Extremism in Germany 1919-1923

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Threat from the Right:

Membership:

Junkers - eastern Prussia

Senior army officers

Industrial tycoons

German nationalist people's Party (DNVP) - see Germany struggle against other nations as key

Monarchist, anti semitic and anti socialist - anti democratic

Hugenburg was leader

Funded by cash from conservative elites and industrial tycoons

Hated Weimar Because:

Represents loss of power of extreme right

Open door to catholics and jews

Saw it as a socialist jewish republic (Sozirepublik, Judenrepublik)

See socialist government as november criminals (erzberger) - people who signed armistice as stab in the back, didn't know that war was completely lost (racist myth making from extreme right)

Versailles caused widespread anger throughout Germany: (perhaps why extremism so violent!)

The Diktat

War Guilt Clause

Polish Corridor

Kapp Putsch: 1920

Right wing attempt to seize power triggered by versailles - versailles dismembers German army

Freikorps and Army forced to disarm

Erhardt and Kapp attempt to take over buildings in Berlin

Army refused to stop kapp putsch as did not want to shoot fellow men

Failed:

Berlin civil servants refused to work

Poorly organised - didn't secure support

General strikes organised by socialists

Erhardt then forms organisation consul:

Assassinated various left wing leaders - killed over 300 men

Mattias Erzberger assassinated - signed armistice/november criminal

Rathenau - assassinated principally because jewish (NOTE: after Rathenau assassinated the organisation forced to disassemble due to public protest - public not anti semetic!)

Crisis 1923 Left wing and Right Wing Intervention:

1923 - Germany failed to pay reparations so France occupied Ruhr

Government orders passive resistance - creates unemployment and factories loss of raw materials so owners forced to lay off workers - government lost tax revenue due to unemployment and has to pay money to workers in war (Budget deficit) - saw solution as to print more money so inflation spiralled out of control (KEY IDEA >>)

Left Wing:

Mid 1923 prices outstrip wages, strikes, looting and hunger - German unstable - KPD seize power in Saxony BUT the freikorps again put a stop to this

Right Wing:

Middle class lost out most heavily (permanent losers) - savings reduced to nothing, pensions lost, if lent government money lost, insurance policies -> MOSTLY RIGHT WING MIDDLE CLASS so unrest for them caused hatred towards republic/democracy

Middle and upper class fear communist putsch (which occurred in saxony) - Freikorps brutally stopped

French Ruhr occupation sparks nationalistic mood and hatred for allies and the treaty of versailles - blame stab in the back and democracy

Munich Putsch - planning a coup within Bavaria and then take over Berlin and Weimar -Hitler organise march through munich (naive and hoped people would support) - Putsch stopped by police as they were alerted by Kahr and remained loyal to him, fails due to division within right wing

Why Republic Survived:

Left lacked broad support as did right

Right had internal divisions ie national socialist and other right wing groups in Bavaria (didn't cooperate and use resources together)