Problems - Public blamed Weimar for the treaty of
Versailles. Time of confusion and chaos.
Spartacists - Jan 1919. Revolution against
government in Berlin. Successfully captured the
telegraph bureau. badly planned. rising crushed by
friekorps. Leaders Rosa Luxemburg and Karl
Liebknecht were murdered.
Treaty of Versailles
Rhineland demilitarised. Alsace-Lorraine returned to France. Forbidden to unite with Austria.
Germany lost all their colonies. Army restricted to 100,000 men. Navy restricted to 6
battleships and no submarines. No air force allowed. Germany had to accept blame for war.
Germany had to pay reparations (132 billion gold marks)
Germany thought they'd get a fair treaty. it wasn't
fair. the most hated part was article 231 which stated
that Germany had to accept full blame for the war.
Kapp Putsch. 1920. treaty of Versailles caused lots of soldiers to be sacked. they were angry, they just
fought in WW1 and to survive and com home expecting glory but to be sacked. Wolfgang Kapp marched with
the Friekorps and sacked soldiers into Berlin and declared a new national government. The army didn't stop
them. politicians called a general strike. within a few days the kapp putsch collapsed.
National Socialist Party
Hitler joins NSDAP - September 1919. Joined as a spy but liked their
ideas so joined properly. February 1920 Hitler was helping draft the
party's programme
Challenges and recovery: The impact
of economic problems 1923-29
Invasion of Ruhr - Germany couldn't afford reparations in 1922. Jan 1923 French
troops marched into the Ruhr - industrial area of Germany. German workers went on
strike. French troops set fire to some factories. it united the German people. Strikers
seen as heroes. Weimar popularity increased (temporarily.)
Hyperinflation - 1923. Government printed more money
to pay reparations. Money lost value. Pensions =
worthless. Savings = worthless. Wages couldn't keep up
with inflation, people couldn't afford necessities such as
bread. Farmers pleased food prices went up. people with
loans could now pay them off. Foreigners could exchange
£'s or $'s for loads.
Munich Beer Hall Putsch. Hitler wanted to overthrow Weimar republic so he staged a revolution in Bavaria and then marching to Berlin. It had 50,000 supporters,
private army and the SA. Hitler wanted former army leader General Ludendorff to convince the army to support Hitler. Hitler spent 9months in prison where he
wrote 'Mien Kampf'. He dislocated his shoulder. 16 men died.
Stresemann. Retenmark, November 1923 - new currency topped hyperinflation. Gained trust from German people. Dawes plan - 1924 - reparations reduced and reorganised
payment times. French withdrew troops from Ruhr. Locarno treaties. - 1925 - improved relations between Britain and France and Italy and Germany. Germany got borders back.
Germany joins league of nations - 1926 - gives Germany power again, they were trusted. Germany signs kellog-briand pact. - 1928 - signed along with other countries, army for self
defence but resolve future disputes by peaceful means.
Increasing Support for
the Nazi Party
High proportion were young members - lots of ex-soldiers - uni students
- middle class groups eg. merchants, business men - farmers - skilled
workers eg. plumbers
May 1924 won 32 seats - but in 1928 they won 12 seats in Reichstag. - due to Stresemann.
Wall street crash - October 1929 - Economic Boom in USA they had excess money so invested in stocks and shares. rumour in October that sticks were going to decrease. 1000's of people go to wall street to try and
get their money back - they cant sell because no one wants shares. stock market collapses. USA plunges into depression - they want money back from Germany that they lent them. Pulls Germany into depression
because they have no money left.
Appeal of Hitler & change in
tactics
wanted power legally
wanted chaos in streets, showed failure of democracy
1930 Nazi's received 6 & a half million votes but in 1932 they received 13 & a half million votes