1. Early Weimar Germany: 1918-1923
LO: To understand the early problems of the Weimar Republic, why there was opposition, and how well it was dealt with
Starter: Think about what problems Germany might face at the end of the First World War? Jot down ideas in your book

2. German revolution 1918.
Watch the programme about why there was a German revolution in 1918? (a)List the reasons. (b) Add to your reasons using P.5. (Then tick the reasons that were due to the war)

3. Military Economic Political Social
Related to the armed forces
Economic
Related to money and wealth
Political
Relating to power and government
Social
Relating to the welfare of people

4. What problems did Germany face in 1918?
Military Economic Political Social
Key Word: Armistice –
To stop fighting
Draw the above table and use page 5 in your textbook to fill it in.
Which problem do you think was the most important in bringing about the armistice?

5. The Weimar Republic
Founded in January 1919 in the small town of Weimar because fighting was going on in Berlin
Elected the Social Democratic Party leader Friedrich Ebert as its first President
Created a new constitution for Germany
Keywords: Republic, Constitution, Chancellor, Reichstag, Proportional Representation, Judiciary

6. DIT

7. Strengths and weaknesses of the Constitution and the Treaty of Versailles
L.O: Recap the definitions
Compare the strengths and weaknesses of the new German Government
Discuss whether the Treaty of Versailles was fair to Germany

8. Early Weimar Keywords Quiz A keyword definition will be shown
Write down the keyword

9. Early Weimar Keywords Quiz
A government which consists of two or more political parties
Coalition
The end of fighting (e.g. In a war). A ceasefire
Armistice
The German word for their Parliament
Reichstag

10. Early Weimar Keywords Quiz
A system of government without a King or Queen
A Republic
What the Prime Minister was called in the Weimar Republic
The Chancellor
Another word for a collection of judges
Judiciary

11. Early Weimar Keywords Quiz
A system of rules that says how a country is governed. May be written or unwritten
A Constitution
A voting system in which the number of representatives (MP’s) elected is in direct proportion to the number of votes cast for their political party in the country as a whole
Proportional Representation

12. The New Constitution
1) Copy the diagram of the Weimar Republic Constitution into your exercise books
2) Read page 7 of your textbook and in pairs complete the following table in your exercise books:
Strengths of the Constitution
Weaknesses of the Constitution 1) 2) 3)
3) “The Weimar constitution had more strengths than weaknesses”. From the evidence in your table, how far do you agree or disagree with this view? (Write a paragraph)

13. Strengths of the Constitution Weaknesses of the Constitution
Equal civil rights for all Germans, including the right to vote over age 20
Reichstag elected every 4 years
Chancellor had to have consent of Reichstag to rule
4) A strong President – in an emergency could use special powers (Article 48) to make laws without the consent of the Reichstag
5) Proportional Representation – parties given a fair share of the seats in the Reichstag
6) Individual states within Germany had devolved powers
1) Proportional representation led to election of extremist groups
2) Proportional representation meant that all Governments had to be Coalitions which were often unstable and weak
3) Presidential emergency powers could be used to override the will of the Reichstag
4) Powerful groups such as the judiciary and the army were not reformed and were able to undermine the Government

14. Give the constitution a mark out of ten and two reasons why

15. ROLE PLAY

16. The Treaty of Versailles
In 1919 Germany signed a peace treaty with the victorious powers Britain, France and the USA
Germany was not invited to the peace conference – the terms were imposed by diktat (dictated)
The terms of the treaty were very harsh for Germany and many Germans were angry and opposed the treaty
Keywords: Treaty, Diktat

17. Territorial Losses at Versailles
Free City (L of N)
West Prussia and Posen
The Polish “Corridor”
(German speaking)
Rhineland demilitarised
Saarland (L of N) COAL
Alsace-Lorraine to France (iron and steel)

18. Other Treaty Terms
Loss of overseas colonies (East and South West Africa)
Reparations – £6.6 bln per annum
War Guilt (Article 231)
No military planes or submarines
Navy reduced to six battleships
Army reduced to 100,000 men
GERMANY VULNERABLE TO ATTACK!

19. What can you learn from this source?
It’s from a German Magazine published in July 1919
The man on the left is meant to be the French President, Clemenceau
The woman on the right is Germany

20. One Against All
Discuss in Groups: Do you think the Versailles Treaty was Unfair to Germany?
Throw the Dice. The student with the Highest Number has to argue that the Treaty was Unfair to Germany
Everyone else has to argue that the Treaty was Fair
When the student arguing that the Treaty was unfair has run out of arguments, throw the dice again, and choose a new student to argue that the Treaty was unfair

21. Use Pages 7 in ‘Life in Germany’
Treaty of Versailles
Summarise the terms of the treaty divided up by these headings:
Territorial Terms
Military Terms
Reparations
War Guilt (Article 231) A
Stick the Map of the Versailles Treaty into your exercise book - label and colour in Germany’s main territorial losses (refer to map on page 7) B
Use Pages 7 in ‘Life in Germany’
Explain what many Germans meant when they said Germany had been “stabbed in the back”. Which Germans were most likely to say this? Who did the stabbing? C
EXTENSION READING: The Versailles Settlement (from Collier and Pedley, ‘Germany ’

22. Plenary
One thing they knew before
Two questions
Three thing they have learn today

23. Whilst the Class Register is being taken spend five minutes revising the terms of the Treaty of Versailles

24. Early Risings against the Government
Spartacist uprising Kapp Putsch
1919
1920

25. Key Terms
Left Wing
Right Wing

26. Who were the Spartacists?
Two views of the Spartacists What can we learn from these sources? * Think * Pair * Share

27. The Spartacist Uprising (1919)
Led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebneckt
Communist revolutionaries who did not believe that the Weimar Government would act in the interests of the Working Class
Uprising started in Berlin on 5th January 1919
Suppressed by a volunteer force of 4,000 ex-soldiers, created by President Ebert and Army leaders, called the Freikorps (Free Corps)
Luxemburg and Liebneckt taken prisoner and murdered by Freikorps

28. The Kapp Putsch
Attempt by Freikorps in March 1920 to overthrow the Government because of opposition to the Treaty of Versailles
Led by Dr Wolfgang Kapp, an extreme nationalist
Took over Berlin. Weimar Gov fled the city
Army refused to act against Kapp – showed its sympathy towards violent uprisings from the Right
Kapp unable to rule Germany due to General Strike by German workers – fled to Sweden

29. Early Risings against the Government
Spartacists (1919)
Kapp Putsch (1920)
What was the cause of each uprising?
What were the main consequences of each uprising for the Republic?
Complete table from pages 10 and 11 in ‘Life in Germany’

30. Early Risings against the Government
Spartacists (1919)
Kapp Putsch (1920)
What was the cause of each uprising?
Attempt to replace the Weimar Government with a Communist Government like the one in Russia
Opposition to the Weimar Republic and the Treaty of Versailles, especially reducing size of Army and disbanding the Freikorps
What were the main consequences of each uprising for the Republic?
Demonstrated the instability of the Government
The Weimar Government depended on the support of the Army to suppress the revolt. In return it had to promise not to change the Army leadership, even though they were Generals from the Kaiser’s reign and remained hostile to the Government.
Showed that the Republic had the support of workers
Showed that Army was not prepared to defend the Republic against Right Wing uprisings, and was in sympathy with extreme nationalism
The Weimar Government assumed that the most serious threat came from the Left (Communists), and focused on suppressing them, whilst allowing the Right to organise and grow stronger