Germany (1919-1929)

Political Situation
1. Germany had a revolution and became an unstable democratic republic (1918). It was a conditions of the Allies to stp the war
  1. In Bavaria an independent Socialist Republic was declared. The Kaiser left Germany for the Netherlands. Friedrich Ebert (the Socialist leader) became the leader of the Republic of Germany. He signed an armistice with the Allies and also announced to the people that the new Republic was giving the freedom of speech, freedom of workship and better working conditions
    1. In Germany free elections tok place for the first time and Ebert won, becoming president of the Weimar Republic (January 1919)
      1. Weimar Republic, most democratic system
        No individual could gain too much power
        Peoples could vote from 20 years
        System of propotional representation
        The Chancellor was reponsible of day-to-day goverment, but he needed te support of half the Reichstag
        The President stayed out of goverment and in a crisis he could give emergency power without consulting the Reichstag
      2. Opposition from left and right
        Left-wing group
        Communist party (Spartacists). They wanted a Germany ruled by worker's councils or soviets (like Lenin's Bolsheviks). The Spartacists were well armed, so Ebert use the commanders of the army and a group called Freikorps (formed by anti-Communist ex-soldiers) to put down the rebellion
        The Communists declare a soviet republic in Bavaria before Kurt Eisner (Ebert's ally and new leader of Bavaria) was murdered in February 1919 by political opponents. Ebert use another time the Freikorps and around 600 Communists were killed
        Right-wing group, violent opposition
        People who grown up in the successful days of the Kaiser's Germany. They wanted a dictatorial style of goverment, a strong army and theywanted too Germany to expand and have an empire.
        In March 1919 Dr Wolfgang Kapp led 5000 Freikorps into Berlin in a rebellion. The army refused to fire on the Freikorps an itlooked as if Ebert's goverment was doomed
        After this, the rebels (right-wing group) and Kapp had to present in the court. The rebels went unpunishment and Kapp after escaping and hunted down, he died awaiting trial
Economic Situation
1. Germany was virtually bankrupt (1918)
  1. War left: 600,000 widows and 2 million children orphans
  2. Nationla income was about one-third of wath it had been in 1913
  3. Industrial production was about two-third of what it had been in 1913
2. Economic disasters
  1. The reparations that Germany was forced to pay the Allies (April 1921) was set at £6600 million, to be paid in annual instalments. Germany protested for the amount of manoey that it was, but it was ignored.
    1. The Ruhr
      1. Germany paid the first instalment of £50 million in 1921 but in 1922 nothing was paid. Ebert try to negotiate, but France ran out of patience. So French and Belgian troops enter the Ruhr and take out raw material and goods. After, the German goverment ordered the workers to go on strike (French couldn' take away nothing). France reacted brutally and killed over 100 workers and expelled over 100,000 prostesters.
        Hyperinflation
        With not goods to trade, the goverment started pringting money. It seemed an attractive solution for paid of its debts in worthless marks (war loans for example). Price and wages rocketed because the money in circulation, but people soon realised that this money was worthless. Poor peoplesuffered a lot, as well as middle-class families and pensioners.
Social Situation
1. The war had deepened in Germany society (1918)
  1. Huge gaps between rich and poor's living standars
  2. Germany workers were bitter at the restrictions placed on their earning while factory owners made lots of many from de war
  3. Women starts working in factory during the war
2. Through February, 1919, Berlin was to be too violent and unstable
The Treaty of Versailles, May 1919
1. Germany lost
  1. 10 per cent of its land, all of its colonies, 12.5 per cent of its population and 16 per cent of its coal and 48 per cent of its iron industry
    1. In addition
      1. Its army was reduced to 100,000; its navy was reduced
      2. Germany had to accept blame for starting the war and was forced to pay reparations

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Germany (1919-1929)

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