What was the impact of the Treaty of Versailles on the Republic?

Question 1

What was the impact of the Treaty of Versailles on the Republic?

Answer 1

• Many believed Treaty was “a stab in the back”
• Treaty punished Germany harshly and led to social, political and economic instability (problems for the Weimar government)
• Only few benefitted from hyperinflation

Question 2

Why did many Germans believe the Treaty was a stab in the back?

Answer 2

• Many expecting a fairer peace settlement based on Wilson’s Fourteen Points
• Germany not invited to negotiations at the Paris Peace Conference (led many referring to it as a “diktat” - dictated peace)
• Ebert (no choice) but to sign Treaty of Versailles in June 1919

Question 3

How did the Treaty punish Germany?

Answer 3

• Article 231 (war guilt clause), Germany to accept full blame for starting the war
• Reparations set at £6.6 billion in 1921
• Coal from the Saarland went to France for 15 years
• Army limited to 100,000 soldiers with no conscription, no tanks or air force
• Navy reduced to six battleships, 15,000 sailors and no submarines
• Germany lost 10% of land and all overseas colonies
• Alsace-Lorraine went back to France and Polish Corridor split Germany in two
• 12.5% of Germans would now live in other countries
• 16% coal and 48% iron industry lost

Question 4

What political instability followed the Treaty of Versailles?

Answer 4

• March 1920, Kapp Putsch
• In 1922, foreign minister Walther Rathenau was assassinated
• In 1923, Nazis, led by Hitler attempted the Munich Putsch which failed

Question 5

What happened in the Kapp Putsch?

Answer 5

• Wolfgang Kapp attempted a rebellion using Freikorps units
• Army refused to stop the Freikorps but workers organised a general strike which brought Putsch to an end
• Rebels went unpunished

Question 6

What was the impact of the Kapp Putsch?

Answer 6

Weimar government realised it could not rely on the army

Question 7

What was the Munich Putsch?

Answer 7

• During the hyperinflation crisis of 1923, Hitler persuaded Ludendorff
  to join him in taking over Munich in a revolution
• Aim was for Nazis to establish dictatorship in Bavaria and then overthrow Weimar government
• On Nov 8th 1923, Hitler burst into politicians’ meeting (Kahr and Lossow) in the beer hall with the SA to force them into the revolution + take power by force
• They agreed but later informed the police who killed 16 members of the SA
• Hitler and other Nazi leaders received short sentences

Question 8

What was the impact of the Munich Putsch?

Answer 8

• Hitler and other Nazi leaders gained publicity in Germany
• Hitler wrote Mein Kampf
• Hitler realised that only way to gain power was through democracy (and then undermining it), so reorganised party to take part in elections
• Served little time from leniency of judge, so people in authority had sympathy with his cause

Question 9

What economic instability followed the Treaty of Versailles?

Answer 9

• In 1922, government failed to pay second reparations instalment so France and Belgium invaded the Ruhr in January 1923
• Ebert ordered passive resistance, workers went on strike
• French soldiers killed 130 Germans and expelling over 100,000
• Industrial production was halted, so Ebert authorised printing of money to pay debt
• Led to hyperinflation

Question 10

What was the impact of hyperinflation for Germany?

Answer 10

• German mark became worthless
• People had to barter
• Middle classes + pensioners lost savings
• Loss of faith in democratic institutions + deep resentment + fear of inflation
• Rise of extremism by exploiting public anger, negative cohesion, scapegoating (Munich Putsch occurred at the height of hyperinflation crisis)

Question 11

Who benefitted from hyperinflation?

Answer 11

• Industrialists paid off debts from banks using worthless marks
• Big businesses easily bought out smaller businesses
• People with mortgages paid them off, at a fraction of the cost