In the early years of Weimar Germany, from 1918 to 1924, the fledgling democratic government faced severe challenges from both internal and external forces. Right-wing opposition, epitomized by the Kapp Putsch led by Wolfgang Kapp, sought to overthrow the government and restore autocratic rule.
Communist uprising (left wing)
- Rosa Luxemberg, Karl Liebknecht
- remove, overthrow Weimar + establish communism
- Ebert used Freikorps to deal with uprising
- 50K workers went on strike
- attempt to seize Berlin
- take over newspaper/communicaations
- Weimar fled Berlin to avoid violence
- 100 communists killed by Freikorps
- governments lack of professionalism + power, needing to use Freikorps
French Occupation of Ruhr
Germany couldn't pay back reparations in time for ToV
- French + Belgians need to pay own war debts
French occupied a heavily industrialised (coal) area of Germany instead of cash payments - Ruhr
took all profits of Ruhr
Germany could not take military action
passive resistance - strikes from German workers, no produce, French cannot take
French put their own men into Ruhr + gained profit - 100 French civilians killed
- hyperinflation as government couldn't pay their workers wages + printed more money
- temporary support to govt. - resisted France + provided strike pay
hyperinflation
more money in circulation, less value
Causes:
- Impact of WW1 - wrecked economy, wartime loans
- ToV - reparations (paid in gold currency + material goods
- Ruhr - policy of passive resistance
1923 - 300 paper mills 2000 printing shops
Wealthy
- assets, land property value increase with inflation
Workers:
- loans paid off easily
- shortages, starvation
- savings become worthless
- fixed salaries becomes worthless, but could negotiate daily wage rises
Farmers:
- cost of produce increased
Kapp Putsch
opposition to Weimar from right wing (nationalist) - make Germany great again + autocratic
- ex-army - Wolfgang Kapp
- Ebert tried to use Freikorps, but Freikorps felt sympathy for protesters (troops do not fire on troops)
- Ebert flees Berlin
- strikes - cut gas, electricity, food, coal - in Berlin - could not function/paralysed by strike
- uprising stopped as it was not working + strikes
- support from working class by obeying government with strikes
- govt. lacked military support
Reaction to Treaty of Versailles
Reparations of £6B
- Saar coalfields given to France for 15 years
- raised tax
no say in terms of treaty - diktat
took all war blame/guilt - total responsibility for causing WW1
- didn't believe that Germany was in blame for war
Army reduced to 100K
no air force
Rhineland demilitarised
- angered nationalists
Land:
- colonies given to victorious countries
strengths and weaknesses
of Republic
Strength
- fresh start for Germany
- democracy established
- PR - parties given fair share of seats
- Bill of Rights - personal liberty + expression of opinion
- states have power + could oppose national govt.
Weakness:
- coalitions + PR = no agreement in Reichstag
- small extremist parties won seats
- Article 48 - could be abused + used against power
Abdication of Kaiser
+ German Revolution
abdicated after losing war 1918
Weimar Constitution created day after abdication
- Social Democratic Party Ebert signs armistice - stab in the back myth
- SDP won 40% of seats in Reichstag
food shortages + poverty + rationing + grieve + loss of 2million soldiers
750 Germans died
