Early Challenges to the Weimar Republic Flashcards
What were the terms of the Treaty of Versailles?
Germany must accept guilt for the war
Germany must pay £6.6 billion in reparations to the allies
Germany was made to give 13% of its land, 48% of its iron production and 12.5% of its population when european land was taken back
Germany can have a maximum of 100,000 soldiers, 15,000 sailors, 6 ships and no submarines or armed vehicles
Can not join with Austria
Demilitarisation of Rhineland
What was the initial reaction from the German public to the treaty of Versailles?
Germans felt shame and humiliation, thought it was dictated peace (diktat)
Germans felt that germany could have won the war and so were “Stabbed in the back” (dolschtoss theory) by Ebert and his government who signed the armistice.
They decided to scapegoat Ebert and his government, not realising that they had previously denied the treaty, but the allies then threatened to invade Germany if they did not accept
What was the “Dolchstoss theory”
criticism of the Government began to grow and the idea that the
politicians had stabbed the army in the back.
Naming Erbert and the politicians the “November Criminals”
What challenges were introduced to the Weimar Republic from the left?.
Spartacist uprising: 1919
Spartacists staged a revolt in Berlin to lead a general strike and overthrow the Weimar republic. Lead by Liebknecht and Luxemburg.
1918- Uprising lead to the death of 16 spartacists, and the formation of the KPD (German communist party)
1919 - Uprising of 100,000 in attempt to overthrow Ebert lead to the death of Liebknecht and Luxemburg (armed demonstraters and seized comms buildings.). Ebert used his regular army “reichwehr” and the
right-wing “freikorps” as an army to fight the left winged spartacists. Lead to the Assembly being moved to Weimar. Over 100 workers were killed, even those who surrendered, during what became known as ‘Bloody Week’.
1919- a further communist-inspired rising in Berlin was put down with great ferocity
and more than 1,000 people were killed.
What did Ebert do in attempt to prevent revolution?
Fearing the same fate as the Russian government in the Bolshevik Revolution, Ebert made a deal with army leader Groener that the army would support the republic against revolution, and in return Ebert would supply and support the army. Dependency on the army left some Germans believing it weakened the authority of the republic.
What challenges were introduced from the right?
Kapp Putsch:
1920- Freikorps in Berlin staged a rebellion lead by Wolfgang Kapp (politician) and Ehrhardt (Freikorp leader, hearing the governments plan to
disband the freikorps) in attempt to seize Berlin and form a new right-wing government with Kapp as the Chancellor.
Kapp attempted to stir uproar by emphasising the problem with the ToV, the Dolchstoss theory and the communist threat. The Reichswehr (over 400 soldiers) joined the Kapp putsch and meant that Ebert did not have an army willing to fight back as the new reichwehr was unwilling to fire on the old reichwehr. This lead to the successful seizure of Berlin in March 1920.
Ebert stressed for workers to go on strike, this succeeded and Kapp had to flee as he did not have enough support
Aftermath of Kapp putsch
One week after the Kapp Putsch began, a communist rising
occurred in the Ruhr. This time the army became involved
and brutally put down the rebellion. Hundreds were killed.
Violence continued in Germany during the next two years
and both left-wing and right-wing groups were involved.
376 murders (354 of them carried out by the right) in the period 1919–22)
Two german ministers killed, one of them being a signatory of the ToV
Munisch Putsch
1923- putsch organised by the Nazis and Hitler/.
Examined further in TOPIC 2 flashcards
When was and what lead to the French occupation of Ruhr?
1923
Germany failed to pay reparations the France and Belgium, who had to pay their war debts to USA
Why did the French invade Ruhr?
Ruhr was the main industrial region in Germany. French and Belgians took control of all their factories, railways and mines,
This act was seen as acceptable due to the treaty of versailles
German reaction to the occupation of Ruhr.
Started off as passive resistance, with worker strikes and protests across Ruhr. However France and Belgian just replaced the workers with their own.
This then turned sour, as workers set factories on fire and sabotaged pumps in some mines so they flooded and could not be worked.
How were Germans affected by the Occupation of Ruhr?
132 people killed.
150,000 people kicked out their homes in Ruhr
The Strike lead to less goods being produced, however the government still had to print money to pay the workers and show support. produced. The extra strike money plus the collapse in production turned inflation into hyperinflation
Who did hyperinflation cause problems to?
People with a steady income or with savings. (average citizens)
Who did hyperinflation benefit?
Businessmen who had borrowed money from the bank could now pay that money back
Farmers as food shortages lead to an increase in price of necessities such as food
Foreigners who could change their dollars or pounds into millions of marks.
What is the difference in price of a loaf of bread
1918 - a loaf of bread costs 1 mark
1923 - 200 billion marks
