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Consequences of Ww1 Part 2

The Weimar Republic was established in Germany after World War One, facing significant political instability from both left-wing communists and right-wing nationalists. Major uprisings, such as the Spartacist rebellion and the Kapp Putsch, highlighted the tensions within the country, while the assassination of politicians by nationalists further destabilized the government. The crisis peaked in 1923 with hyperinflation, resulting from failed reparations payments and a general strike, leading to a dramatic devaluation of the currency and severe economic hardship for the population.

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7 views2 pages

Consequences of Ww1 Part 2

The Weimar Republic was established in Germany after World War One, facing significant political instability from both left-wing communists and right-wing nationalists. Major uprisings, such as the Spartacist rebellion and the Kapp Putsch, highlighted the tensions within the country, while the assassination of politicians by nationalists further destabilized the government. The crisis peaked in 1923 with hyperinflation, resulting from failed reparations payments and a general strike, leading to a dramatic devaluation of the currency and severe economic hardship for the population.

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rachelnkala671
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Political instability

After Germany lost World War One, the Kaiser fled and a new democratic government of
Germany was declared in February 1919 at the small town of Weimar. The Weimar Republic
was a genuine attempt to create a perfect democratic country.

The political spectrum


Left wing people want more control for the workers and to share the wealth of the country
more evenly. The Communist (KPD) were on the extreme left wing.

Right wing people want more control for the traditional elite, rich, army etc. The Nazis
(NSDAP) were on the extreme right wing.

 Some people in Germany were communists, who wanted to bring in a Russian-


style communist government. There were a number of communist uprisings. For
instance, in January 1919, 50,000 Spartacists rebelled in Berlin, led by the
communists Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Leibknecht. The rebellion was put down by
the army and the right-wing Freikorps in bitter street fighting. Both sides suffered
significant losses.
 In March 1920, there was a rebellion - the Kapp Putsch. The right-wing nationalist
Dr Wolfgang Kapp took over Berlin aiming to set up a new government as the
rebels were angry at them for signing the Treaty of Versailles. The army refused to
attack him and he was only defeated when the workers of Berlin went on strike
organised by left-wing activists.
 In 1920, after the failure of the Kapp Putsch, a Communist paramilitary group
called the Red Army rebelled in the Ruhr.
 Nationalist terrorists assassinated 356 government politicians, including Walter
Rathenau, the foreign minister, and Matthias Erzberger who had been finance
minister. The judges, many of whom preferred the Kaiser's government,
consistently gave these terrorists light sentences, or let them go free.
The Weimar government's main crisis occurred in 1923, when the Germans failed to make
a reparations payment on time, which set off a train of events.

 The French invaded the Ruhr to take goods by force.


 The Weimar Government ordered workers to follow "passive resistance" whereby they
stopped working and did not produce anything that the French could take.
 The workers obeyed and the Ruhr area stopped producing goods, however the workers still
needed wages.
 The government printed more money for the workers but this soon became worthless with
inflation.

Hyperinflation
A sudden flood of paper money entered the economy and a general strike meant that no
goods were being manufactured. These factors meant there was more money chasing fewer
goods. This, combined with a weak economy ruined by the war, all resulted in hyperinflation.

Prices ran out of control, eg a loaf of bread cost 250 marks in January 1923 rose to 200,000
million marks in November 1923. German's currency became worthless. Middle-class people
with savings were particularly badly hit.

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