Weimar Germany and the Roaring

Twenties

Overview• Weimar Republic

• Party Politics• Occupation of the Rhineland

• Hyperinflation• Locarno

• Dawes Plan• Unemployment

• Stock Market Crash

• Kaiser Wilhelm is overthrown in November, and a constitutional convention is held in the town of Weimar

• 1919: First democratic constitution of a united Germany

Revolution! – A new government declared

in Weimar

Germany 1918Sailors Strike!

Structure of the Weimar Gov’t

Proportional Representation

• Number of seats in parliament is proportional to the percentage of votes

Makes it easy for small parties to

thrive.

Votes cast for a party, not an individual

Powers of the President

• Under the new constitution, the President had the power to:

• dismiss the cabinet

• dissolve the Reichstag

• veto legislation

• use plebiscite (public vote) to bypass Reichstag

• emergency powers to allow cabinet to rule without consent of Reichstag if public order required it

The Early Years

• The Weimar government gets off to a shakey start, facing opposition from a strong Marxist left (Marxist rebellions in 1919 and 1922) and a potent, but less organized, nationalist right (coup attempt 1920, assassination attempts in 1922; early Nazi coup attempt in 1923)

Beer Hall Putsch

Left and Right• bitter about “betrayal” of socialist revolution

• blames the ruling Social Democratic Party for betraying the working class, the class that brought about the German republic

• resentment about Versailles

• Blames Ebert (social democrat) and his “internationalist” views for the acceptance of the terms of the treaty

NATIONALISM

• students, war veterans, army officers, denounce “war-guilt” clause, demanded the return of Germany’s colonies, right to rearm

• perpetuate “stabbed in the back” theory

• blamed Communists and Jews

• Said Germany was not defeated but cheated by Allies

• Tied to racism, anti-semitism and ideas of a “master race”, social Darwinism, Eugenics

Economic Problems

• Weimar government is burdened with reparations payments of the Versailles treaty

• Crippling economic problems following on the war and sanctions exacerbate the crisis

Currency Crisis

• Prior to World War, the German unit of currency, the Mark, was one of the strongest in Europe, (about 4 or 5 for each to the dollar).

• Following World War I, the German financial world collapsed and inflation was rampant

• Indeed, from 1920 to 1923 Germany entered a period of hyperinflation such that at its worst, in 1923, the Mark traded at 4 trillion to one dollar

Inflation

War Debt and Inflation

•Rather than cut spending or raise taxes to pay for the war, the government continued to borrow and to print more money

•As the ar dragged, shortages and inflation became a problem so that the price of domestic goods doubled between 1914 and 1919

Locarno Pact (1925) – demilitarized Rhineland

Kellogg-Braind Pact (1928) – 65 nations outlawed war as an

instrument of foreign policy

Dawes Plan – US $$$ to Germany

Young Plan – further reduced reparationsPOST WWI GERMANY

Post WWI Germany

Reparations• Inflation and an unstable currency

continues to be an early problem for the new government

• In January 1923, the government misses a reparation payment

• In response, France and occupy the Ruhr valley -- the German industrial heartland – The Germans go on strike and begin printing currency, driving up inflation.

Strike• Given the DMZ and the troop

reductions, Germany unable to do anything

• Instead, the SPD covertly supports workers’ strikes in the occupied areas, and opts to pay the workers (some 2 million people) to stay home

• To do this, the government just prints more money and circulates the bills

Hyperinflation

• That decision leads to period of hyperinflation, wiping out the financial resources of most German families

ECONOMIC DISTRESS – Hyper Inflation 1921-24• In 1919, one loaf of bread cost 1 mark; by late1923, it cost 100,000,000,000 marks!

•By 1932: 6 million out of work

1922 192319211920

WEAKNESSES OF THE WEIMAR REPUBLIC – weak president, many political parties (~40)

LACK OF DEMOCRATIC TRADITION – history of autocracy, Democracy = economic

failure, Nazi promises of economic stability, nationalistic glory

POLARIZATION OF POLITICS-- Crises lead to strong parties on the far left

and far right.

APPEAL OF THE NAZIS–mass politics, propaganda, violence,

suppressed opposition,Blamed political and economic problems on

Jews, communists and socialists.

Weimar

• The pointlessness of the war,the flu epidemic, the post warfamine and the hyperinflation strongly shaped youth culture inthe major German cities, particularly Berlin

• Unstable currency made it pointless to save money

Political extremism• Parties on the extreme left (the

Communist party) and the extreme right (various nationalist and conservative parties including the Nazis) begin to gain in elections despite the general economic stability from 1924-1929

Hitler comes to power• ELECTION 1932

• President –

• Paul von Hindenburg 19,360,000

• Hitler – 13,400,000

• Reichstag – Nazi Party 230 seats, 38%

HINDENBURG NAMES HITLER CHANCELLOR

Jan. 1933

Reichstag Fire• A month after Hitler is named

Chancellor, on 27 February, the Reichstag is burned by communist radicals (allegedly)

• Hitler uses that as a pretext to invoke Article 48 of the Constitution allowing for emergency powers

Elections to Dictatorship• Elections in March of that year

(1933) do not give the Nazis the clear majority they need, but still have enough support from minor parties to form majority coalition

• On 23 March, Hitler orchestrates passage of the Enabling Act, a law which gave Hitler and his cabinet the ability to pass legislation without going through the legislature