Weimar Germany 1923-1929

Politics
1. After 1923 politics became more peaceful, and extreme parties didn't get mass support until after 1929. Between 1924 and 1929 there were 6 different governments.
2. Smaller parties would evolve around just one issue. One of these was a party that were only concerned with getting compensation for those who lost during hyperinflation.
3. In the 1925 presidential election, Hindenburg won by 3%. The SPD had withdrawn in an attempt to get more votes for the centre but as the communists did not withdraw the election went to the right.
4. Foreign policy
  1. Stresemann
    1. Stresemann was chancellor of Germany between August and November 1923, he then became Foreign mister from 1923 until his death in 1929.
    2. Dawes plan was negotiated by Stresemann and was accepted by the Reichstag in April 1924. It meant that Germany would pay off reparations in monthly installments and the amounts to be paid would be based upon Germany's capacity to pay.
      1. The plan meant that German economic problems had received international recognition. Germany also got credit for the cash-starved German economy. It also meant that the French promised to evacuate the Ruhr during 1925.
      2. In the short term the Dawes plan was a success, the German economy received twice as much money as they paid out in reparations. Relations between Germany and France improved because reparations were being paid out regularly. However the system was highly reliant on American loans. The success of Germany was to be based on other external economies.
    3. Locarno Pact
      1. In 1925 a series of treaties were signed which were aimed at securing Germany's western borders. The plan was backed by the US and UK although France were initially hesitant.
      2. A mutual guarantee government accepted the Franco-German and Belgian-German borders. All the nations renounced the use of force, except in self-defence.
      3. The demilitarisation of the Rhineland was recognised as permanent.
      4. The arbitrition treaties between Germany, Poland and Czechoslovakia agreed to settle future disputes peacefully.
      5. This represented an important diplomatic development. Germany had been freed from isolation from the allies and treated as an equal partner. Germany achieved a lot at little cost.
    4. Treaty of Berlin
      1. Stresemann wanted to remain on good terms with the USSR so they signed the Treaty of Berlin in April 1926.
      2. The treaty reduced strategic fears on Germany's eastern front and put more pressure on Poland to give way to German demands for frontier changes.
Economy
1. Strengths
  1. Industry
    1. Heavy industry was able to recover relatively quickly, by 1928 production levels reached the levels of 1913.
    2. Industry had the advantage of lower cost because of the cartels. IG Farben became the largest manufacturing enterprise in Europe.
    3. Between 1925 and 1929, German exports rose by 40%. Hourly wage rates rose each year from 1924 to 1930 and by as much as 5-10% in 1927 and 1928.
  2. Social welfare
    1. In the early 1920s, generous pensions and sickness benefits were introduced.
    2. In 1927, a compulsory unemployment insurance covering 17 million workers were created; this was the largest of its kind in the world.
    3. State subsidies were provided for the construction of local amenities, such as parks, schools, sports facilities and council housing.
2. Weaknesses
  1. Economic growth was uneven and in 1926, production declined.
  2. Unemployment never fell below 1.3 million
  3. Grain production was still only 3/4 that of 1913 levels.
  4. Fundamental economic problems
    1. World economic conditions did not favour Germany. Germany had relied upon its ability to export.
    2. The changing balance of the population meant that there were more school leavers because of the high pre war birth rate. Even without a recession there would be a large number of unemployed people.
    3. Savers had lost lots of money due to the great inflation and after 1924 there was less enthusiasm to invest. The economy relied upon foreign investors.
    4. Although the government had balanced the budget by 1924, from 1925 they continually ran into debt. By 1928, 26% of GNP was used in public expenditure, which was twice the pre war level. The government was forced to rely on international loans. The situation in Germany did not provide a basis for solid future economic growth.
Culture
1. During this period Germany witnessed a major cultural revolution. Weimar Germany was a liberal society that upheld toleration and reduced censorship.
2. Neue Sachlinchkeit
  1. This is the idea of a desire to show reality and objectivity.
  2. ART: Aimed at commenting on the state of society. The paintings of Georg Grosz and Otto Dix epitmoised this and their caricatures had strong political and social messages.
  3. ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN: The Bauhaus movement was a new style that influenced all aspects of design. Buildings were based on the relationship between art and technology, its motto was 'Art and Technology - a new unity'.
  4. LITERATURE: The best selling authors during the time were actually those who wrote traditional nostalgic literature. Thomas Mann, who won the nobel prize for literature, was not part of the Neue Sachlichkeit movement. The more avant garde style included books that examined life in Weimar Germany.
  5. THEATRE: Theatre developed into Zeittheater, theatre of the time, and introduced new methods, often with explicit left-wing sympathies- these were most evident in the plays of Bertolt Brecht and Erwin Piscator.
3. Mass culture
  1. In Germany the development of mass communication methods and had international influences, especially from the US.
  2. FILM: During the 1920s the German film industry became the most advanced in Europe. German film makers were well respected, the most notable of which was Metropolis. The film market was dominated by the UFA, run by Alfred Hugenberg.
  3. RADIO: Radio became a mass medium. The German Radio Company was established in 1923. By 1932 1 in 4 Germans owned a radio.
  4. CABARET: Berlin had a vibrant nightlife. Clubs had a permissiveness mocked the conventions of the old Germany.
4. CLASH OF CULTURES: Some people embraced and enjoyed the cultural experimentation, but most Germans were horrified by it and saw it as the decline in established moral and cultural standards. Weimar society became increasingly polarised before the economic and political crisis in 1929.
A DECEPTIVE STABILITY?
1. AN UNSTABLE ECONOMY: The economic recovery was built on unstable foundations that created a false idea of prosperity. Problems persisted and were temporarily hidden only by a reliance on credit from abroad. The economy was tied up with powerful external forces over which they had not control.
2. FOREIGN AFFAIRS: Even with the sucessed of Stresemann were offset by the fact that significant numbers of hus fellow coutnryman rejected his policy and looked for a more hardline approach.
3. A DIVIDED SOCIETY: Germany was still divided by deep class differences and regional and religious differences. The war and years afterwards had left bitterness, fear and resentment between employers and their workers.
4. POLITICAL DIVISION: The parliamentary system failed to build on the changes of 1918. The original ideas of the constitution had not been developed upon and the system had not remarkably improved and there were little signs of a stable and mature system. The main democratic parties still failed to see the need to work together.

Next up

Weimar Germany 1923-1929

Description

Resource summary

Similar

	Created by tdkroscoe almost 10 years ago