The Weimar Republic presentation characteristics
- 1. DEPTH STUDY NAZI GERMANY WEIMAR REPUBLIC STRESEMANN ERA 1924-1929 04
- 2. THE APPOINTMENT Gustav Stresemann was appointed chancellor and his policies would help to transform the fortunes of Weimar. He had been a strong supporter of Germany’s involvement in World War I and advocated unrestricted submarine warfare as the only means to defeat Britain.
- 3. OWN PARTY At first, Stresemann felt no loyalty to the new Weimar Republic, and he opposed the Treaty of Versailles. He set up his own party the German People’s Party (DVP). His views developed and he advocated a great coalition from the SPD to the DVP to consolidate democracy against the extremes of left and right.
- 4. ACTIVITY AS CHANCELLOR He became Chancellor in August 1923. His government lasted a hundred days until November 1923 but he remained as foreign minister in successive coalitions until his death in October 1929. As Chancellor he took the crucial step of ceasing financial support to the general strike in the Ruhr. He introduced a new and stable currency (the Rentenmark) that ended the hyper-inflation. He also crushed a communist revolt in Saxony and faced down the threat from Hitler in Bavaria.
- 5. POLICY OF FULFILMENT During six years, as foreign minister he wanted to improve Germany’s international position, cooperate with France and Britain in order to secure a revision of some of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. This policy became known as fulfilment.
- 6. THE PERIOD OF PROSPERITY He achieved success. Under Anglo-American pressure France withdrew from the Ruhr. Stresemann accepted the recommendations of the Dawes committee for a settlement of the reparations issue. A moderate scale of payments was fixed rising from £50 million to £125 million after 5 years and a 2-year moratorium (suspension) on reparation payments was set. A loan of $800 million was raised for Germany, mainly in America. For the next 5 years American loans poured into Germany which greatly improved the economic position.
- 7. THE LOCARNO PACT In 1925 he took the initiative that led to the Locarno Pact. Under this agreement, Germany recognised her Western frontiers as final and agreed to use peaceful means to ensure revision of her frontiers in the east. Stresemann was a German nationalist and was not prepared to give up what he saw as legitimate demands for the return of Danzig and the northern half of the Polish Corridor.
- 8. JOINING THE LEAGUE In September 1926 Germany joined the League of Nations with a permanent seat on the Council in recognition of her status as a great power.
- 9. EVACUATING RHINELAND As part of this policy of co-operation, the first of the three Rhineland zones which had been placed under Allied military occupation by the Treaty of Versailles were evacuated in 1926. In 1927 the Inter-Allied Control Commission to supervise German disarmament was withdrawn.
- 10. YOUNG PLAN The Young Plan agreed in 1929 greatly reduced German reparations to a figure of £2 billion and Repayments were to be made over a period of 59 years. Stresemann also won complete allied evacuation of the Rhineland by June 1930 (five years ahead of schedule).
- 11. FOCUS FOR HOPES It is hardly surprising that when he died of a stroke in October 1929 at the early age of fifty-one Stresemann’s reputation stood very high. He had also become a focus for hopes of European peace. Hitler is reported to have remarked that in Stresemann’s position “he could not have achieved more”.
- 12. CULTURAL ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE ERA The Weimar Republic, however weak its economy and its political system, was one of the most fertile grounds for the modern arts and sciences in history. The republic also saw greater sexual freedom and tolerance. Berlin became a center of many new art movements such as expressionism. Its status in the world of the arts resembled the place of New York after 1945.
- 13. THE BAUHAUS SCHOOL The Bauhaus school near Weimar was well-known for its architecture, and the theatres in Berlin and Frankfurt led the way internationally. Thomas and Heinrich Mann and Bertolt Brecht were world famous writers. Philosophy also flourished.
- 14. GERMAN CINEMA AND MUSIC Great film companies made German cinema one of the most notable in the world (never again achieved). Fritz Lang’s work was regarded as pioneering at the time. Leading composers of music taught and heard their works first performed in Weimar Germany. Cabaret was popular and the singer Marlene Dietrich’s became world famous.
- 15. ACADEMIC WORLD The Weimar Republic "inherited" excellent universities and science centres from the Wilhelmine period. German was the international language in physics and chemistry. Albert Einstein lived and taught in Berlin.
