Germany After WWI

1. History 12 Ms Leslie Germany After WWI

2. Country devastated after WWI • The population was starving due to British blockades, the navy mutinied and people rioted in the streets. • The Kaiser, Wilhelm II, abdicated his throne on November 9, 1918, to make way for the Weimar republic. • The first president of the new republic was Friedrich Ebert, a socialist.

3. Universal suffrage was given to determine the Reichstag (lower house). proportional representation. • The Chancellor was appointed by the President and had to have a majority of the Reichstag supporting them to govern. • General elections every 4 years • President was largely a figurehead elected every 7 years. Did have more power in times of emergency • The Reichrat (Upper house) was made up of representatives of the states. They could delay legislation but little else.

4. The 1920’s was one of stability for Germany politically. • In 1923 Gustav Stresemannformed a government that seemed capable of coping with Germany’s problems. • A new stable currency was introduced, the Reichsmark, and was gaining public confidence.

5. FreiKorps • an organization of ex-servicemen who were violently opposed to communism. • Put down Spartakist uprisings • March 1920, Workers in the Ruhr Valley formed the “red army” of 50,000 and went on strike. The Freikorps put them down, killing 2,000 workers.

6. Because Ebert signed the Treaty of Versailles, the Weimar republic will always been associated with defeat and humiliation. • Hitler would refer to those responsible for the treaty as ‘November Criminals’. • The Weimar Republic also saw support from the Socialists, the Catholic Center Party and the Democratic Party.

7. Kapp Putsch March 1920 • The Berlin Police, the Freikorps and elements of the army supported Wolfgang Kapp, the leader of the conservatives, in his attempt to seize control of the government. • The professional army (Reichswehr) refused to fire on the rebels and the government already left town. This coup failed when the workers of Berlin called a general strike, brining the whole city to a stand still. • The rebels were tried in court and given light sentences, as most judges detested the government.

9. Pustch • a plotted revolt or attempt to overthrow a government, esp. one that depends upon suddenness and speed. • Like a ‘coup’

10. Reparations: • The final figure was 132 billion gold marks or 6.6 billion British pounds or $12 billion Canadian. • to be paid in 2 billion gold mark chunks, or 26% of the value of German exports. • The famous economist John Maynard Keynes wrote a famous book The Economic Consequences of the Peace, in which he argued that Germany couldn’t pay the full sum as the treaty deprived her of industry.

11. France wanted the whole amount paid. Germany had not suffered as much war damaged as France or Belgium. France did not want Germany recovering faster than she. • Lloyd George thought the figure was unrealistic but had adopted the policy of “make Germany pay”

12. Other allied war debts • Russia owed Britain, and refused to pay • France and Belgium Owed money to Britain • All of the allies owed the USA • Britain suggested war debts be cancelled, like after the Napoleonic wars. • America wanted full payment • Britain, France, Belgium and Italy counted on German Reparation payments to pay back USA. America insisted the items be treated as separate. But the Allies could only make payments if Germany did. • Germany loaned money from USA to make payments

13. SO how did it work out? • Poincare, the French Premier, didn’t care about Germany’s financial problems. He claimed Germany intentionally devalued its mark to avoid payments. Germany industry was profitable and unemployment low. • France and Belgium would not agree to a halt in payments that Britain was ok with • Jan 11, 1923 France and Belgium occupied the Ruhr Region. • Germans could do nothing due to disarmament. So the Railway workers refused to take French orders. Other workers committed acts of sabotage and little was gained from the occupation.

14. Hyper Inflation • prices were rising tenfold or a hundredfold in a day. Money could not be printed fast enough. • In 1919 the exchange rate was $1=8 marks, in 1921 $1=250 marks, in 1922 $1 = 2000 marks. • People hoarded food and other goods since a pound of butter might cost 100,000 marks in the morning but 500,000 marks in the afternoon. • To help stabilized the economy a new currency was created, the Rentenmark.

18. Dawes Plan 1924 • The Ruhr was evacuated • A bank was set up to receive reparations payments • Gradually rising annual payments to be made by Germany • American loads could be made to Germany for the first 5 years of the plan • did nothing to address the larger question of whether or not Germany could actually pay the total amount

19. Beer Hall Putsch/Munich Putsch • Nov 8 1923 • Adolph Hitler, attempted to seize control of Bavaria • Hitler had started the Nazi Party and had the Support of WWI commander General Ludendorff and Captain Ernest Rohm and his SA men. • The goal of the Beer Hall Putsch was to make Bavaria his base for overthrowing the Weimar republic.

20. Hitler and his Nazi’s stormed the Beer hall and kidnapped the governor of Bavaria and made him swear allegiance to Hitler. • The next day Hitler and the Nazis marched on to the Government building in confidence that having Ludendorff by this side would win over the army. Hitler was wrong and the military opened fire. Hitler was arrested and served 6 months in jail.

22. The ‘Golden Years’ 1924-29 • Germany was accepted back into the international community. • This was due to the leader of the People’s Party, Gustav Stresemann, who was chancellor for 3 months in 1923 and then Foreign minister until his death in 1929. • Reichsmark. • He ordered workers back to work in the Ruhr and started paying the French. • He borrowed 800 million marks from the USA in the Dawes plan and negotiated the reparations down from 6.6 billion pounds to 2 billion pounds. In the Young Plan.

23. The Young Plan 1930 • Abolished the old Dawes Transfer Committee. Replaced with direct payment to recipients • Reduced the amount of reparations • Payments stretched out for 59 years (Until 1988) • Distinction between conditional and unconditional payments • Creation of a bank for international settlements • Withdrawal of troops from the Rhineland.

24. Lausanne Conference 1932 • Reparations were cancelled completely. • Due to the great depression

25. Germany’s International Status • In 1925 became friendly with Soviet Russia. • 1922 Treaty of Rapollo was signed with Russia (secret German flying and tank schools in Russia) • Gave up claim to Alsace-Lorraine to improve relations with France. • Signed an agreement with Poland and Czechoslovakia • 1926 Germany allowed to join the League of Nations. • Economic prosperity meant less threat of communism and Nazism.

26. After Stresemann's Death • Germany lacked a competent leader to guide them through the depression. • USA called back their loans; bankrupting the country. • New chancellor, Bruning, responded to the economic crisis by cutting welfare benefits, the socialists pulled out of their coalition and Bruning no longer had a majority in the Reichstag

27. Things to come… • Elections were called in September of 1930 by President Hindenburg, the result was in increase of seats for Nazis and Communists • Elections were called again in 1932 and the Nazis and Hindenburg received even more votes, causing Bruning to resign in May 1932. • Bruning was replaced by von Papen and yet ANOTHER ELECTION IN JULY provided the Nazis with 38% of the vote making them the largest partying the Reichstag. • The end 