HI031: UNIT 1 AOS1

CRISIS AND CONFLICT WEEK 4:The Weimar Republic 1919-1933

LEARNING INTENTION: Identify how Germany was governed between 1919 and 1933

Success Criteria:• Define Weimar Republic• Describe the ‘German Revolution’• List the Challenges facing the Weimar Government• Outline the ‘Golden Age’ of the Weimar Republic• Explain why the Weimar Republic failed

Today:

1. German Revolution2. Characteristics of Weimar Republic3. Challenges faced by Republic4. Golden Age?5. The Failure of the Weimar Republic

From Empire to republicSovereignty Right to rule

Kaiser has sovereignty Monarchy

People have sovereignty Liberal Democracy

Weimar Republic: What is it?

The parliamentary republic was established in 1919 in Germany, replacing imperial form of government. It was named after Weimar, the city where the constitutional assembly took place.

Weimar Republic was unstable: in its 14 years of operation, there were 16 different chancellors

The German Revolution(?)

The German Revolution

• At the end of the war, workers and soldiers were rebelling and forming councils modelled after the soviets of the Russian Revolution. This quickly spread throughout Germany

• Participants seized military and civil powers in individual cities

• Caused great anxiety as many believed communism was enveloping Germany

• Workers and soldiers were generally represented by the Social democratic party, though a communist party known as the Sparticists were also gaining support.

The German Revolution

• November 9 1918: Two parties claim a republic. • Social Democratic Party – Led by Friedrick Ebert • Sparticist party with communist values (led by Liebknecht and

Luxemburg).• Ebert got support of military and Freikorps and has Leibknecht and

Luxemburg beaten to death. Ebert later gets voted in and becomes Chancellor and president of Weimar Republic which was established shortly after.

CHALLENGES FACED BY WEIMAR REPUBLIC

Characteristics of the Weimar Republic

• Radical ‘right’ political parties oppose the republic, disliking the signing of the Versailles treaty. Radical ‘left’ political parties wish to establish communist state

• Radical Right: Kapp Putsch• Radical Right: Hitler Putsch 1923 • Economic instability – paying back war

reparations leads to hyperinflation

The Kapp Putsch

They attacked government buildings and effectively took control of the government. However, this didn’t last as they weren’t equipped with the ability to run the government. Workers went on strike and the economy came to a stand-still.

The Kapp Putsch was a direct threat to Weimar’s new government. Kapp was assisted by General Luttwitz who lead a group of Freikorps men. On March 13th, 1920, Luttwitz seized Berlin and proclaimed that a new right of centre nationalist government was being established with Kapp as chancellor.

The Kapp Putsch

German Hyperinflation of 1923

• Rapid increase in price of goods and services• Dramatic collapse in value of currency

German banknotes used as fuel. It was cheaper to use than

wood!

Streseman saves republic:December 1, 1923

• Created a new currency ‘Rentenmark’1 trillion German marks = 1 Rentenmark

• Reparation payments resume, economy stabilises

Gustsav Stresemann: Chancellor of Weimar Republic 1923

Hitler Putsch(Attempted)

On November 9th 1923, Hitler and 2000 Nazis march on Berlin intending to take control of the country and arrest the government as traitors. They were met by armed police and fired at. What happened next? Two

versions:

•A Nazi official claimed he took bullets that were heading for Hitler•The other account is that Hitler ran away to a waiting car and fled to safety

13 Nazis were killedHitler was later sentenced and tried from treason. He was sentenced to 5 years jail, where he enjoyed the comforts of low security prison and wrote ‘Mein Kampf’.

This attempt made him nationally famous and many who resented the republic would later support him. He later saved the Nazi party from collapse

The Golden Age of the Weimar Republic

1923 - 1929

The Golden Age

• We’ll look closely at this in AOS3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• For today though, bare in mind that:

- More stable economy- Bohemian lifestyles- Artists flocked to Munich and

Berlin and great developments occurred

The Golden Age has a dark side...

• But throughout this time, their was still an undercurrent of anti-semitism and fear of Communism

• The Nazi Party was a place for many to engage in these ideas

The failure of the Weimar Republic

Reasons for the failure

The Great Depression: - Financial recovery of 1923 relied on US money which halted when the

American stock market crashed in 1929. Massive unemployment, hunger, uncertainty ensued. Led to Nazis and communist parties gaining more support as faith in the Weimar failed

Failure in democracy: - Hindenburg (the president) never a true democrat, forced the republic to

accept Heinrich Bruning as new chancellor. This overrode the principle of democracy as he was not voted into power. He and Von Baden would later do the same for Hitler.

Nazi Party get into power

Since 1929 Hitler had been gradually building up the Nazi party. With the economic crisis Hitler gained much support as the spirit of the Weimar was failing. Hitler was invited to be Chancellor of the republic by Hindenburg and Von Papen. They saw him as saving the democratic system and keeping out the communists, who also were gaining support. Nazis were known as being radical, but it was believed Hitler could be controlled. They were wrong.

Summary: Left (communist) and right (Nazi, national socialist) wing pressure, as well as economic demise, brought about the failure of the Weimar. The Nazis were the best placed to take advantage of this.