Name:_______________________ Gr.

8 History Unit 2: Failure of the Peace Treaties February 2021

Impact of the Treaty of Versailles on Germany 1919

The Weimar Republic was created at a time of confusion and chaos after Germany had lost World
War One. People were starving, the Kaiser had fled and the new Republic got off to a troubled
start for two reasons:
• Many Germans hated the government for signing
the armistice in November 1918 - they called
them the November criminals. The defeat in the
war came as a huge surprise to the German
people, and many ordinary German soldiers,
which led to a theory that the brave German army
had been ‘stabbed in the back’ by the
politicians. Many Germans simply refused to
Figure 1: German cartoon of the 'Stab-in-the-back' myth
recognize that they had been defeated in the war
and rather believed a false myth that they had been betrayed.

• Many Germans felt humiliated and resentful, they felt it unfair that they alone were punished
and had no say in the terms of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.

The Treaty of Versailles 1919

The main terms of the treaty were as follows (remember BRAT):
Blame - Germany was forced to accept the blame for starting the
war under article 231 of the treaty, known as the War Guilt
Clause. Germans resented this.
Reparations - This was the name given to the money Germany
had to pay for the damage suffered by Britain and France during
the war. In 1922 the amount to be paid was set at £6.6 billion.
Armed Forces - Germany’s army and navy were significantly
reduced in size and its air force abolished. This meant that a
maximum of 100,000 troops were allowed in the army and
conscription (compulsory service) and tanks were banned.
Germany’s navy was reduced to 15,000 personnel, allowed only
6 battleships and no submarines.
Territory - Germany lost land on all sides of its borders as well
as its overseas colonies (other countries under Germany’s control). In Europe:
• Alsace-Lorraine went back to France.
• France also took the coal from the Saar region for 15 years. Eventually the Ruhr would also
be occupied by the French.
• German territories such as the Sudetenland went to the newly formed Czechoslovakia,
and Posen to Poland – both of which Germany had to recognise as independent countries.
Danzig and area nearby were given to Poland so they would have access to the sea – the
‘Polish corridor’. East Prussia essentially was cut off from the rest of Germany by Poland
in the middle.
• The Rhineland was demilitarised – this would provide France with an extra ‘buffer zone’ of
protection.
• The agreements that had been made when Russia left the war in 1917 under the Treaty of
Brest-Litovsk were overturned.
• ‘Anchluss’ – the union of Germany and Austria – was forbidden.
*Adapted from BBC Bitesize IGCSE & JohnDeClaire.com
Name:_______________________ Gr.8 History Unit 2: Failure of the Peace Treaties February 2021

Chaos and violence in Germany

The Weimar Republic's unpopularity meant it faced violent uprisings from both communists and
nationalists during 1919 and 1920.
The threat from the Left: The Spartacist Uprising
During 5 – 12 January 1919, 50,000 members of the post-World War One Communist Party,
known as the Spartacists, rebelled in Berlin, led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht.
The government was saved when, through the army, it armed bands of ex-soldiers, known as the
Freikorps, who defeated the Spartacist rebels. By May 1919, the Freikorps had crushed all of
these uprisings.
The threat from the Right: The Kapp Putsch
In crushing the communists, the Freikorps had saved the government, but the terms of the Treaty
of Versailles meant Germany’s army had to be significantly reduced and the Freikorps had to be
disbanded.
During 13 - 17 March 1920, as a reaction to this, the right-wing nationalist, Dr Wolfgang Kapp led
a Freikorps takeover in Berlin. The regular army refused to attack the Freikorps; Kapp was only
defeated when the workers of Berlin went on strike and refused to cooperate with him.

The hyperinflation crisis, 1923

The Weimar government's main crisis occurred in 1923 after the Germans missed
a reparations payment late in 1922.
French and Belgian occupation of the Ruhr
• In November 1922 Germany defaulted on its’ reparations
payment as scheduled. The French believed Germany was
deliberately choosing not to pay despite the German government
arguing it could not afford to pay.

• In response, France and Belgium sent troops into Germany’s

main industrial area, the Ruhr Valley. Their aim was to
confiscate industrial goods as reparations They occupied coal
mines, railways, steel works and factories – all things that were
important to Germany’s economy. Figure 2: German poster against
the French occupation of the Ruhr

• The German government ordered workers to follow a policy of

‘passive resistance’ – refusing to work or co-operate with the foreign troops and in return
the government continued to pay their wages.

• The French responded firmly – in the Krupp steel works, workers refusing to take orders
were shot at. Other people were expelled from the Ruhr region altogether. Overall, 132
were killed and approximately 150,000 expelled from the area.

• The immediate consequences of the occupation were not good for the Weimar government
– they decided to print more money to pay the workers in the region, contributing to
hyperinflation. A general strike (when all the workers in the country stopped work) was
called, and political instability was rife.

*Adapted from BBC Bitesize IGCSE & JohnDeClaire.com

Name:_______________________ Gr.8 History Unit 2: Failure of the Peace Treaties February 2021

Hyperinflation
• Germany was already suffering from high
levels of inflation due to the effects of the
war and the increasing government debt.

• ‘Passive resistance’ meant that whilst the

workers were on strike fewer industrial
goods were being produced, which
weakened the economy still further.

• In order to pay the striking workers, the

Weimar government simply printed more
money. This flood of money led to
hyperinflation as the more money was
printed, the more prices rose.
Figure 3: German cartoon on the hyperinflation crisis in 1923
• Prices ran out of control, for example a
loaf of bread, which cost 250 marks in January 1923, had risen to 200,000 million marks in
November 1923.

• By autumn 1923 it cost more to print a note than the note was worth.

• During the crisis, workers were often paid twice per day because prices rose so fast their
wages were virtually worthless by lunchtime.
Rebellions
Unsurprisingly, the hardships created during 1923 by hyperinflation led to many uprisings as
groups struggled to take power from the government.
• A nationalist group called Black Reichswehr rebelled in September.

• Communists took over the governments of Saxony and Thuringia in October 1923.

• Communists also took over the Rhineland and declared it independent in the same month.

• A fascist group called the Nazis attempted a putsch in Munich in November 1923, led by
Hitler. The Putsch failed and Hitler was imprisoned but released after less than 9 months.

*Adapted from BBC Bitesize IGCSE & JohnDeClaire.com