History Revision Unit 2 Key Topic 1

Treaty of Versailles:
Terms:
Germany had to pay reparations to the Allies (6.6bn)
Germany lost all its colonies (Inc. 11 in Africa)
German military forces were cut
o Army 100,000
o Navy 6 battleships, 6 cruisers, 12 destroyers and 12 torpedo
boats (0 submarines)
o No air force
o Rhineland demilitarised
Germany lost land
o Alsace and Lorraine to France
o Eupen and Malmdy to Belgium
o Posen and West Prussia to Poland (split Germany and cut off
East Prussia)
o Altogether: 13% European territory, 50% iron and 15% coal
reserves
Effects and reactions:
Weakened the popularity of the Weimar Republic
Caused lasting political protest (Sparticist and Kapp Putsch)
Harmed Germanys economy
Dolchstoss the stab in the back and the November Criminals
How the Weimar Constitution was agreed:
After the Kaiser departed, Germany was at unrest and violent
political groups that clashed with the army controlled some towns.
Ebert and a few other moderate social democrats formed the Council
of Peoples Representatives a temporary government. They
organised elections for a National Assembly.
In February 1919 a new constitution was created in Weimar because
there was too much political unrest in Berlin. It remained the Weimar
Republic even after it was moved back into Berlin. By August 1919
the Assembly had drawn up the new constitution.
Terms and Weaknesses of the new Weimar:
Terms:
More democracy
System of checks and balances power was shared out
Local government
Central government had more power than ever before
The Reichstag was the dominant house
o Controlled taxation

o Members elected every four years

o All men and women over 20 voted with a secret ballot
o Proportional representation seats were given depending on
percentage of votes
The Reichsrat were the other house
o Members were sent from each local region depending on its
size
o They could delay new laws unless they had 2/3 majority in the
Reichstag
The chancellor was the head of the government
o Chose ministers and ran the country
o To pass laws he needed Reichstag majority
President was head of state
o Directly elected every seven years
o No part in day to day government
o Powerful
Chose the chancellor
Could dismiss the Reichstag, call new elections and
controlled the army
Article 48: he could suspend the constitution, and pass
laws by decree
Weaknesses:
Proportional Representation: even small parties got seats in the Reichstag
so in the 1920s, when there were 28 parties, it was extremely difficult to
get a majority support without coalitions.
Because of the balancing of powers it was difficult for the chancellor to
have a strong government. In a crisis, the chancellor could not get the
biggest parties to agree on what to do so he would have to ask the
president to use Article 48.
This made the chancellor look weak and gave the impression that the
constitution was failing. Extremist parties didnt support it because it
didnt agree with it and other parties believed it was weak and too
moderate.
Bankruptcy:
All of the gold reserves had been spent in the war, leaving the
government bankrupt. Due to the treaty, Germany needed to pay
reparations but they had lost many of their wealth-earning areas and the
Allies refused to give them reductions on the reparations. By 1923,
Germany could no longer pay.
Occupation of the Ruhr:
Debt, unemployment and shortage of goods were increased even further
when in retaliation the French sent 750,00 troops into the German
industrial area of the Ruhr and confiscated raw materials, manufactured
goods and industrial materials. This resulted in the disruption of many

factories and around 80 per cent of German coal; iron and steel were
stolen major additions to their economy. The German government were
forced to urge passive resistance, which made them seem weak yet again
even though they didnt have much choice.
Inflation the price of goods went up:
The government were receiving less money from taxes because of
unemployment but they needed money for reparations. During 1919-23,
government income was only a quarter of what was needed, so in 1923
they printed more money. This made it easier to pay reparations but
inflation became hyperinflation.
Hyperinflation:
Everyone suffered from shortages. German marks became worthless
and imports dried up and shortages of goods grew even worse.
Everyone found it difficult to buy what he or she need even if their
wages went up. Some people were paid multiple times a day so that
they could buy goods before the cost rose again.
Price of a loaf of bread
1919
1 mark
1922
100 marks
1923
200,000 billion marks
People with savings were hit the hardest. All money in bank
accounts, pensions and insurance policies became worthless. Most
affected were middle classes.
Main politic groups in the Weimar Republic
The SPD (Social Democrats) were a moderate socialist party and the
largest of the parties committed to the Republic. It was strongly anticommunist.
The Centre Party (Zentrum) was set up to defend Catholic interests
in 1870. It drew support from all classes. It was present in every
Weimar coalition government until 1933. The BVP was its Bavarian
ally.
The DDP (German Democratic Party) was a middle class Liberal
party. It lost support rapidly after 1920. In 1919 it received 19% of
the vote. By 1932 this was down to 1%.
The DVP (German Peoples Party) had reservations about the new
Republic and at heart they were Monarchists. They were supported
by the middle-classes. The outstanding political figure of the Weimar
Republic, Gustav Stresemann, was the leader of this party. Its
highest point of support was in 1920 when it received 14% of the
vote. By 1932 this was down to 2%.
The opposition of the left
The USPD (Independent Socialist Party) had broken from the SPD in
1917 because they did not support Germanys continued

The

participation in WWI. It declined rapidly after 1920 with the rise of

the Communist party.
The KPD (Communist Party) was formed from the Spartacus Union
that had led a revolt against the Weimar government in January
1919. It was very closely allied to Moscow and it refused to cooperate, in any way, with the parties that supported Weimar. They
were especially hostile to the SPD. This refusal to support
Democratic parties went as far as allying with the Nazis (their sworn
enemies) in Reichstag votes. This was in order to further destabilize
the Republic
opposition of the right
The DNVP (German National Peoples Party) - was set up in 1918. It
was composed of supporters of the old Monarchy. It had strong rural
support especially in Protestant areas. They were Hitlers coalition
partners when he came to power in 1933.
The NSDAP (National Socialist German Workers Party) - was founded
in Munich in 1919. At first it favoured the violent overthrow of the
Weimar Republic. But after the failed Putsch of 1923 it adopted a
legal approach to achieving power. The onset of the Great
Depression and the economic chaos of the 1930s greatly aided its
rise. It came to national prominence in 1930 when it won 18% of the
vote and by 1932 it was the largest party in the Reichstag.

