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Was the Weimar Republic doomed from the start? - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Even though germany was back into the international community - still felt inferior -> hatred for ToV continued, people don't want Germany to co-operate with other countries
      - Reparations - still owed to Allies and Germany would never be seen as equal until these were paid
      - Nationalists say Locarno/Dawes/Young Plan and LoN membership as capitulation
        
        Dawes depended on American loans which would be withdrawn any time
    - - Unemployment continued to fluctuate and was higher in 1928 than in 1923
        
        Extremes of wealth and poverty existed
      - Agriculture and small industries did poorly compared to heavy industries
        
        Farm incomes and wages fell
      - Economy was dependent on US loans which could end at any time especially if there was a crisis in US (Wall Street Crash)
        
        1929 - Wall Street Crash: American loans are recalled, germany's economy collapses, factories close, lost jobs, people get angry with the government again
    - - Proportional representation (% of votes in country = % seats party gets):
        
        gave extremist parties e.g. Nazis a place in the Reichstag, allowed them to build on
        
        too many political parties - led to unstable and short-lived coalitions (25 governments in 14 years)
      - Article 48 - lets president rule without the Reichstag (ok when president supports democracy but Hindenburg was right wing & against democracy
      - Hindenburg was a critic of the Weimar Republic & believed Germany needed a strong leaderr - asked kaiser permission
    - - Many Germans felt new/ modern influences went against German tradition - cultural backlash
      - Berlin nightlife and art seen as sleazy and corrupt
  - - - 1925 - Treaty of Locarno
        
        Germany signed a Treaty with Britain, France and Italy guaranteeing the western border changes of the ToV (Stressman)
      - 1926 - Germany joins LoN
        
        Germany joins with its status as a Great Power recognised by a permanent seat on the League's Council
      - 1929 - The Young Plan
        
        Germany agreed to a further reduction in payments and payment spread across 58 years
        
        Led to allied withdrawal from the Rhineland region
      - Was Chancellor for 4 months in 1923 and Foreign Minister until 1929 (death)
    - - Stresemann restores economy - new currency = Rentenmark
      - 1924 - The Dawes Plan
        
        Annual payments would be £50 million & Germany received 800 million marks as a loan from USA to help recovery
        
        US lends money to Germany which is spent building up economy -> Germany uses increased tax revenues to pay reparations to Allies -> Allies pay back war loans
        
        France is assured of getting some reparations so evacuates Ruhr within a year
      - Germany's industrial production = 3rd largest in world (lots of employment, prosperity)
      - Wages had increased in real terms by 10%
      - Government invested heavily in schools, hospitals and housing
    - - No major threats to the Republic - political stability, less political violence
      - Prosperity means people are happy with government
      - As a prominent war leader, Hindenburg acted as a suitable figurehead for tradicional Germans
    - - Painting
        
        before war most german art had been detached from everyday life. but weimar artists tried to show that, they wanted to be understood by ordinary people and believed art should comment on society at the time ('new objectivity') because artists tried to portray society in an objective way
      - Cinema
        
        golden age for cinema with best known director Fritz Lang producing films (Metropolis) most advanced of the decade. Marlene Dietrich became popular film starts in world playing strong, mysterious and glamorous women e.g.the blue Angel
      - Cabaret
        
        Berlin became famous for its nightlife, alongside cinema & theatres, was vibrant nightclub scene with daring floor shows, riqué songs and naked dancing
      - Bauhaus
        
        founded by Walter Gropius, grounded in idea of creating comprehensive artwork which all arts would eventually be brought together. became influential in modern design/architecture
      - ending of censorship, start
- - - - surprise that Germany lost the war (no fighting took place in Germany & government propaganda had misled civilians about how well they were doing)
        
        & Germany had a proud record of military success in previous conflicts
      - A lie began to spread that the fault of war was due to ambitious & unpatriotic people (who had plotted to bring old system down + placed themselves in its place, not army's fault
        
        Targets for this included: Jews, communists, political leaders of Weimar Republic
        
        Leaders of Weimar were called "November Criminals" for signing the armistice on Nov 11 & it was alleged that they had 'stabbed the army in the back' ('stab in the back' myth)
    - - War guilt clause - Germans resented this + couldn't negotiate (dictated settlement)
      - Military restrictions:
        
        army limited 100,000
        
        Rhineland occupied by Allied troops for 15 years
        
        air force was disbanded
        
        navy was limited to 15,000 sailors & 6 battleships & no submarines
        
        conscription was banned
      - Reparations - £6.6 billion
      - Territorial losses:
        
