1. How strong was Weimar Germany?
Ao1a
Ao1b
Recall, select, deploy and communicate relevant historical knowledge clearly and effectively.
Demonstrate understanding of the past through explanation, analysis and arriving at substantiated judgements of key concepts (causes/ consequence/ significance/ continuity/ change and relationships between key features.

2. Three Stages of Weimar Germany
Uneasy Start ( )
Consequences of WWI/ The ‘Revolution’
Impact of Treaty of Versailles/ reparations/ guilt/ army/ November Criminals
Weimar constitution/ proportional representation/ Article 48/ Coalitions/ President/ Chancellor
Uprisings/ Revolts
French invasion of the Ruhr/ Hyperinflation
Golden Years ( )
Gustav Stresemann/ Dawes, Young Plans/ Locarno Treaty/ League of Nations/ Kellogg-Briand Pact
Weimar Culture
Relative political stability.
Collapse ( )
Impact of Great Depression/ Rise of Nazis/ Hitler and Propaganda/ Communism/ collapse of central parties/ coalitions/ weakness of Weimar
Legacy of Versailles
Hindenburg/ Papen/ Schleicher and ‘Backstairs Intrigue’
Reichstag Fire, Enabling Act

3. Uneasy start to the new Germany
In what inauspicious circumstances did the Weimar Republic begin?
Uneasy start to the new Germany

4. Headlines
Germany Suffers Huge Land Losses
G. S. H. L. L.

5. Headlines
“When I have paid 1 hundred billion Reichsmarks then I will get you something to eat”.
November Criminals Stab Germany in Back
N. C. S. G. I. B.

6. Headlines
Freikorps attempt Putsch with Kapp
F. A. P. W. K.

7. Headlines
Germany suffers Hyperinflation Crisis
G. S. H. C

8. Impact of First World War
Germany surprised by defeat.
German admiralty refused it. Gave orders for new attack on British. Kiel Mutiny. Soviets set up in all of the large cities of the Reich.
Friedrich Ebert (SPD) declared temporary government (supported by industrialists and trade unions).
Far Left wanted soviet rather than elected government. Strikes and demonstrations.
SPD leadership got help from Freikorps.
Elections for new government announced.

9. Spartacist Revolt and the Elections
Tried to seize power (5th January).
Repressed by Freikorps.
Leaders murdered. More soviets formed. Crushed by Freikorps.
Elections on 19 January, SPD, DDP (German Democratic Party) and the Centre Party formed a coalition. Won. Met in Weimar (due to violence in Berlin).
Chancellor Philipp Scheidemann, President Ebert.
Drafted coalition.

10. Issues for New Germany
Use of Freikorps, remnants of army etc. to squash the Spartacists made new Government seem undemocratic.
The Freikorps hated the SPD almost as much as the Communists. SPD were lesser of two evils.
Meanwhile, these groups were responsible for signing the armistice and later the Treaty of Versailles.

11. Impact of Treaty of Versailles (without stuff over the top of it)
Financial
Strength and Pride
Psychological
Reparations (£6,600 million)
Territory lost (coal/ steel/ industry lost)
Reduction Armed Forces
Loss of territory (13%) and right to have military in territory.
Blame (War Guilt)
Shock (Kaiser removed)

12. Impact of Treaty of Versailles
Financial
Strength and Pride
Psychological
Reparations (£6,600 million)
Territory lost (coal/ steel/ industry lost)
Reduction Armed Forces
Loss of territory (13%) and right to have military in territory.
Blame (War Guilt)
Shock (Kaiser removed)
DIKTAT
Bloody November Criminals

13. Potential to abuse power
The Constitution
Army hated Weimar: state within a state
Potential to abuse power
Power to
bypass
democracy
enshrined
in law
Proportional representation caused weak
unstable governments
Everyone hates Weimar, Everyone has freedom to destroy Weimar.

14. Did the Constitution help the Nazis?
Yes No
Increased influence of small parties.
Formation of strong government more difficult.
Twenty different cabinets between 13 February January 1933.
President abused Article
Continuity in some areas: E.g. Stresemann Foreign Minister from (plus other examples)
Nazi vote was split with other right wing parties who were also able to gain a foothold through PR.

15. Threats from The Right
Old shell-shocked nationalist Völkisch and extreme right wing groups re-emerging.
Army hated Weimar.
‘Stab in the back’: used by Hindenburg at the Commission of Enquiry into WWI defeat. Claimed Army had been sabotaged by the unrest at home- helped blame the Jews and Bolsheviks for Germany’s defeat- gave right wing a rallying cry.
‘November criminals’ (Ebert) signed the Armistice.

16. Kapp Putsch
Ludendorff, Kapp and Lüttwitz (commander of Reichswehr, central and eastern Germany) already plotting to set up an authoritarian government.
When the government tried to disband the Freikorps, they demanded Ebert’s resignation and the reprieve of the Freikorps. When refused, they (and troops) marched into Berlin and proclaimed Kapp as Chancellor. Generals of the Reichswehr refused to fire on brothers and so the government fled.
Trade unions retaliated by organising a general strike leading to defeat of Kapp- although right wing government set up in Bavaria- right wing groups gravitated there.

17. Elections of 1920
More seats for the DVP (German People’s Party) and the DNVP (The German National People’s Party) in the election.
Forced a minority coalition government- composed of Centre, Democratic Party and DVP.
No love for Weimar. Right becoming a threat.

18. The State Within a State
Weimar had survived the Kapp Putsch and asked Seeckt (who had refused the army’s help to put down the rebels) to run the army- because he could, not because he was loyal to Weimar. Weimar survived with this disloyal army.
The army believed that it served a higher purpose to the nation as a whole above Weimar Government. If it decided that its higher purpose was more important than the survival of Weimar, could Weimar survive?

19. Munich Putsch
Fairly well covered and pretty simple to follow. Revise this bit yourself!
Just remember;
Army again decide fate of Weimar.
Judiciary supporting Hitler (inasmuch as he got off very lightly and they seemed to agree with his argument)
Still, Weimar survived.

20. Threats from the Left
Uprising in the Ruhr squished by Freikorps (while Kapp Putsch going on).
Spartacists already squished.
USPD gained more seats in the 6th June 1920 elections.

21. Ruhr Occupation and Hyperinflation
Ruhr occupied by French and Belgian troops (claiming Germany was in default of reparation payments).
United Germans behind the government.
Reparation payments suspended. Passive resistance in the Ruhr.
Cost put pressure on government to find more money- pay strikers, make up for lost tax from the Ruhr (welfare states need funding), Mark became valueless.

22. Failed Passive Resistance
Cuno’s government forced to resign.
Stresemann formed ‘Great Coalition’- Centre Party, SPD, DDP and DVP. Passive resistance ended.
Meanwhile some DNVP, generals and industrialists were merrily planning to replace parliamentary government with dictatorship and the KPD (with encouragement from Russians were planning uprisings, Bavarians in natural state of coup planning.
Stresemann declared an emergency under Article 48, army given responsibility for law and order- arrested the KPD uprisers in Saxony.
Ruling with consent of army

23. Key Points about this area of time
Weimar survives. Threats from left and right, hyperinflation, various other issues.
Weimar SURVIVES!

24. Exam Question
How successfully did Weimar Germany overcome it’s initial problems