Transcript Weimar Republic 1919


A. Economic problem:
- Germany in bankrupt
- British navy blockading Germany´s northern ports and
starving out the nation
- Loss of labour power

B. Political problems:
- Near total disrespect for the government

C. Social problems:
-Many thousands of armed and disillusioned former soldiers
roaming the streets
-Civilian population traumatised by the impact of the war.
-Anger in Germany over the Treaty of Versailles
-Spanish influenza. 1918
His government agreed to
sign the Armistice and
reparations, and were
labelled 'November
Criminals' for stabbing
Germany in the back.
Leader of the Social
Democratic Party.
Freedom of speech and religion, and
equality under the law.
 All men and women over the age of 20
vote.
 Elected president and an elected
Reichstag.
 The Reichstag made the laws and
appointed the government, which had
to do what the Reichstag wanted.

•Chaos.
•People were starving
•The Kaiser had fled
•People hated the government
armistice in November 1918 –
“November criminals”.
•Bands of soldiers called
Freikorps private armies
ex soldiers who helped Ebert top
defeat the Spartacists

Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht
1919 The Spartacist Pustch
The Treaty of
Versailles was called
a Diktat-dictated
peace.

1920 the Kapp Putsch aimed to
bring back the Kaiser and
overthrow the Weimar Republic

Wolfgang Kapp
was an extremist
NATIONALIST who
hated the
government for
signing the Treaty
of Versailles.
 Kapp was supported by the police,
the free Corps and some of the
army.
 But he did not have the workers on
his side.
 They organised a general strike
French invasion: Germany did not pay reparations
•Hitler tried to take advantage
•Imprisonment of Adolf Hitler.
•It was an attempt to overthrow
the Weimar government of
Ebert
Book: Mein Kampf


Hyperinflation in Germany skyrocketed in
1923.
6 million Germans were unemployed
Devaluation of the German Mark

Gustav Stresemann the German
chancellor called off the passive
resistance and began paying reparations
again.
He also tackled the
problem of inflation
by establishing the
Rentenmark.
It was for Germany to
pay what she could
actually afford each
year.
Germany promised
never to change her
borders with France
and Belgium
Young Plan reduced
payments by over
67%