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Establishment and Early Weimar Years (Impact of the War - Reasons for…
Establishment and Early Weimar Years
Impact of the War - Reasons for Crisis
'
Turnip Winter
' saw an extremely cold winter in Germany. Fuel shortages enhanced the problems and many died of hypothermia and starvation
Infant Mortality
increased by over 50% during the War
Influenza Epidemic
hit Europe, killing between 20-40 million people - a higher figure than the casualties of WWI
Workers were forced to work
longer hours
but
wages fell
below the inflation rate.
Shortages
of food and supplies increased prices and people turned to the black market.
Lack of imports
of raw materials caused clothing production to rapidly decline.
Crisis of 1918
Revolution from Above
October Reforms (declined by the Kaiser)
The Peace Note 1916 - request for an armistice
Abdication of the Kasier
Declaration of a German republic in Berlin
Prince Max resigned as Chancellor
Revolution from Below
Freidrichsafen Strike (industrial workers)
Naval mutiny
November Revolution 1918 - Germany was on the verge of a communist
Bavarian Government deposed
SDP called on workers to strike
Ebert-Groener Pact
- alliance between the new democratic government and the old imperial military. The army would protect the government if it did not call to diminish the officer's corps authority.
Communism
Sparticists
The Sparticists wanted the government to be controlled by the workers and soliders councils. They were founded in 1916 by a revolutionary minority group ad led by Karl Leibknecht and Rose Luxembourg.
Views
State owned businesses and land
Small selection of items on offer to buy
Equality of wealth across citizens
State owned property
Welfare benefits
Nationalisation
Disbanding of the army
KPD pushed for a workers revolution, to overthrow the state. They received around 10-15% of election votes. However, their main failures were due to lack of cooperation, poor leadership and repression from the authorities
Sparticist Uprising
in Berlin January 1919 was the first of many left wing uprising/strikes
Red Threat
people feared a revolution from the Communists and their plotting for the downfall of regional government
The Weimar Constitution
Not Democratic
:warning:
Because of PR, larger parties couldn't win a majority, which meant coalitions were often set up. They were normally weak and didn't last for very long
Article 48 gave the President the power to rule by decree in exceptional circumstances
President had the power to dissolve the Reichstag and call new elections
Small, anti-republican parties could gain seats, so they exploited the system
Democratic
:star:
Full democracy in both local and central government
The constitution clearly set out the rights of the individual
Germany had wider voting rights - they allowed women to vote
Referendums could be called for by the president or by the public's request
Proportional representation allowed smaller parties to win seats
For a chancellor to be elected at least half the Reichstag had to be in support.
Elections were on a regular basis - every four years for the Reichstag and every seven for the President
The Treaty of Versailles
Limit Germany's Army
reduced the risk of Germany starting another War, and makes them vulnerable against future attacks.
Reparations
Make Germany pay for their damage which crippled the Germany economy
War Guilt Clause
Germany had to accept all responsibility for starting the War. This caused the most resentment and low morale
Other terms
Various German captured land had to be returned, such as Alsace Lorraine to France.
Germany could not have an airforce
Navy could only have 6 battleships and no submarines
Germany was not allowed to have an airforce
Reactions to the Treaty
Anger over the incredibly high reparations. Germany was already bankrupt and struggling from the war.
Nationalists were outraged by the occupation of areas by foreign troops.
Humiliated by the War guilt clause
Upset over the loss of jobs following the cut down of the the army
November criminals
- Felt betrayed by the generals who had signed the treaty
Stabbed in the Back Myth
German citizens thought they had been 'stabbed in the back' by the politicians who signed the treaty. Many people began to blame socialists and minority groups
Post War Economy
Positives
Unemployment was low
Government refused to raise taxes
Rich people took out short term loans
A scheme was set up to pay reparations yearly
Negatives
Borrowing money meant further debts over time
Printing more money meant it became worthless over time and led to extreme inflation
By 1920, the currency had devalued by 14 times compared to pre-war
Germany was in deficit due to spending money on artillery, the army and reparations as well as the loss of trade partners and land which had offered many important resources.
Hyperinflation and Economic Crisis
Causes
Medium Term
Payments to civil servants continued and welfare benefits were extended
German industrialists were benefiting from taking short term loans
Injured soldiers were needing care
Short Term
French occupation of the Ruhr led to passive resistance, so there was a decrease in resources
Levels of reparations were not set until 1921 - decided on £6.6 billion
Germany's currency was very unstable and they began to ask for loans
Long Term
The war effort had required huge levels of government spending
The government decided to not raise taxes, but print more money
Loss of tax revenue due to many business closures
Tariffs on German products as other countries were reluctant to buy from them
Impact
Winners
Mortgage Holders
could easily pay off what they owed with worthless money
Peasants
coped fairly well as they were more self sufficient than others and food remained in demand
Those in Debt
owed a fixed amount which became worthless so was easy to pay off
Losers
Pensioners
savings became almost worthless so they were relying on state pensions to survive
Landlords
who relied on fixed rents couldn't make their prices keep up with the inflation
Workers
, particularly those who didn't belong to a trade union lost out. Wages rose, but not at a competitive rate
Those on Benefits
the sick were hit badly as medical care costs rose and rapid rise in food prices led to widespread malnutrition. Fixed benefits didn't match inflation rates