Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Problems of the Weimar Republic
- Political problems of Weimar Republic
- Proportional representation PR
- All votes were counted up centrally to divide seats fairly between parties
- Made it difficult to get a majority
- Article 48
- President had the right to dismiss parliment and rule by himself if the country was in a 'state of emergency'
- President increased his powers to pass laws
- In 1930, 3x as many laws passed by the president than there were passed by Reichstag
- weak coalitions of parties who had different beliefs
- Difficult to pass laws
- Revolts and rebellions
- Communists
- Believed that Ebert and socialists had failed to complete the revolution
- Didn't abolish private property
- Freikorp
- Private armies
- Felt that socialists had stabbed Germany in the back
- Because of the Treaty of Versailles
- Those who had signed the treaty were called the November Criminals
- The jews were especially blamed
- Economic problems of Weimar Republic
- Bankruptcy
- All reserves of gold were used in WW1
- Reparations of $6.6 billion
- Asked to reduce reparations however other countries could not afford it
- Areas deprived
- 1923 - could pay so Ruhr was invaded
- Invasion of the Ruhr
- Raw materials taken
- Workers striked and wanted strike pay
- Debts increased
- Shortage of goods
- Inflation
- Prices went up
- Less money from tax because of unemployment
- Printed more money
- HYPERINFLATION
- Suffered from shortages
- Savings became worthless - middle class were affected
- Stresseman created new currency - Retenmark
- Led to stability in 1923