Zusammenfassung der Ressource
The Weimar Republic
- The German Revolution 1918
- Causes
- Failure in WW1
- 2 million German troops died
- Hardship in War
- Influenza epidemic
- Food shortages due to
allied blockade
- Russian Revolution 1917
- Events
- 29 Oct - Sailor's mutiny
- 4 Nov - Workers and
Soldiers council set
up in Kiel
- 40,000 workers
- 7 Nov - Bavaria revolt
- King fled
- Declared to people's state
- 9 Nov - Kaiser abdicated
- Effects
- Armistice - 11 Nov
- Weimar government formed
- The New Constitution
- Weaknesses
- Coalitions
- Unstable government
- Article 48
- Unlimited power
- Small parties with few votes
got into govt
- Strengths
- Democracy -> elections
- Checks and balances made sure power was divided
- Men AND women over 20 could vote
- Treaty of Versailles
- Terms
- Pay reparations (6600 million pounds)
- Lost colonies
- Military forces cut
- Army limited to 100,000,
- No airforce
- Lost land
- 13% of European territory
- 50% of iron reserves
- Reactions
- Politicians
- Not able to negotiate, but were
forced to agree
- Diktat
- Requested changes - not accepted
- German people
- Way too harsh
- Dolchstoss (stab in the back)
- Believed army had not
been defeated, could
have gone on
- Called politicians The November Criminals
- Political Problems
- Spartacist uprising
- Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg
- 100,000 communists demonstrated in Berlin
- took over key buildings
- Freikorps put down uprising
- 250,000 anti - communist demobilised soldiers
- Kapp Putsch
- 5000 right wing supporters of Kapp marched on Berlin
- Planned to overthrow govt.
- Government fled, urged workers to go on strike
- Berlin life stopped - Kapp realised he could not govern and fled
- Economic problems
- Causes
- Bankruptcy
- Reparations from TOV
- Lost land with coal
- Used gold reserves in wars
- Occupation of the Ruhr
- Germany could not pay reparations
- French sent troops to Ruhr
- Workers went on strike
- 80% of German coal and iron were in Ruhr
- Hyperinflation, govt. kept on printing money
- Effects
- Savings became worthless
- People had to be paid by the hour
- Shortages for everyone
- Businesses able to pay off loans