1 Was the Weimar Republic doomed from the start?

How did Germany emerge from defeat at the end of the First World War?

-          Germany at the end of WWI was a defeated, bankrupted state that was under the control of an unpopular government.

-          The Weimar Republic was never accepted because it couldn't restore prosperity to Germany

-          Kaiser Wilhelm II stepped down before the end of the war which created a “power vacuum” ending the German monarchy

The Revolution of 1918 and the establishment of the Republic

-          The German Revolution describes a series of events that occurred in 1918-1919

-          The revolution culminated in the overthrowing of the Kaiser and the establishment of a democratic republic.

-          No single political party led the rebellion, and workers seized power across the country.

-          However, the events continue to polarise the Left, not least because of the use of the right-wing Freikorps implemented by the Social-Democratic government in order to suppress the far-left Spartacist revolt.

-          By 8 November, Workers' and Soldiers' Councils had seized most of Western Germany

-          The Kaiser was forced to abdicate on 9 November, ending the German Monarchy.

-          The SPD were put into power as rulers of the new republic

What was the impact of the Treaty of Versailles on the Republic?

-          Great division in the Germany in how the country should be run and what political system should be put in place

-          The signing of the Treaty of Versailles was seen by many German as being ‘stabbed in the back’

-          Tensions were also created by the loss of land within Germany, all the territories gained in the war were returned and the German colonies annexed by the allies.

-          The Treaty had a huge financial implications, it dictated that the Germany should pay reparations to the allies of £6.6 billion in reparations which crippled the German economy, worsening the living conditions of the German people

-          German workers going on strike after the French invasion of the Ruhr this forced the government to print large amount of money to pay of the workers. This all resulted in hyperinflation, causing food to became scare and riots starting to break out

To what extent did the Republic recover after 1923?

-          Gustav Stresemann, Germany’s foreign minister implemented the “Retenmark” providing security and confidence in the German economy

-          Fulfilment was also used, which was the act of deliberately failing to pay reparations, meaning that it would not bankrupt their economy and the big powers could see Germany’s efforts to paying

-          In 1929 the Young Plan was used which reduce the reparations sum by two thirds and spread out the payments

-          The Dawes Plan, 1924 meant that payments would be spread out even further

-          America gave loans to Germany of £40 million however by 1924 it could be argued that Germany became heavily reliant of the US

-          Germany joined the League of Nations as a permanent member in 1926 improving her international “reputation”

-          There was the Munich Putsch, with Hitler attempting to seize power from the Weimar republic, due to financial difficulties. Hitler believed that the Republic was on the verge of collapsing

What were the achievements of the Weimar period?

-          The Weimar Republic did have a brief "golden" age from 1923 to 1929

-          During this time, Gustav Stresemann presided over a fairly effective government and was able to stabilize Germany's economy

-          He was also able to negotiate some of the provisions of the Versailles Treaty by signing agreements with France, England, Russia and the US that solidified Germany's borders

-          His achievements were recognized in 1926 by Germany's becoming a full-fledged member in the League of Nations.

-          Culturally, Germany flourished during this period.

-          German art popularity increased and the Bauhaus Movement created a new way of architecture.

-          Jazz found new audiences across Germany and the film industry became very successful

-          However, part of Weimar’s economic success was unsuccessful American loans would be eventually re-called

-          In 1929, Wall Street collapsed and so did Germany. High unemployment returned to Germany as its economy came to a rapid halt during the Great Depression.

Weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution

-          The German public were not used to a parliamentary democracy

-          An electoral system was in place which allowed extremist parties to get into power due to proportional representation

-          This meant it was difficult for any party to maintain a parliamentary majority

-          Article 48 meant that Hindenburg could elect anyone to run Germany