        Alsace Lorraine returned to France
        
        Polish Corridor (west prussia) given to Poland
        
        Overseas colonies were run by Allies in behalf of LoN
        
        Germans living in areas lost to e.g. Belgium, Denmark felt under foreign rule
    - - 25 Oct - The Kiel Mutiny: Naval commanders ordered ships to fight the British fleet in one last suicidal mission for glory - sailors mutinied -> kaiser did not stop mutiny and led to strikes against war & kaiser all over Germany
        
        6 Nov - Soldier and workers had taken control over many cities - wanted to end war but politicians were scared for revolution similar to Russian (1917) -> social democrat leaders (leading party for Reichstag) & Ebert (leader) sent ultimatum to Kaiser, unless he abdicated they would join the revolution
        
        10 Nov - Kaiser Wilhelm fled into exile & socialist democrats set up Weimar Republic and Ebert became Chancellor
        
        11 Nov - Armistice was agreed between Germany and the Allies
    - - Article 48 - presidential decree in 'emergency', term wasn't defined, allowing for potential abuse of power
      - Proportional representation (% of votes in country = % seats party gets):
        
        gave extremist parties e.g. Nazis a place in the Reichstag, allowed them to build on
        
        too many political parties - led to unstable and short-lived coalitions (25 governments in 14 years)
      - First democratic constitution in germany made sure that all citizens were represented, all men and women over 20 were given right to vote, bill of rights guaranteed freedom of speech,religion and equality under
    - - Jan 1919 - Spartacist Uprising
        
        Attempt of KDP to overthrow government by seizing key buildings + railway stations to claim power
        
        However Ebert government had anticipated an armed uprising and used the Freikorps to stop the revolution, recapturing buildings and killing over 100 Spartacists supporters, among Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg
        
        Freikorps - group of soldiers from WW1 (TofV reduced army to 100k so there were many unemployed soldiers (but were not controlled by government)
      - Mar 1920 - Kapp Putsch
        
        The Weimar Republic made moves to disband the Freikorps (had to keep 100k men) -> triggered Putsch to overthrow WR and implement right-wing government
        
        It was led by right wing, Wolfgang Kapp, who had fought in WW1 - Freikorps proclaimed him as Chancellor
        
        Army refused to fire on 'fellow' troops -> led to Ebert + his government leaving Berlin -> since they couldn't rely on army, appealed to workers -> called a General Strike which led to rising collapsing
        
        Putsch - an illegal attempt to seize power by overthrowing the government, using force
  - - - Government in crisis - people losing faith in democracy, Hitler sees chance to seize power
        
        Organises Putsch. Marches on Munich. Plans to capture Berlin. Expects army (right-wing) to be on his side however Bavarian Police force led to 16 Nazis killed + Hitler in prison + Nazi Party banned
        
        Hitler gains publicity at trial and only serves 9 months, then decides to gain power through votes
      - Factors that gave him confidence:
        
        other problems around germany (e.g. hyperinflation & occupation of the ruhr)
        
        Mussolini and his fascists had successfully taken power in Italy 1922 in similar way
        
        Had support of General Ludendorff (hoped army would remain neutral, wrong)
        
        His force (Brownshirts/ SA) were growing in strength
    - - Inflation levels were already high (debts) but worsened from invasion of Ruhr and the government printing more money
        
        Print more money = more money in circulation = value of money drops. paper money = worthless
        
        Effects:
        
        Prices rise & workers demand more money
        
        Savings=worthless, fixed income=worthless
        
        Bartering becomes common
        
        People unhappy with government
        
        Middle class especially hit (blamed Weimar)
        
        Nationalism increased (germans united in hatred of occupying french)
        
        Those who had taken loan benefitted & rich were protected through land, possessions and foreign currency
    - - Belgium & France were frustrated with Germany as it had failed to make its scheduled reparations payment. as payment - occupied heavily industrial region of Ruhr & seized materials.
        
        Effects:
        
        Germany responded with strikes, passive resistance and civil disobedience where over 130 died
        
        Worsened Germany's economic situation & helped drive hyperinflation
        
        Politically, increased calls for rearmament & support for right-wing politics