weimar government 1918-23 the years of crisis...the weimar republic. president ebert asked the small...
TRANSCRIPT
Weimar Government 1918-23The Years of Crisis
Weimar Germany ‘Catchphrase’
RULES
•Hands up•Do not shout out•Say what you see!
Say what you see!
Say what you see!
PER
Say what you see!
Say what you see!
Say what you see!
Say what you see!
Say what you see!
Say what you see!
Say what you see!
?
Say what you see!
Say what you see!
Germany’s leader during WW1 Kaiser, Wilhelm II
• Before 1918
Germany had been
ruled by the Kaiser.
• He controlled
spending and major
decisions.
• The German
parliament (called the
Reichstag), had to
do what he told them.
Bleak…
Bye Bye… A photo of Kaiser Wilhelm and his family on their way to exile in Holland. He never returned to Germany.
Enter Germany’s new leader Friedrich Ebert…
• Ebert, was a German politician
in the Reichstag (German
parliament).
• After the Kaiser fled, Ebert took
control of the country. (There
would be no more Kaisers)
• Ebert took the advice of
Germany’s top war leader,
General Hindenburg on what to
do about the war:
“We must make up our
minds to abandon this war as
hopeless. Every day brings the
enemy closer to his goal, and
makes him less likely to
conclude a reasonable peace
with us.”
Psychological effects…• Before the Great War, Germans had been proud and ambitious for
their country. They were prepared to work hard for its success.
• At the Armistice on 11th November 1918 many Germans began to look around for someone to blame for their defeat.
• Germany after 1918 became famous for its squabbling and conflict.
• One group of Germans became convinced that Germany had lost the war because they had been ‘stabbed in the back’ by the politicians back at home in the Reichstag.
• From his hospital bed Adolf Hitler (temporarily blinded by gas) heard about and believed strongly in the ‘stab in the back’ myth about why Germany had lost the Great War.
• Hitler was convinced that politicians, socialists and communists had betrayed Germany on the brink of Germany’s victory in the war.
“The German army was stabbed in the
back. No blame is to be attached to the
army…it is perfectly clear on whom the
blame rests.” General Hindenburg
Friedrich Ebert, the leader of the
Social Democrats (SPD)
became the first President of the
Weimar Republic.
The government got this
nickname because it established
itself in the small town of Weimar.
They had moved here due to
Communist unrest in the capital,
Berlin.
Signing the Armistice in November 1918 gave the new
republic some breathing space. The country’s first major
election was held in January 1919.
What were the results of the Armistice?
The signing of the Treaty of Versailles
Territory – the terms on paper
Other terms
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YJfOZkriyk
‘Make Germany Pay’ (1-9 mins)
Annotate the sources – what do they tell us about German attitudes toward the Treaty of Versailles?
When we have paid 100 hundred billion marks then I can give you something to eat. German magazine, 1919
The Constitution of the Weimar Republic
The President
The Chancellor
The Parliament (Reichstag)
The German People
Elect
Elect
Chooses
Chooses
Article 48
In an
emergency the
President can rule
on their own.
Proportional Representation (PR)
- Means 5% of votes = 5% of seats. This lead to coalitions of parties being formed to rule the German Republic.
Article 48 = ‘Emergency Decree’The president could suspend the Reichstag and take control of Germany in times of national crisis (used 136 times by Ebert up to 1925)
Hinge task in books:
• I think the Weimar constitution was good because it....
• I think the Weimar constitution will have problems because....
Threats from the left-wing
Left-wing opponents of the Weimar
Republic wanted the end of the Weimar
Republic and a workers state to replace it.
They wanted to make Germany equal and
in alliance with Communist Russia.
Spartacists, 1919 Rosa Luxemburg and Karl
Liebnecht
Spartacists defending the post
office, 1919
The Freikorps save the day for the Weimar Republic in 1919.
https://www.youtube
.com/watch?v=Ob8
B5YNG2VE – 1919
Spartacists
Now threats from the right-wing
Right-wing opponents of the Weimar
Republic wanted the return of the Kaiser or
a more autocratic style of leader.
They wanted to make Germany strong
again and have lots of territory and
powerful industries.
The Kapp Putsch, 1920Wolfgang Kapp led 5,000 Freikorps into
Berlin to seize control of Germany from
the Weimar Republic.
President Ebert asked the small Germany
army to help him stop the Freikorps.
The German army refused to help. They
were angry about what the Versailles
treaty had done to the army and refused
to fire on the Freikorps as they were ex-
soldiers.
Any suggestions on what President
Ebert could do to save the Weimar
Republic?
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=O8mvHJNY6h0
STRIKE!
Task
Do a SWOT analysis of the
Weimar Republic 1919-
1922:
Strengths;
Weaknesses,
Opportunities;
Threats.
Checklist:
• Spartacists
• Kapp Putsch
• Treaty of Versailles
• Weimar political system
Reparations payments
At the Treaty of Versailles, Weimar had to accept they were to pay
reparations (compensation) for starting the war.
£6.6 Billion was the final bill for the war agreed by France and Britain.
Germany paid the first instalment of £50 million in 1921.
In 1922, nothing was paid to the allies.
What will the French reaction be?
France had to repay her war debts to America, so needed the money
from Germany. The French army marched into the Rhineland and took
over the Ruhr region coal mines and factories in January 1923.
German reaction to this?
The French occupation of the Ruhr
French troops march in to
occupy the Ruhr, January
1923.
Over 100 Germans were shot
in 1923 by the French for not
doing as they were told.
150,000 Germans were made
homeless by the French
occupation.
How might these events
affect German views of the
Weimar government?
Crisis in the Ruhr, 1923
Due to the Versailles Treaty the Weimar
Republic had no army to defend itself
against the French invasion.
It therefore told all Germans in the Ruhr to
begin Passive Resistance (refuse to
work).
The Weimar Republic promised to
continue to pay their wages despite the
workers being on strike.
Can you think what the consequences
of this policy might be for Germany
and for the Weimar government?
What was hyperinflation?
1 Billion Mark note
30th September, 1923
Learning objective: To be able
to explain what hyperinflation
was and why it affected
Germany so badly in 1923.
What has happened in the German economy and why?
100 Billion Mark note
23rd October 1923
10 million mark note,
9 September 1923
25 mark note
1921
500 mark note
1922
10,000 mark
note
February, 1923
1 Billion Mark note
30th September, 1923