WEIMAR GERMANY – REVISION NOTES

The Revolution of 1918

  • By autumn 1918 is was clear Germany would lose WW1…
  • The Kaiser refused the first Allied offer of peace because it required him to step down…
  • When this news got out sailors in Kiel mutinied and took over the town…
  • This revolt quickly spread. On 9 Nov the Kaiser stepped down & left Ger for Holland.
  • Friedrich Ebert (SPD) became the 1st Pres of Germany and surrendered to the Allies.

The Weimar Constitution (system of Government)

  • Until the end of WW1 Germany had no real democracy; Kaiser Wilhelm was like a dictator.
  • The Weimar Constitution was designed to be v. democratic
  • All Germans over 20 could vote.
  • The President was the Head of State – he controlled the army & appointed the Chancellor.In a crisis he could govern directly using Article 48 emergency powers.
  • The Chancellor was responsible for day to day Government.

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Threats from the Left & Right 1919-1923

Jan 1919 – Spartacist (Comm.) rising in Berlin other cities / Mar 1920 – Kapp Putschin Berlin
Led by Karl Liebknecht & Rosa Luxembourg
Ebert uses Freikorps – groups of nationalist ex-soldiers who hated Communists – to crush the revolt
Rising defeated; KL & RL killed; other leaders executed
Further Comm. risings in Bavaria (1919) and the Ruhr (1920) also defeated / Dr. Wolfgang Kapp, angry with WR over ToV, leads 5,000 Freikorps into Berlin & seized power
Army refused to fire on the Freikorps
Ebert’s gov was saved by Berlin workers going on strike – soon there is no transport , power or water
Kapp realised he couldn’t win and left Ger; he was later caught & died awaiting trial

Leaders to learn…

Presidents / Chancellors(there were others, but these are the ones you need to know)
Ebert (SPD) 1919-1925 / Stresemann 1923 (only Chanc. for a few months, but most imp politician in Ger 23-29)
Bruning (Centre Party – ZP) 1930-1932
Hindenburg (Independent) 1925-1934 / Von Papen (Indpendent) 1932
Von Schliecher (Independent) 1932- Jan 33

The Three Crises of 1923…

1. Jan– Fr & Belg. invasion of the Ruhr /
  • In 1922 Germany fell behind in its ToV payments.
  • ToV gave Fr & Belg the power to enter the Ruhr and take raw materials if Ger fell behind… so they did so!

2. Spring-Summer – Hyperinflation Crisis /
  • Ger Gov told workers not to coop with Fr (passive resistance) but kept paying them.
  • Because the strike meant Ger had no goods to trade it had no real money coming in… so it just printed more “money” and used it to pay off the workers and also pay off its debts.
  • People didn’t trust the new money and prices shot up. Wages rose; then prices rose; then wages rose more; then prices rose more etc. etc.
  • By the late summer money was worthless. Middle-class people with savings lost everything – many people became v angry with the W. Gov.

3. Nov – Munich putsch /
  • Hitler tried to take advantage of the chaos & anger to seize power.
  • Supported by war hero, Gen Ludendorff, he took over a gov meeting in Munich. The next day (9 Nov) he tried to take over Munich.
  • But the local people didn’t rally to his side and the Weimar police easily defeated his Nazi stormtroopers, 16 of whom were killed.
  • Hitler was captured and put on trial.
  • The trial gave him a national stage & publicity. He was sentenced to jail for 5 years but only served 9 month, in comfort, at Landsberg Castle. While there he wrote Mein Kampf (my struggle).

How Stresemann ended the Hyperinflation crisis – 1923.

1. Ended passive resistance & got the Ruhr working again

2. Called in & burned old currency

3. Issued a new currency (Rentenmark)

4. Negotiated Dawes Plan with USA, spreading reps over a longer period and getting 800m marks in US loans

BUT… hyperinflation did a lot of damage to the Weimar Republic. Its Right Wing opponents had yet another problem to blame them for, and the Government had lost the support of the middle classes.

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KEY QUESTION: How far did the Weimar Republic recover between 1923-1929?