2 Questions:
- Did Germany have the chance to change history by planning the republic in a different way?
- What significance did the republic have on Hitler?
1 Metaphor
- Hitler used the Weimarer Republic as a springboard to come to power
Notes:
Situation of Germany after WWI
- bankrupt and humiliated
- Allowed an army of 10 000 soldiers and 6 warships
- 13% of population were due to border changes lost of the German population
- 7 million Casualties lost in War
1918:
- November revolutions started by the Navi and factory workers (similar to Russian Revolution in 1917)
- Demonstrations in Berlin forces Kaiser Wilhelm II to flee
- The end if German Empire, left in hands of Weimar
- Bands of Soldiers formed the private right wing Freikorps
- Weimarer Republic was first democracy
- Bill of Rights - guaranteed German citizens freedom of speech and equality of Law → All men and women above the Age of 20 are able to vote
- Elected president and elected “Reichstag” → Reichstag made laws and appointed the government
- Weaknesses of Weimarer Republik
- People voted for a political party
- Each party was allocated a number of seats in the Reichstag, reflecting on the number of votes
- → Therefore no party was strong enough to build a majority and get their laws passed
- Many Germans become communist, hoping for a Russian style Government
- first election
"The golden 20s"
- population was terribly poor
- Children had to work
- The Big Inflation
- In order to get out of deptht, Germany decidet to print out money
- At the beginning one "Mark" was equal to 4.2 US$
- due to mass printing of money, it became fluid, however over time worthless
- After inflation: 1,000,000,000,000,000 Marks were equal to 1US$
- Economic downfall mainly related to printing of money and attachement to dept to the United States
- 1923: New currency increase worth of money again
- Gustav Stresemann: Communicated with other countries in order to improve situation
- 1926: Weimarer Republic becomes Member of League of Nations
Black Friday: Stock Markets crashed
- Germany unable to pay War reparations to the United States
- many companies go bankrupt over night
- Created a fertile ground for someone to suggest that Democracy is not working --> radical right and left wing
- Rise of NSDAP --> Nazi party
- Adolf Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany