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History Revision: Wiemar Republic and issues relating to it. - Coggle…
History Revision: Wiemar Republic and issues relating to it.
Rebellions against the Weimar Republic 1919-1923
Left-wing groups felt the changes after World War I did not go far enough. They wanted Germany to become a communist country. In 1919 the Spartacists tried to take power. The rebellion was easily crushed by a group of ex-soldiers called the Freikorps.
Right-wing groups wanted one strong leader of Germany. They wanted the Kaiser back. The Freikorps launched their own uprising in 1920 which was called the Kapp Putsch. This failed because the workers of Berlin went on strike.
Munich Putsch
in November Hitler tried to take over Munich. Hitler burst into a political meeting being held in a Munich beer hall. He used a gun to force Gustav von Kahr (the leader of the Bavarian government) and von Lossow (the local army commander) to join the uprising.
Hitler also had the support of General Ludendorff. Kahr and Lossow had no intention of joining the Putsch. They escaped and alerted the army and police. Hitler had not prepared for a fight. He thought the army would march with him because he had Ludendorff.
193 the economy was in crisis due to inflation. Hitler hated democracy, he thought the time was right to take control.
Hitler marched through Munich with 3000 SA men. The march was met by a police barricade. Shots were fired and 16 Nazis were killed. Hitler and Ludendorff were arrested a few days later for treason.
what happened to Hitler after the Munich Putsch?
The failure of the putsch led to a change of tactics for the Nazis. They would now try to gain power
democratically rather than using force and violence.
Hitler was treated far more leniently than left-wing groups who tried to overthrow the Weimar Republic. This shows that there was an underlying sympathy for Hitler’s ideas felt by many people in the German legal system.
In prison Hitler wrote his book Mein Kampf (‘My Struggle’).
Hitler was arrested and sent to prison. He used his trial to gain valuable publicity for the Nazi Party and his ideas and to criticise the Weimar government.
Stresemann's actions to help recovery
Agreed the Dawes Plan with the USA. This meant the USA would loan Germany money to help them recover. Germany did not have to pay back more in reparations than they could afford.
Germany was allowed to join the League of Nations in 1926. This meant Germany was
recovering as a world power.
He ended the resistance in the Ruhr Valley and introduced a new currency called the Rentenmark which solved the problem of hyperinflation.
In 1929, Germany agreed the Young Plan which reduced reparation payments by 2/3rds and
gave them longer to pay back reparations.
the Golden Age of the Weimar Republic
Changes for workers
The unemployed got protections from the government.
In 1927 the government started an unemployment insurance scheme which gave cash payments if people lost their job.
Wages for workers improved during this period too.
The government built over 2 million houses between 1924 and 1931, providing lots of work as well as home.
Changes for women
Women were given the vote and could enter politics.
Between 1929 and 1932 there were 112 women elected to the Reichstag
The number of women working increased due to the respect gained during WW1, changing the traditional role that was expected of women.
Divorce was made easier so the number of divorces increased.
Cultural Changes
The Weimer Republic was a very creative period for the arts, due to the freedom given to artists to express their ideas.
This led to artists questioning traditional styles and themes especially ones about the military or authority.
There were advances in many forms of art, for example the Bauhaus style of architecture and the drama of Bertholt Brecht.
German films were very successful around the world, making people like Marlene Dietrich into stars.
The Weimar government encouraged critical styles a cabaret culture of nightclubs emerged in Berlin.
Not all Germans enjoyed these changes, some more conservative people thought it represented a betrayal of German tradition and values.