In 1914 germans were proud people ´cause they have the finest in the World
Four years later
Germany got a different picture, they were destroyed much of the Old Germany. Their army was defeated
They survived on turnips and bread
Also it spread abig epidemic that killed thousand people
How did Germany emerge from defeat in the Fist World War?
Ebert took over in Germany in 1918. He faced lot of challenges
Social Challenges
War left 600.000 widows and 2 million children without fathers
There were huge gaps between the living standards of the rich and the poor
Political Challenges
Many ex-soldiers and civilians despised the new democratic leaders and
came to believe that the heroic leader Fleid Marshal had been betrayed
by weak politicians
Geramany had a revolution and became an unstable democratic republic
Economic Challenges
National income was about one-third of what it had been in 1913
Industrial production was about two-thirds of what it had been in 1913
The impacts of World War
German workers were bitter at the restrictions placed on their
earning during the war while the factory owners made vast
fortunes from the war
During the war women were called up to work in factories
The Republic in Danger (1919-1922)
The Treaty of Versailles
New crisis came in May 1919 when this treaty was announced
Summary of what Germany lost as a consequence of this treaty
.10 per cent of its land-. All of its overseas colonies-.12.5 per cent of
population-.16 per cent of its coal and 48 per cent of its iron industry-.Its army
was reduced to 100.00;it wasn´t allowed to have an air force;its navy was
reduced-.Germany had to accept blame for starting the war and was forced to
pay reparation.
Ebert´s government faced violent opposition from both
left-wing and right-wing opponents
The Threat from the Left
One Left group was a Communist party known as the Spartactits
Led by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg
They argued strongly against Elbert´s plans for a democratic Germany they wanted Germany rules by workers´councils or soviets
Some Anti-Communist ex-soldiers had formed themselves into
vigilante groups called Freikorps. Ebert made an agreement with
them and the commanders of the army to put down the rebelion
The Freikorps won. Liebknchet and Luxemburg were
murdered and this Communist revolution had failed
The birth of weimar Republic
In 1918 the allies won
Germany was in chaos
They offered Germany peace by strict conditions
On November 1918 the Kaiser abdicated and left Germany for the Netherlands
Elbert became the new leader of the Republic of Germany
Had opposition
Left
There were communists who believed that at this stage what Germany actualy needed was a communist revolution just like Russia's in 1917
Nearly the Kaiser's former advisers remained in their position in the army, judiciary, civil service and industry
Right
Despite the opposition in January 1919 free elections took place and Elbert's won a majority and he became the president of the Weimar Republic
It was called like this because the new government met in a small town of Weimar
He signed and armistice with the Allies
He also announced to the German people that the new Republic was giving for freedom of speech, freedom of workship and better working conditions.