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Weimar Germany 2:50 - Coggle Diagram
Weimar Germany 2:50
The Weimar Republic
The German people could vote on two aspects of the national government
Every 7 years they voted on a president who presided over the German Parliament, The Reichstag
Every 4 years people would vote for political parties in national elections for the Reichstag via a system known as proportional representation
The President
The president could call elections for the Proportional Representation whenever he felt and also had the important job of appointing the chancellor.
The Chancellor
The Chancellor ran the government and could propose laws. These laws had to be passed by a majority vote in The Reichstag and since no parties ever got 50% of the seat that meant the parties would have to cooperate
Proportional Representation
Proportional Representation is where the percentage of votes nationally dictated the percentage of seats in The Reichstag
Origin
The Treaty of Versailles ordered that Germany had to pay 132,000,000,000 Marks in reparations, demilitarise the Rhineland, reduce their army to 100,000 men, as responsibility for losing the war.
In 1918 when the first world war is ended, the Austria-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires were carved up after the war for being Germanys allies.
This led to chaos in Germany resulting in the Kaiser abdicating which led more revolution and counter-revolution.
Weimar republic created in Weimar.
Weimar Revolutions
One revolution that was quickly aborted was the Socialist Republic of Bavaria
Another is the 1920 revolution led by dr Wolfgang Kapp where he seized Berlin and the Germany army refused to attack him because there was a strong belief that Germany had only lost the war due to political betrayal. Kapp's revolution was only ended by a general strike which ground the company to a halt. This greatly affected Germanys economy and eventually Germany missed a war payment.
In November 1923 another attempted revolution occured in Munich led by Adolf Hitler and undertaken by the SA, the military arm of the NSDAP. This Revolution failed when other nationalist politicians refused to help Hitler and the army was called in. Hitler was wounded and arrested shortly after. In prison Hitler made his autobiography Mein Kampf which became the bedrock of Nazi ideology
The Treaty of Versailles
After their loss in WW1 in 1918, Germany was forced to take a punishment that was agreed on by the big three that were George Clemenceau (French President), Woodrow Wilson (American President), and David Lloyd George (British Prime Minister). All three had different opinions on how harsh Germany should be punished
David Lloyd George (UK)
- Lloyd George wanted to partially damage Germany but still let them be able to recover in order to trade stock and shipments across seas to each other and keep Britain's economy steady.
Woodrow Wilson (US)
- Wilson wanted to keep the damage light on Germany and didn't want a punishment for them as he believed that Germany had suffered from the war damages anyway.
George Clemenceau (FR)
- Clemenceau wanted to cripple Germany as they were a bordering country and had destroyed a lot of France for being allies with Britain. He wanted Germany to be unable to recover from the treaty.
In the end it was decided that Germany would have to do the following: Reduce their army to 100,000 men, demilitarise the Rhineland, give Saar Coal Mines to France for 15 years, pay 132 billion Marks in reparations, take full blame
Weimar Economy
Democracy did not guarantee harmony and there was numerous attempts at revolution.
The 1920 revolution led by dr Wolfgang Kapp where he seized Berlin and the Germany army refused to attack him because there was a strong belief that Germany had only lost the war due to political betrayal. Kapp's revolution was only ended by a general strike which ground the company to a halt. This greatly affected Germanys economy and eventually Germany missed a war payment.
Germany's lack of money and way to produce money led to more printing of money in other foreign currencies as well. This led to hyperinflation and the value of the paper mark decreased significantly.
For example in January 1923 a loaf of bread cost 163 Marks and in early November in 1923 the same loaf of bread cost over 75 billion Marks
NSDAP
The nationalsozialistiche Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (National Socialist German Worker's Party) better known as the Nazi Party
Weimer Germany on edge of break?
Although it seemed like Weimer Germany was about to collapse with all the conflict and chaos it managed to survive thanks to the intervention of two specific individuals
Gustav Strasserman
Charles Dawes