Political unrest 1918-1923

Spartacist Revolt, January 1919:
o The left wing Spartacists led by Rosa Luxembourg and William
Liebknecht. They were financed by Bolsheviks in Russia. On 6
January 1919, 100,000 communists demonstrated in Berlin and
took over key buildings. The government knew that the normal
army could not do it alone so they enlisted the Freikorps to
help. The putsch was brutally crushed by Freikorps soldiers, and
Luxembourg and Liebknecht were hung. The Freikorps saved
the government from communist revolution but this yet again
did nothing for peoples hope in the Weimar.
Kapp Putsch, March 1920:
o This right wing revolt was led by General Kapp in an attempt to
initiate a military coup as the Treaty of Versailles and the cuts
to the armed forces outraged them. He had many soldiers as
his followers, so this revolt was that much more difficult to put
down. 1n 1920, 5000 supporters of Kapp marched on berlin in
attempt to overthrow the government and bring back the
Kaiser the army agreed in some ways so refused to move
against the Kapp; they controlled the city for a while. The
government was forced to move to Dresden and people obeyed
and didnt co-operate with the Kapp. Kapp realized he couldnt
govern and fled to Sweden were he was later arrested. General

Kapp only received a 6-month prison sentence as many were

sympathetic to the Right Wing sentiments and they felt it was
important to respect social hierarchy.
The causes and events of the Munich Putsch, 1923:
Background:
The NSDAP were rapidly-growing and had impressive figureheads
and their own private army the Sturmabteilung
Adolf Hitler believe that the people of Germany were desperate
enough to support him because;
o In 1923, France occupied the Ruhr so people wanted a strong
government
o People resented the Weimar for being weak when responding to
the economic suffering.
Events:
On 8 November, Hitler took over a 3000 person meeting in a
Bavarian beer hall in Munich, along with 600 SA storm troopers.
Threatened with pistols, von Kahr, von Seisser and von Lossow
agreed to the uprising.
The next morning, Hitler discovered that all three had openly
changed their minds overnight yet Hitler carried on anyway. He sent
3000 supporters to occupy key buildings around the town, with SA.
Hitler and his Shock Troop marched on the town centre where he
planned to declare him the president of Germany but they were met
with police and Hitler was later arrested when found in a cupboard.
The Stresemann era:
Currency:
o In 1923, the Rentenmark was introduced. This bank mark had
actual value because it was printed in limited supply and
supported by land and industry. In 1924, a new independent
national bank (the Reichsbank) was given control of it and
renamed the currency the Reichsmark.
The Dawes Plan, 1924:
o Annual reparations would be reduced to an affordable level
o US banks would give loans to German industry
o The allies knew they would get what they wanted, so the
French left the Ruhr
o Germans economy increased:
Fuelled by US loans, industrial output doubled between
1923-28
Imports and exports increased
Employment increased
Government income from taxation increased

 The Locorno Pact, October 1925 (between Germany, Britain, France,

Italy, Belgium):
o Germany agreed to keep its new 1919 border with France and
Belgium
o The last Allied troops left Rhineland
o France promised peace with Germany
o The powers agreed to open talks about Germany joining the
League of Nations
The Young Plan, August 1929:
o Reduced the reparations to 2 billion
o Germany had a further 59 years to pay
o Taxes were lowered because the annual amount needed by the
government was reduced
o German industry and employment were boosted because
spending power was released
The League of Nations:
o In September 1926, Stresemann persuaded the other members
to allow Germany in
o Germany was placed on the council, which meant Germany
could be a part of the major decision making
o Germany was even closer to European equality
Kellog-Briand Pact, August 1928:
o Germany and 61 other countries
o Promised states would not use war to achieve foreign policy
aims
o Improved relations with France and the US
Key

people
Heinrich Bruning
Georges Clemenceau
Friedrich Ebert
Matthias Erzberger
David Lloyd George
Paul von Hindenburg
Gustav Stresemann
Woodrow Wilson

Key events
November 1918
11 November 1918
January 1919
28 June 1919

Kaiser abdicated
Armistice signed
Spartacist uprisings
Germans signed Treaty
of Versailles

August 1919
1920
1923
September 1923
November 1923
November 1923
April 1924
1925
October 1925
September 1926
August 1928
August 1929
3 October 1929

New constitution drawn

up
Kapp Putsch
French occupy the Ruhr
Gustav Stresemann
appointed Chancellor
Rentenmark issued
Munich Putsch
Dawes Plan agreed
Paul von Hindenburg
became president
Locarno Pact signed
Germany accepted as
member of the League
of Nations
Kellogg- Briand Pact
signed
Young Plan agreed
Stresemann died