The Weimar Republic

small city

Berlin was destroyed

1918

Allies had clearly won

offered peace under strict conditions

Germany had to be more democratic

Kaiser should abdicate

Socialists led uprisings of

Soldiers

9th of November of 1918

Kaiser abdicated his throne

10th of November of 1918

Became the new leader

German republic

Signed an armistice with the allies

End the war

Promised

Freedom of speech and worship

Better working conditons

attempted to set up

most democratic syste in the world

no individual could have much power

Proportional representation in the Reichstag

German people elected

President

head of the sate

International work

Emergency powers

appointed to

Armed forces

Judeges (court)

Chancellor

Prime minister

day to day government

appointed to the government ministers

needed support of the Reichstag

Local goverments

which were 17

Left

Communists

wanted

Germany ruled by worker councils and soviets

NO democracy

Communist revolution

Ebert was afraid

Germany might go the same way as Russia

ask help

anti-communist group

Paramilitar and vigilante

They crushed revolts

1919

Rebellion

Barvaria's leader was killed

Communist declared a soviet republic

Remained as a

Powerful and anti-goverment force

Old Bolsheviks

Leaders

Roxa Luxemburg

Karl Liebknecht

Were killed in a revolution

Punishment was different for it section

Left

hardly punished by jugdes

Right

went to cour but

were from the right

gave them more tolerant punishments

not so stricts

shorter prison sentences

For example Hitler (was given a not severe punishment
after all he had done)

Right

People who had grown in the succesful

Kaiser days

They refused to

Treaty of Versailles

Restrictions of the army

Losses of territory and industries

wanted

Kaiser dictatorial style of government

Germany to have

Strong army

Expasion of territory

Empire

Powerful industry

Leader

rebellion

Ebert could not ask help to

the army

he asks help to the German people

industrial workers of Berlin

General strike

NO water or transport

Kapp realises he can't
with it and goes

Achievements

Culture

revival in Germany

Weimar republic

people started going to clubs

golden age of

german cinema

Design and architecture

developed

freedom

artists
writers
poets
singers

Critisized politicians, business men, church and army leaders

flourished

Economy

He was a more skillful politician than Ebert

He was Right-winger

wider support

He built up German PROSPERITY again

He signed the Dawes plan

Reparations payment in a longer period

Asked American loans

for the

Public work

Business

These facilities

Provided jobs

Higher standard of living

Industries

Technology

In 1928

became the 2nd world's greatest industrial power

behind USA

Foreign policy

Determined western borders

with

France

Belgium

1926

was accepted in the League of Nations

Stresemann wanted to reverse
some terms of the Treaty of Versailles

1929

He negotiated the Young Plan

lightened reparation prices

removed british, french and Belgium troops

From Rhineland

Politics

Germany became more stable

No more attempted revolutions

Problems

Culture

People from

Countryside

German villages

believed

Wandervogel movement

Return to simple country values

culture of cities representad
a MORAL DECLINE

Economy

The economic boom was precarious

Main winners

Big business

Chemical and steel industries

Landowners

Workers of big industries

Main loosers

Overproduction in peacetime

Sections of the middle classes

Politics

4 Chancellors

30% of German people

voted parties opposed to the Republic

The Nazis and other political parties

were gaining power

1926

German people elected Hidenburg as president

followed Kaiser ideas

opposed to democracy

Foreign policy

Nationalists attacked Stresemann for

joining the League of Nations

It meant Germany
accepted the Treaty of Versailles

signing the Locarno Treaties

Germany was still
a troubled place

Germany had no
goods to trade or sell

Government started
printing money

It seemed to be
a good solution

They could pay

Debts/war loans etc.

Bad consequences

Prices and salaries rocketed

Prices could rise
in less than an hour

Most affected

Middle-class families
with SAVINGS

The money they had saved
lost so much value that

1921

A house

1923

A loaf of bread

The situation needed
URGENT ACTION

August of 1923

Replaced worthless marks with RETENMARKS

Continued production in the Ruhr

Renegotiated pay reparations

EConomic crisis was solved quickly

Hyperinflation damaged politically
the Weimar republic

Government lost support of middle classes

May 1919

It was announced

big crisis

Freikorps and most
people were furious

Ebert was blamed for
betraying the country

he had no choice

He could not go back to war

Germany lost

10% of its territory

All of its overseas colonies

12,5% of its population

16% of coal industry
48% of iron industry

THe navy and army were reduced

Lost its air force

was obliged to

accept the blame for starting the war

Pay reparations to all the Allies

€6.000 million

It caused an economic disaster

Destabilised Germany politically
and economically

Germany could not pay the
reparations the second year

France and Belgium

Army was not allowed

inside Rhineland

Full of industries

It was legal according to the
Treaty of Versailles

Ebert told workers to stop
production to solve this

France and Belgium
reacted harshly

Many workers were killed

Collapse in german industries