Dictatorship in Germany

The German Revolution The Causes- Failure in the First World War as this lead to low public morales and the loss of 2 million German lives from 1914.- The hardship caused by the war as the Allied navies were blockading the German coast, preventing basic essentials entering. This hardship was worsened by an influenza outbreak that spread across Europe.- The Russian Revolution had caused many Germans to want the same for themselves and they demanded the end to the Kaiser and a government of the people.The Key Events- On 29th October, navy personnel stationed at Wilhelmshaven refused to obey orders. This spread to the base in Kiev.- On 4th November, 40,000 personnel took over the dockyard. This spread to many other military bases, including Hamburg, Bremen and Lubeck.- On 7th November, in the state of Bavaria, thousands of workers, led by Kurt Eisner, marched on the state capital, Munich. The local ruler, King Ludwig III left the country.- On 8th November, Eisner set up workers' and peasants' councils. All across Germany, the aristocracy were fleeing.- On 9th November, Kaiser Wilhelm was forced to abdicate so that the Allies could meet a 'representative of the people'. - On 10th November, the Social Democrat Party [SPD], the largest political party, took over and Friedrich Ebert was put in charge.The Effects- The new government agreed on an armistice on 11th November. It then had to give up all land won, surrender its munitions and demilitarise the Rhineland.- New regulations were set up for the new government as they took back control. Arrangements were made in Weimar.

The New Constitution - Strengths - The new constitution made Germany more democratic than it had been under the reign of the Kaiser. This is because more people voted and there were general elections every four years.- It had a system of checks and balances. For example, there were two houses - the Reichstag and the Reichsrat - which limited each other's power. There were also two key offices - the Chancellor and the President. The power was shared.- The Reichstag was the dominant house and it controlled things like taxation. Its member were elected every four years. All men and women aged 20 or over could vote in a secret ballot. This had previously been men over 25. Proportional representation was used.- The Reichsrat was made up of representatives of each state according to its size. It could delay new laws unless overruled by a 2/3 majority in the Reichstag.- The chancellor led the government and chose the ministers but to pass laws, he needed a majority in the Reichstag. - The president was head of state and was directly elected by the people every seven years. He chose the chancellor, could dismiss the Reichstag, call new elections, assume control of the army. He could also suspend the constitution under Article 48 and rule by decree.

The Weimar RepublicFoundation of the Government- There was great civil unrest after the Kaiser's departure and so Ebert had to regain control over the entire nation. - Six moderate social democrats formed a Council of People's Representatives, which was a temporary government and organised elections for a National Assembly.- The National Assembly met in February 1919 in Weimar, as there was unrest in Berlin. They began to create a new constitution, which took until August 1919.

The New Constitution - Weaknesses- Proportional representation meant that even small parties gained a seat in the Reichstag. During the 1920's, 28 political parties were represented in the Reichstag. This meant that to get a majority, the chancellor would need coalitions of several parties with similar views. But this was difficult.- The checks and balances meant that decisive government by the chancellor in times of crisis was impossible. Every time coalitions broke down, the president would have to suspend the government under Article 48 and rule by decree, giving the impression that the government did not work.

President Friedrich Ebert President Ebert was the first elected president and he began gaining the support of major groups.- For the army, he promised General Groner that there would be no reforms to the armed forces.- For the industrialists, he reassured them that there would be no nationalisation of private businesses.- For trade unions, he ensured their support by capping the working day to an eight-hour maximum.

The Treaty of VersaillesReparationsReparations were eventually fixed at 136,000 million marks (£6600 million) in 1921. Germany had to pay this amount.Colonies11 German colonies in Africa were given to the Allies as mandates (territories to look after).German Military ForcesThe army was limited to 100,000 men, who were to be used internally only. The navy was limited to 6 battleships, 12 destroyers and 12 torpedo boats. No submarines were allowed. The rest of the fleet were to be handed over or destroyed. The existing air force was to be destroyed and no future one would be allowed. Absolutely no military forces were allowed in the Rhineland, which was demilitarised.Lost LandGermany lost: Alsace and Lorraine to the French; Eupen and Malmedy to Belgium and Posen and West Prussia to Poland. This loss to Poland divided the country into two parts. Plebiscites (public votes) took place in other areas: Upper Silesia to Poland and Northern Schleswig to Denmark. The German city of Danzig became international. Germany lost about 13% of its European territory and about 50% of its iron and about 15% of its coal reserves.

The Diktat and the Dolchstoss- Peace was the first job of the new government but it had little influence over the peace terms. On 11th November 1918, just two days after Kaiser Wilhelm had left, the government signed the armistice. The Allied leaders then spent several months deliberating over the terms for peace between them all.- The Germans were given 15 days to respond to the Treaty, which accused them of starting the war and should, therefore, face punishments, including reparations and reduction in military power. The Germans asked for many changes, all of which were refused and called the Treaty a 'Diktat' (dictation) as they were not invited to the negotiations, just told what the terms were. However, the German government signed the Treaty on 28th June 1919. This was taken badly by the people, who thought the harsh punishments were undeserved. - The people believed that the German army had actually never been defeated. It had failed to win, but had not been defeated. They thought that the army could continue to fight on but had been betrayed or stabbed in the back (dolchstoss) by the weak politicians. These politicians were later nicknamed the 'November Criminals' for their undermining of the army, for being weak and for accepting the ridiculous terms of the Treaty.