1. The Weimar Republic and the Beginning of Nazi Dictatorship
The Failure of Democracy

2. 1918 – Germany a Beaten Power
Navy Mutinied
Population Starving (British Naval Blockades)
Riots in the Streets
However, infrastructure in Germany still intact
WWI ended before Germany was invaded

3. New Civilian Government
Army Leaders (Hindenburg and Ludendorff) realize they had lost and did not want the humiliation of suing for peace – allow civilian government to take control
New Socialist Leader
Philipp Scheidemann

4. First Task - Constitution
Proportional Representation in Reichstag (Parliament) led by a Chancellor
A President was to be elected
Could appoint or dismiss Chancellor
Could Govern by decree (make laws in times of emergency without parliamentary consent)
First President a Socialist – Freidrich Ebert (moderate Socialist)

5. Freidrich Ebert

6. First Challenge to New Government Spartacist Rebellion
Extreme Socialists want Communist style revolution
Led by Karl Liebnecht and Rosa Luxemburg
Two week uprising in Berlin
Eventually put down by Frei Korps
Ex-servicemen who were against Communism
Leaders Killed

7. Frei Korps

8. Weimar Republic – Second Challenge
Too much fighting in Berlin so new government sets up in city of Weimar
Ebert Forced to sign Treaty of Versailles
Seen by many as an unforgivable crime
Republic is associated with humiliation – traitors to Germany (Hitler would call them the November Criminals)
Army claims it is all the civilian “traitors” fault

9. For and Against Support for the Weimar came from:
Socialists
Catholic Center Party
Democratic Party
Those Opposed were the Nationalists and Industrialists
Wanted Kaiser back
Trade Unions crushed
Communists dead
Nationalists set up and used the Frei Korps (jobless soldiers) to achieve some of these ends
Question: Why would the Nationalist be so Against the Republic?

10. Third Challenge - Kapp Putsch
Frei Korps led by Dr. Kapp try to take power by force
Reichswehr (Professional Army) refuses to come to the aid of government and fire on the Frei Korps
Government flees Berlin
Stopped by general strike by workers
Rebels go mostly unpunished
Kapp

11. The Kapp Putch

12. Fourth Challenge - Economy
Loss of Industrial output
Treaty of Versailles gave away a great deal of Germany’s industrial areas - Saar
Reparations
Too severe
Government began printing money to pay it without assets to back the notes
1923 French and Belgians move into Ruhr (Industrial Heartland of Germany)
Take what they had been promised in Versailles but had not received – coal
German workers strike – economy slows even further

13. Inflation 1918 Jan 1923 Sept 1923 Nov 1923 Bread .6 Marks 250 Marks
201 Million Marks
Wealthy are not hit as hard – value of factories and land keeps pace with inflation
Trust in Weimar Republic fades

14. Boys making Kites out of the German mark

15. The German Mark Firewood Cooking Fuel Lines for food
Children Play with stacks of money
Cooking Fuel
Lines for food
100,000,000 Mark note

16. The Munich Putsch 1923 (The Beer Hall Putsch)
Lead by Hitler and Ludendorff (General in WWI greatly respected by Germans)
Gather in a Beer Hall in Munich
3000 armed Brown Shirts (S.A. - Sturmabteilung)
March on parliament with idea of taking control
Bavarian police fire on marchers and a battle ensues
16 killed
Hitler arrested
Sentenced to five years in prison
Writes Mein Kamph

17. Ludendorff
Prison
The Beer Hall
The Conspirators
The March

18. The Lull – Germany Accepted back into International Community 1924-1929
Gustav Stresemann Chancellor
Stabilizes currency
Halts inflation by creating Reichsmark backed by land
Orders strikers in Ruhr back to work
Starts to pay reparation again
Stabilizes international relations
Dawes Plan 1924
800 million from USA to help with Reparation
Young Plan - 5 years later Reparation reduced to 2 billion from 6.6
Treaty of Rapallo with Russia
Closer ties
Secret training schools for German Tank and Airplane pilots (Goes against treaty of Versailles)

19. 1925 Locarno Treaties
France most important one - Germany gives up any rights to Alsace-Loraine and recognized permanent borders with France
Treaty with Poland and Czechoslovakia – disputes to be settled without international help
1926 Germany allowed to join League of Nations
Nazi and Communist support lessens during this time
When economy begins to falter again (unemployment – agriculture – Great Depression) Nazis begin to gain support again

20. Political and Economic Turmoil in the 1930s
Great Depression degrades economy World wide
USA demands payment of its earlier loans to Germany (Dawes etc.)
Bruning (Catholic Center Party leader and German Chancellor) responds by cutting unemployment and welfare benefits
Socialists withdraw from Coalition
Bruning no longer has majority in Reichstag

21. Nazis and Communists increase their percentage of the vote
Elections are called by President Hindenburg (very respected WWI General)
Things got worse
Nazis and Communists increase their percentage of the vote
Bruning has even smaller minority - has to rule by decree
Reichstag no longer center of power
1932 Hitler challenges Hindenburg in Presidential election
Hindenburg –
Hitler –
Communist leader

22. November 1932 elections still no majority
Bruning Resigns May 1932
New Chancellor is Franz Von Papen (no real political affiliations – opportunist)
Lifts ban on the S.A.
Clashes between Nazis and Communists
November 1932 elections still no majority
December 1932 new Chancellor von Schleicher – resigns Jan 28th, 1933 when Hindenburg won’t let him govern by decree
January 30th 1933 – Hindenburg asks Hitler to become Chancellor

23. Hitler as Chancellor

24. Hitler Gains Complete Control
Hitler did not have a majority at first
Calls for new election – still only 44%
Reichstag is burnt down in February
Communist arrested
Communists outlawed - persecuted
Passes Enabling Bill – Dictatorial powers
Socialists vote against
In May socialists are banned
By July all other parties are made illegal
Nazi Party in complete control