Weimar Germany.

Weimar Germany.

The Weimar Republic 1918-23
1. Friedrich Ebert put together the Weimar Republic. But it had major weaknesses
2. problems for the Weimar Republic
  1. The Constitution
    1. Key features of the constitution
      1. proportional reperesentation
      2. Elections every 4 hours
      3. Chancellor needed a majority in the Reichstag to pass laws
      4. Government could suspend it & pass laws by decree
    2. Proportional representation meant, lots of small parties. Coalition goverments>unstable & hard to get get agreement when partners wanted different things. this led to difficulties in getting laws passed which meant that suspending teh constitution often was the only way
  2. Treaty of Versailles
    1. Hated by Germans
    2. Harsh conditions
  3. Attacks from the right
    1. Kapp Putsch, March 1920, Freirkorps seized power in Berlin while army+police stood by. Weimar Government called on workersto strike and many did, so the Kapp Putsch failed.
  4. Hyperinflation
    1. Government printed money to pay reperartions, wages and so on. Money became worthless.
  5. French occupation of Ruhr
    1. January 1923, french troops occupied the Ruhr when Germany faile dto pay reperations. german workers Wrecked equipment, so FRench couldn't make much money. German economy= wrecked.
  6. Attacks from the left
    1. The Spartacist uprising in January 1919 was defeated by the Weimar government with help from the Frierkorps.
      1. Spartacist: communist group who tried to take over Germany
      2. Frierkorps: ex soldiers returning from WW1
The recovery of the Republic.
1. Since the disastrous situation in 1923, German economy had shown signs of recovery by 1929
2. Signs of increasing political stability were seen
3. But there wre estill some problems which menat recovery wouldn't last long.
4. what happened?
  1. November 1923
    1. Stresemen introduced new currency- Rentenmark
      1. stabilised currency
      2. German people showed confidence in it.
  2. 1924
    1. Rentenmark converted to Reichsmark
      1. Gradually restored the value of German money
    2. Stresemann negotiated Dawes plan
      1. reduced reperations and reorganised
      2. French withdrew from the Ruhr
    3. 1924-30
      1. US loans
        payed for reperations
        helped German industry
  3. 1925
    1. Locarno Pact
      1. Britian <3 France
      2. Guaranteed borders: Belgium, France and Italy
    2. Stresemann: entry of League of Nations
      1. Germany seen as great power
  4. 1928
    1. Kellog-Briand Pact
      1. Germany agreed to settle dispute
      2. Wasn't Stresemann initiative but helped other countries trust Germanay more.
  5. 1929
    1. Young Plan
      1. Set timescale and reduced reperations
      2. France agreed to leave the Rhineland early

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	Created by 2k10sakhtar about 11 years ago