1. What was the economic and political impact of the Treaty of Versailles on the Weimar Republic?
By the end of the lesson you will:
Know the terms of the Treaty of Versailles
Know and explain the cause of hyperinflation in 1923
Have started to analyse the impact of the Treaty of Versailles on the Weimar Republic

2. Overview of the Treaty of Versailles
Territorial losses
10% of land, all oversees colonies, 12.5 % of its population, 16% of coal and 48% of its iron industry
Military restrictions
Army reduced to 100,000, no air force, navy reduced to 6 battleships
Diktat
Germany had to accept full responsibility for starting the war
Reparations (Economic clause)
132 billion gold marks (£6,600 million)

3. Territorial losses

4. Ebert had no choice but to sign
Ebert had no choice but to sign. However, other Germans were not happy with this treaty.
How would the following groups feel about the signing of the Treaty of Versailles?
The Right wing (Kapp and the Friekorps)
The Left wing (Luxembourg and the Spartacists)
Monarchists
Working class Germans
Industrialists

5. What impact did the Treaty have on the Republic?
Political Stability
Economy
Armed Forces
Territory
National Pride
Use pages 253 – 258 of Walsh to help you complete this diagram.
Give evidence of how each were affected by the Treaty.
Which factor was most damaged by the Treaty and why?

6. Source work Source A : A woman burning worthless banknotes in 1923
Source B : Children using bank notes as building blocks
What can you learn about the state of the German economy in 1923 from sources A and B?
“From Sources A and B I can learn ….. about the German economy. I can prove this where it shows ……”

7. Source C : Clemenceau the Vampire
What was the message of this cartoon?
Think about the techniques used, any bias, audience, message, symbols etc.
“The message of the cartoon is ….. You can tell this because ….”

8. Source D : Professor Jay Winter, academic historian
How far do sources A, B and C agree with the views of Professor Winter, in Source D?
Think about where the sources agree with D, where they disagree, if you can rely on them and whether their reliability affects how far they agree with D.
“In some ways Sources A, B and C do agree with Source D. For example …. This can be seen in source x where it shows / says……
In other ways the sources do not agree with Source D….. “Repeat procedure above!
Source D : Professor Jay Winter, academic historian
“The majority of the German nation shared the position that Hitler took on the Treaty of Versailles: that it was unfair, and that the imposition on Germany of the sole responsibility for the war, was wrong.”

9. Chronology of economic collapse
Soon prices were inflating so fast that it became known as hyperinflation.
As workers spent money in shops, shop keepers put up prices.
German workers were ordered to go on strike in the Ruhr but continued to get paid.
French and Belgian troops invaded the Ruhr in response to the German government’s failure to pay the reparations they owed.
The German government printed lots of money to pay striking workers AND pay the money they owed France and Belgium.
The German government printed even more money … so shops raised their prices again.
Read pages 256 to 258 of Walsh to help you sort these statements in to a sensible order to tell the story of the 1923 economic collapse.

10. Now check the story against the flow diagram below1
In 1923 Germany announce they can no longer afford Reparations payments. 2
French and Belgian soldiers began to take what was owed to them directly from Germany 3
German workers were ordered to strike and not to help the French and Belgian soldiers to remove the raw materials. This is know as PASSIVE RESISTANCE. 4
French and Belgian strikers were tough with the strikers and many were killed. Some were thrown out of their homes as punishment. 5
The German government met to discuss the situation. They promised to keep paying workers but were short of money as the Ruhr wasn’t producing raw materials to sell to other countries due to the strike. 6
To pay the strikers the Government printed large amounts of money – causing lots of problems. 7
Striking workers wanted to spend their money, so shop keepers put their prices up. 8
As the shops put their prices up, the government printed even more money. The more money the government printed, the faster the prices went up. 9
The faster prices rose, the faster people spent their wages. Workers were being paid twice a day and carrying money around in carrier bags and wheel barrows. 10
All this hyperinflation caused the German Government and the Weimar politicians to lose a lot of support as they looked for someone to blame.

11. How would the following have felt about the hyperinflation?
An elderly woman, living alone on her fixed pension
A school leaver who was looking for his first job
A farmer who had borrowed money in 1919 and owed 5000 marks
A married couple who had saved all their lives for retirement and had 20,000 marks in the bank

12. Was the hyperinflation caused by the Treaty of Versailles?
Discussion points
Was the hyperinflation caused by the Treaty of Versailles?
“Believe me, our misery will increase. The State itself has become the biggest swindler … Horrified people notice that they can starve on millions … we will no longer submit … we want a dictatorship!”
Do you think German people agreed with this statement by Hitler in 1924?

13. What was the economic and political impact of the Treaty of Versailles on the Weimar Republic?
Can you now:
Describe the terms of the Treaty of Versailles
Explain the cause of hyperinflation in 1923
Analyse the impact of the Treaty of Versailles on the Weimar Republic