Gustav Stresemann

• “Germany’s Greatest Statesman” J Wright.

Career

• Founder / Leader of the DVP

• August 1923: Stresemann becomes Chancellor for a brief time in Weimar’s darkest period.

• He was to remain as Foreign minister until his death on 3rd October 1929.

Aims and Methods

• Stresemann’s long term goal was the revision of the hated Versailles Treaty while at the same time seeking rapprochement with the Allies.

• However because of German military weakness he could only pursue his ends through negotiation and open diplomacy.

• He used Germany’s economic potential and links with Russia to put pressure on the Allies to improve relations with Germany.

• He tried to reassure France that Germany wasn’t a threat by his policy of Erfullungspolitik (fulfilment).

Success?

• Astonishingly successful ( Kolb)

• 1923 Germany isolated and vulnerable

• 1929 USA had been won over to assist German recovery

• From the longer term perspective … he achieved very little (SJ Lee)

• Terms of Versailles intact

• Stresemann’s own assessment “ dancing on edge of volcano

Hyperinflation

• Appointed Chancellor in August 1923.

• In November Stresemann took decisive action to call off passive resistance.

• New currency, the Rentenmark, was quickly accepted.

• Stresemann lost the confidence of the Reichstag and was forced to resign but his successor appointed him Foreign Minister.

Foreign Policy

• “The central objective of Stresemann’s foreign policy was the restoration of Germany as a sovereign “great power” with equal rights” ( Kolb)

• “ Stresemann believed that the revival of German power would inevitably lead to revision of the treaty….while he lived, Europe moved towards peace and treaty revision at the same time.” AJP Taylor

The Debate

• Was Stresemann being pragmatic or devious?

• “Nothing great and permanent has ever been done in the world without give and take, compensation and compromise” Stresemann.

Dawes Plan 1924

• Named after the American banker who helped draft the plan.

• Total payments unchanged at 132,000 million marks.

• However annual payments reduced to take account of economic performance 1,000 million in the first five years rising to 2,500 million.

Benefits of the plan

• The French agreed to leave the Ruhr and the Allies undertook not to occupy German cities in the event of non payment

• The Germans were given an 800 million mark loan

• However the German railway system and allied control of the Reichsbank was given as security for the loan

Results of the Dawes Plan

• The Dawes Plan provided short term economic benefits to the German economy.

• It softened the burdens of reparations, stabilized the currency, and brought increased foreign investments and loans to the German market.

• However, it made the German economy dependent on foreign markets and economies, such that problems in America (e.g. the Great Depression) would directly and severely hurt Germany

• After World War I, this cycle of money from US loans to Germany, who made reparations to other European nations, who used the money to pay off their debts to America, locked the western world's economy on that of the US, a situation which would prove disastrous.

Locarno 1925

• The cartoon shows Stresemann, Briande and Austen Chamberlain the French and British Foreign Ministers

• Germany accepted Western borders as laid down by the Versailles treaty.

• Germany also signed treaties with Poland and Czechoslovakia agreeing not to use force to revise Eastern Borders

The Spirit of Locarno?

• Stresemann and Briande jointly awarded the Nobel peace prize.

• “By means of Locarno Germany had finally broken out of her moral and political isolation of the post war years” ( Kolb)

• “the most important and significant development based on the European order of 1919” Scheider

League of Nations 1926

• Germany invited to join proposed by France

• Given Great power status with veto on council.

• Could not join in collective action because disarmed

• Stresemann used every opportunity to raise issues of German minorities

Treaty of Berlin

• Stresemann used relations with the USSR as a lever to get concessions from the West.

• In 1926 he signed the Treaty of Berlin which had secret economic and military clauses

Allied Occupation

• 1924-5 French troops left the Ruhr

• 1925 Area around Cologne evacuated by Allied troops

• 1929-30 Allied occupation of the Rhineland ended early

Disarmament

• 1926 Allied Military control commission which monitored the military terms of Versailles withdrew

• 1928 Kellog Briande pact outlawed war

• Germany was secretly rearming

Success or Failure?• “No man…. did more to

destroy the Treaty of Versailles” Marks

• Reparations reduced and rescheduled

• Early evacuation of the Rhineland

• Restoration of German prestige on joining League

• Stresemann lucky because the Western Allies were more sympathetic towards Germany in this period.

• Domestic politics were more peaceful and allowed him to concentrate on Foreign policy

• Peukert argues that by 1929 it was clear that Stresemann’s policy of combining revisionism with rapprochement failed.

• Germany was more dependent on America and vulnerable to instability of world markets.

• Few concessions had been granted.

• Still demilitarised• His policy had failed to rally

support behind the Weimar

Good European or Good German?

• Gave up his nationalist past

• Idealist• Sincere• Sought rapprochement• “Germany desires to

cooperate on the basis of mutual confidence with all nations in the league” Stresemanm

• German nationalist through and through.

• Opportunist • Deceitful• “German policy must

be one of machination” Stresemann

Controversy

• Up until 1935 and after 1945 Stresemann was much admired.

• After release of his complete diaries there was a reassessment of his transformation from a nationalist to a European.

• Crucial letter to Crown Prince.• Almost all recent research

agrees that he was “ coolly calculating realist, nationalist power politician” ( Kolb)

Assessment of Stresemann

• “Without a doubt Stresemann’s contribution towards the steady improvement in Germany’s international fortunes was a significant one. On the other hand a favourable, international situation, American financial support and Germany’s growing economic power probably contributed as much” Carr