Communist workers' councils seized power all over Germany
1918
The Armistice
Signed in November 1918
The Ones who signed the surrender terms where labelled "The November Criminals
Germany Bankrupt
1920
Kapp Putsch
Led by the right-wing nationalist Dr Wolfgang Kapp
The army refused to attack him;
he was only defeated when the
workers of Berlin went on strike.
after the failure of
the Kapp Putsch, a
Communist
paramilitary group
called the Red Army
rebelled in the Ruhr.
The crisis of 1923
Hyperinflation
Prices ran out of control - eg
a loaf of bread, which cost
250 marks in January 1923
had risen to 200,000 million
marks in November 1923.
German's currency became
worthless.
People collected their wages in suitcases.
One person, who
left their suitcase
unattended, found
that a thief had
stolen the suitcase
but not the money.
One boy, who was sent to buy two bread buns, stopped to
play football and by the time he got to the shop, the price had
gone up, so he could only afford to buy one.
However, some people benefited
from this...
Some people made
fortunes during the
crisis. One man
borrowed money to
buy a herd of cattle,
but soon after paid
back his loan by
selling one cow.