Weimar Flashcards
(7 cards)
What does BRAT stand for?
It is the terms of the Treaty of Versailles
BLAME
- Germany was forced to accept blame for starting the war under the War Guilt Clause
REPARITIONS
- Germany was forced to pay for the damage suffered by Britain and France during the war. In 1922 the amount to be paid was set at £6.6 billion
ARMY
- Army and navy reduced in size, air forced abolished
- 100,000 troops in the army and no tanks
- Conscription banned
- Navy reduced to 15,000
- 6 battleships, no submarines
TERRITORY
- Lost land on all sides of its borders as well as overseas colonies
Why did the French and Belgians invade the Ruhr?
Because the Germans had defaulted on their second reparation payment in 1922 - The first payment had taken all they could afford to pay
- The aim was to confiscate industrial goods in place of reparations payments
What did the German government order the Ruhr workers to do when the French and Belgians occupied it?
Passive resistance - stop working or cooperating
- The Government promised they would continue to pay their wages
What caused hyperinflation?
- Germany was already suffering from hyperinflation due to the war and government debt
- The Ruhr Valley was Germany’s most productive industrial centre. Due to passive resistance to the French, the loss of productivity hurt the German economy, so they had to print more money
- The government promised to pay the striking workers, despite not having any money. To deal with this, they printed more money, causing it’s value to spiral - meaning they had to print more to keep up.
What were the consequences of hyperinflation?
- Prices spiralled out of control, for example, a loaf of bread, which cost 250 marks in January 1923, had risen to 200,000 million marks in November 1923.
- By autumn 1923, it cost more to print a note than the note itself was actually worth
Who were the winners of hyperinflation?
- Borrowers, like businessmen found they were able to pay back loans with worthless money
- People in wages were safe at first, as they renegotiated their wages every day
- Farmers, as their products remained in demand
Who were the losers of hyperinflation?
- People on fixed incomes, pensioners or the sick
- People with savings or those who had lent money
