The Weimar Republic & Progress of the Nazi party: Turmoil

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• Birth of Weimar Republic in 1918, Friedrich Ebert, Social Democratic Party as head 

• Turmoil, 1919-23

• WWI legacy of defeat & Treaty of Versailles. November Criminals. Stabbed in the back myth.

• Hitler joins German Worker's Party in 1919

• Weimar Republic proved politically weak, left-wing communist rebellion and also right-wing conservative and nationalist opposition

• Spartacist Revolt in 5th 1919. Strike, occupied public buldings. 10th January, Freikorps attacked captured occupied buildings. Killed Leaders - Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht

• Kapp Putsch of March 1920. 12,000 Freikorps took over the government in Berlin. after a general strike from the Left wing, the Kapp government absconded and Ebert's government was reinstalled.

• 'White Terror' 1920-22. Political assassinations, many by the Freikorps.

• Hitler's Beer Hall Putsch in November 1923. First attempt of Nazi party to show strength. 55,000 proletariats, and 600 Stormtroopers Hitler burst into a meeting held by Bavarian leader Ritter Von Kahr in the Munich Beer Hall.

• Result: Reinforced Weimar Republic as a struggling parliamentary democracy.

• Coup fails, but Army emerged as real authority in Germany. 

• German revolution very limited, as Ebert had made agreements with the army and also the old elites. Harmful for future of democracy

• Under General Ludendorff’s influence, at noon Hitler marched through Munich with 2,000 stormtroopers to win public support. This was a failure with 14/16 Nazis dead, and hundreds more injured.

• The costs of war and the impact of wartime blockade compounded by the Treaty of Versailles undermined the Germany economy

• 1922 could not afford reparations for next three years. 

• Treaty of Versailles, had to pay 132,000 million gold marks. First instalment in 1921

• 9th January, 1923, French and Belgian troops invaded Ruhr, industrial area. 

• Since G had weakened army, ordered passive resistance. No collaboration with French Army.

• Next 8 months, 132 total killed for resistance.

• Loss of production provoked hyperinflation in 1923. 

• Middle class families hit particularly hard, lost savings. 

• Result of economic difficulties bitterness and unrest. Less faith in democracy.