✳️ 1.3 Recovery under Stresemann

Question 1

Q1: Who was Gustav Stresemann?

Answer 1

A1: He was Chancellor in 1923 and then Foreign Minister until 1929. He helped stabilise Germany after the crises of 1923.

Question 2

Q2: What was the Rentenmark (1923)?

Answer 2

A2: A new currency introduced by Stresemann to end hyperinflation. It was backed by land and helped restore confidence.

Question 3

Q3: What was the Dawes Plan (1924)?

Answer 3

A3: A plan where the USA lent Germany 800 million marks, and reparations were spread out over time to make them more manageable.

Question 4

Q4: Why was the Dawes Plan important?

Answer 4

A4: It helped rebuild the German economy, stabilise industry, and improve living standards — but made Germany reliant on U.S. loans.

Question 5

Q5: What was the Young Plan (1929)?

Answer 5

A5: It reduced reparations from £6.6 billion to £2 billion and extended the payment period to 1988.

Question 6

Q6: Why was the Young Plan controversial in Germany?

Answer 6

A6: Nationalists like the Nazis opposed it — they believed Germany shouldn’t pay reparations at all.

Question 7

Q7: What was the Locarno Pact (1925)?

Answer 7

A7: An agreement where Germany accepted its western borders with France and Belgium, improving relations with the Allies.

Question 8

Q8: When did Germany join the League of Nations?

Answer 8

A8: In 1926, showing that Germany was becoming a respected international power again.

Question 9

Q9: What was the Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928)?

Answer 9

A9: 62 countries (including Germany) agreed not to use war to settle disputes — another sign of international cooperation.

Question 10

Q10: What impact did Stresemann’s foreign policy have on Germany?

Answer 10

A10: It increased Germany’s international prestige and made war less likely — many Germans began to trust the Republic more.

Question 11

Q11: What were the “Golden Years”?

Answer 11

A11: A period of economic and cultural recovery in Germany under Stresemann, especially from 1924 to 1929.

Question 12

Q12: What improvements happened during the Golden Years?

Answer 12

A12: Unemployment fell, wages rose, more houses were built, and art, music, and cinema flourished.

Question 13

Q13: Why were the Golden Years not perfect?

Answer 13

A13: Economic recovery relied on US loans, and some Germans (especially farmers and the unemployed) were left behind.

Question 14

Q14: Why did some people criticise the cultural changes of the 1920s?

Answer 14

A14: Traditional Germans and right-wing groups thought the new culture was too modern, immoral, and unpatriotic.

Question 15

Q15: What happened to Stresemann in 1929?

Answer 15

A15: He died in October 1929 — just before the Wall Street Crash, which would undo much of the progress.