Versailles, who wants to restore German pride and honour. He feels that this can only be achieved if Germany has a strong leader like the Kaiser again and gets rid of the Weimar government.
C. A relatively wealthy businessman who fears that the communists will take away his property and thinks that to prevent this Germany needs to be governed by a strong leader.
D. A shop owner who fears that if the communists take power they will not allow him to run his own business, but who believes that democratic government is preferable to government dominated by one strong leader.
E. A relatively poor factory worker who wants more political power because he feels the Weimar government has not done enough to help him.
F. A mother concerned with maintaining the importance of the family unit, law and order, and traditional values in Germany. She also believes that Germany should co-operate with other nations.
Left Centre Right
© Pearson Education 2009
Key Topic 1: The Weimar Republic 1918–33
Lesson plan pages 16–17
Political problems, 1918–1923
Lesson objectives:By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
· identify the aims of the Spartacist League and the Kapp Putsch
· describe the action taken by each group in their attempt to take power
· explain why each of these attempted revolutions failed.
Starter
Activity 1: Ask students to consider why it was likely that the Weimar government would face serious challenges to its rule in the early 1920s.
Possible responses: In the previous lesson it was shown that there were several extremist parties who were very dissatisfied with the Weimar government for a variety of reasons; many of these groups supported the idea of revolution as a means to get their way; many of these extremist political parties had their own private armies which made serious violence more likely (see page 16).
Explain that the lesson will focus on two of the most serious attempts to overthrow the Weimar government.
Development
Activity 2: Students use the information on pages 16–17 to help them complete the table on Worksheet 1c, showing the main events of the Spartacist Revolt and Kapp Putsch.
Activity 3: Students consider the arguments that could be used for and against the following statement: ‘the revolts showed the serious weaknesses and unpopularity of the Weimar government and suggested it would soon be overthrown.’ This could be managed as a debate.
Possible responses: Arguments in support of the statement: both revolts were well supported, which highlighted the unpopularity of the Weimar government; the Weimar government was unable to suppress either revolt single handed, suggesting it was weak and might soon be overthrown. Arguments against the statement: the Kapp Putsch was suppressed by a worker strike in Berlin – this suggests that the Weimar government had the support of the workers (at least in Berlin) and so was not that unpopular; in spite of how powerful they were, the Weimar government was able to overcome both attempted revolutions, showing that it was not that weak; soon after the revolts, the Weimar government was able bring inflation under control, potentially minimising support for further revolts. Potential rebels might also have been deterred by the harsh punishments given to the leaders of the revolts.
Conclusion
Activity 4: Students give the Weimar government a ‘grade’ (A–F) for its performance between 1919 and 1923. Students should give a comment to explain the grade, and perhaps a suggested target for how to improve in the future.
Worksheet 1c (pages 16-17)