1. Lesson starter: What were the terms of the Treaty of Versailles?
The Weimar Republic
Lesson starter:
What were the terms of the Treaty of Versailles?

2. Today we will… Revise the terms of the Treaty of Versailles
Understand the public reaction to the treaty in Germany
Identify the problems facing the new government

3. Terms of the Treaty of Versailles
Germany lost land and colonies
Germany had to pay reparations
Rhineland demilitarised
Anschluss banned
Disarmament (Army & Navy reduced, Air Force and conscription banned)
War Guilt Clause

4. Introduction… Germany lost the war for several reasons
The biggest party in the Reichstag (parliament) thought the allies would be kinder to a more democratic Germany
It was decided the Kaiser should abdicate…

5. Now the Kaiser had gone, Germany needed people to run the country
The German people voted for a new National Assembly
It was very democratic – meaning that the people had a say in what happened

6. Weimar Republic Clips
- beginning of
- lack of support
- weaknesses

7. Friedrich Ebert was the leader of the Social Democrats (SPD)
They were the biggest political party in Germany
The democratic parties like the SPD were left to form a government after the Kaiser and generals fled
They were forced to sign a humiliating peace treaty – the Treaty of Versailles
They became known as the ‘November Criminals’ for signing it.
This was because the Germans hated the terms of the treaty

9. The New parliament met in the town of Weimar for a short time as Berlin was in the middle of a violent revolution
The new democracy was named The Weimar Republic.
They agreed on the new rules – the constitution - that would make Germany a better country

10. Lesson Starter
Why did the German Government of 1919 meet in Weimar instead of Berlin?
Why did many Germans hate the Weimar Government from the start?
Who were the “November Criminals”?

11. The Weimar Constitution (rules)
Germany would be a Republic (have no King or Queen)
It would be a Democracy (the people would have a say in running the country)
A President would be elected every 7 years
A Chancellor would be chosen by the President, he would actually run the government.
The Parliament (Reichstag) would be voted for by all Germans over the age of 20
Every German would have rights, such as the right to free speech, religion etc.
Article 48
This meant the President could suspend all rules in an emergency and rule alone without the Reichstag

12. Vocabulary
Democracy – when the people have a say in the running of the country
Abdicate – step down as King/ Queen
November Criminals – the German government members who signed the Treaty of Versailles
Weimar Republic – the government of Germany

13. Problems facing Weimar.
Problems facing the Weimar government

14. Treaty of Versailles
Their first job was to sign the Treaty of Versailles which made them very unpopular with the German people

15. Germans didn’t like democracy
Many Germans had been told what to do by the Kaiser and his Generals.
Suddenly they had democracy with lots of elections, 35 political parties and lots of different governments.
Many Germans hated democracy, didn’t trust politicians and wanted to go back to the old ways of running the country.

16. Reparations
Germany had been punished with a huge fine called reparations which was £6.6 billion pounds (£6,600,000,000)
The Weimar Government had to start paying reparations, leaving them little money to spend to rebuild Germany.

17. Presidential Power The President had a lot of power:
He chose the government and Chancellor.
He could dismiss the government.
He could rule without the Reichstag in an emergency.
He had control of the army.
He could potentially become a Dictator

18. Germany as a country
There would be many crises over the next five years which would be a challenge for any country. But Germany was poor because of the war, it had a new democratic government it didn’t trust and it had lots of extremists who said the answer was a violent revolution.

19. How Useful question
Source A is from a newspaper article in Germany following the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.
Source A
The German people have been stabbed in the back and it is the politicians who are to blame. It is they who have humiliated the great German people. It is they who have caused the crumbling of the great German empire. It is they who have signed this despicable treaty.
How useful is Source A as evidence of the German reaction to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles? marks

20. Today we will… Revise the terms of the Treaty of Versailles
Understand the public reaction to the treaty in Germany
Identify the problems facing the new government