WEIMAR GERMANY Frederic EBERT Was the first president of Germany WOMEN VOTING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN GERMANY 1919

FAILURE OF DEMOCRACY IN GERMANY  Bloodless Revolution 1918  Kaiser fled to Holland and a republic was proclaimed  A new constitution was written in the small town of Weimar.

GERMAN PARLIAMENT REICHSTAG PRESIDENTCHANCELLORREICHSRAT

CIVIL UNREST IN GERMANY  Democracy was new and untested  The German Civilian Population was Unhappy Because:  Post War recession  Germany had lost the war (people blamed the Gov’t)  Treaty of Versailles  War Guilt Clause  Lack of food and supplies

Three Attempted Revolutions in Germany  On January 1, 1919 the communists Party (Spartacists) attempted to executed a short-lived communist revolution in Berlin  Ebert ordered the army and the Frei Korps to crush the revolution.  Luxemburg and Liebknecht, were killed and their bodies dumped in a river. Hundreds of Spartacists were executed in the weeks following the uprising.

LiebknechtROSA LUXEMBRUG COMMUNISTS (SPARTACISTS) FREI KORP FIGHTING SPARTACISTS

2. KAPP PUTSCH  Parts of the military seized Berlin and appointed Kapp as Chancellor  This coup was stopped when the public staged a general strike of protest. Wolfgang KAPP

3. BEER HALL PUTSCH OR MUNICH PUTSCH 1923  National Socialist German Workers Party  1923 During the Ruhr Occupation, Hitler Led his march on Munich  Hitler and Ludendorff were arrested  Hitler was sentenced to 5 years in prison (served 9 months)  He wrote “MEIN KAMPF” YOUNG HITLER NAZIS MARCHING TO TOWN HALL

FRENCH OCCUPATION OF THE RUHR  In 1923 Germany stopped paying reparations  France and Belgium sent troops to the Ruhr (coal, steel, industry) To collect reparations and cripple the German economy  German workers went on strike in the Ruhr

RESULTS OF THE OCCUPATION:  Strikes in Germany  Beer Hall Putsch  Sympathy for Germany  DAWES PLAN – Reparations were renegotiated (1923) USA loans available to Germany  YOUNG PLAN 1929 – Payment plan for decreased reparations  Gustav Stressman (German foreign Minister and Chancellor) ended the strikes (French Troops left in 1925)

GERMAN HYPER INFLATION  German currency “de- valued” dramatically  Inflation increased in the “thousands of %  German money became worthless  Eventually the currency was replaced with a new currency  (Rentenmark ) MILLION MARK NOTE USING MONEY FOR FIRE WOOD

GOLDEN YEARS FOR GERMANY  Stresemann became Chancellor of Germany  1. He stabilized the German currency  2. Ordered the workers back in the Ruhr  3. Germany continued to pay reparations  4. Negotiated the Young and Dawes Plans  5. Joined the league of Nations  6. Signed the Lacarno Treaties Stresemann Stresemann at the League of Nations

LOCARNO PACT 1925  Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Czechoslovakia, Belgium and Poland signed treaties in Locarno Switzerland.  settled security issues from World War I. (Germany promised not to attack anyone)  confirmed Germany’s borders with France and Belgium. (from the Treaty of Versailles)  Germany also signed agreements on borders with her eastern neighbors, Poland and Czechoslovakia.  The Lacarno Pact made it possible for Germany to enter the League of Nations.  This commenced an era of international harmony