- 16. THE WILHELMINE PERIOD FACT: The Wilhelmine Period comprises the period of German history between 1890 and 1918, during the reign of Kaiser Wilhelm II in the German Empire from the resignation of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck until the end of World War I and Wilhelm's abdication during the November Revolution.
- 17. CONSERVATIVE VIEW Not everyone was happy with the new cultural freedom in Weimar. To the right, Weimar Culture confirmed the image of a hedonistic, amoral, and degenerate society. The fact that many leading artists associated with the Communist Party (which was fashionable in intellectual circles all over Europe) and the strong representation of Jews in the new artistic movements increased this hostility.
- 18. WEIMAR CULTURE EMIGRATION When the Nazis came to power most of the leading figures of Weimar culture had to emigrate. A mass exodus of academics, physicists, film directors, and writers took place, and many went to the United States, which inherited Weimar culture. 20 Nobel prize winners left and over 2000 people involved in the arts.
- 19. Political problems: the constitution One major problem for the Weimar Republic was that its constitution had two serious flaws. 1. Proportional representation (PR). All votes were counted up centrally to divide seats fairly between parties. 2. Article 48. This was a clause that gave the president of the Weimar Republic the right to dismiss parliament and rule by himself if he decided there was a ‘state of emergency’. To learn about the advantages and disadvantages of these two features, complete the activity on the next slide.
- 20. Political problems: revolts and rebellions The first five years of the republic saw riots, strikes, shootings and attempts to overthrow Ebert’s coalition government. Two of the most important opposition groups were the Communists and the Friekorp. Communists felt that Ebert and the socialists had failed to complete the revolution because they had not abolished private property. The Freikorps (private armies) felt that Ebert and the socialists had ‘stabbed Germany in the back’ by signing the Treaty of Versailles.
- 21. Economic problems: the 1923 crisis In 1921, Germany’s final reparations bill was announced as being £6,600 million. The German government asked for permission to suspend payments until the German economy recovered, but the Allies refused. Germany failed to make full payment in 1922, so in January 1923 France and Belgium invaded the Ruhr to seize industrial goods for themselves. The Ruhr occupation, which lasted until the summer of 1925, sparked anger in Germany and civil disobedience in the Ruhr itself.
- 22. 1923–29: Evidence of German recovery From the end of 1923, the Weimar government was able to bring the situation back under control. In 1924, the Dawes Plan was agreed – Germany was given more time to pay reparations, and 800 million marks in US loans. Germany’s prosperity improved. Stresemann also improved diplomatic relations. He signed the Locarno Treaties, promising to honour the Versailles agreement, and even secured German membership of the League of Nations in 1926. This was largely thanks to the efforts of Gustav Stresemann.
- 23. 1923–29: Evidence of continued weakness Despite Germany’s apparent recovery after 1923, there were still serious problems. Socially: Many people’s life savings had been wiped out by hyperinflation and they were bitterly angry. Economically: Germany was heavily dependent upon US loans, which could be recalled at any time. Politically: Ebert had died in 1925 and was replaced by Hindenburg, a conservative leader. This showed how much support remained for the old, authoritarian Germany. Diplomatically: Stresemann’s attempts to revise the Treaty of Versailles met with little success at the League of Nations.
- 24. Economic problems: The Depression Just before his death in 1929, Stresemann said: “The economic position is only flourishing on the surface. Germany is in fact dancing on a volcano. If the short-term credits are called in, a large section of our economy will collapse…” This was shown to be true when, in October 1929, the Wall Street Crash saw the value of US shares collapse. US bankers and businesses started recalling their loans. The result was a worldwide depression. This meant economic disaster for Germany. Companies went bankrupt overnight, workers were sacked and poverty gripped the nation again.
- 27. Conclusion The Weimar Republic failed to deal effectively with the challenges it faced after the Wall Street Crash. Economically, it was scared of raising unemployment benefits in case this led to hyperinflation again. Politically, it was unable to take decisive action because proportional representation produced weak coalition governments which were unable to agree on a common policy. The government’s lack of action helped the Nazis to become the largest party in the Reichstag. Hitler was appointed chancellor in January 1933.
- 28. Plenary