The Weimar Republic 1918-1933
German soldiers returning from World War I came home to a very different Germany. Gone was the German Empire with colonies in Asia and Africa led by the Kaiser Wilhelm II. Gone was the industrial Rhineland, as well as the port city of Danzig. Many came home to find that their homes or businesses had been destroyed in the conflict. The capital of the German Empire had been the proud city of Berlin; the new government had the capital in the city of Weimar.
The new Republic faced an uphill battle of rebuilding a nation that had lost over 1.7 million men in combat, had over 4.2 million men return home wounded. In addition to the loss of human life, many German farms and factories had been destroyed in the fighting. Soldiers and civilians lost their jobs and unemployment soared. The “War Guilt Clause” made it nearly impossible for the German nation to begin rebuilding. The Treaty of Versailles placed Germany responsible for the War, and had to pay damages to Great Britain, France, and Belgium.
1919-1923
From 1919-1923, the Republic faced years of crisis. Many conservative groups in Germany wanted a return to an authoritarian style of government like the old German Empire. The groups began to blame the Republic for the defeat of Germany during the first World War, claiming that the Republic had allied itself with Jews and Socialist, brining Germany to defeat. Many veterans of W.W.I joined these groups, fueled by their anger and resentment.
The Republic’s economy faced a severe depression during this time period as well. Prices for basic goods soared throughout the country. The Weimar Republic began to print out more money to try and help the German citizens deal with high prices, this proved to be a disaster. The value of the German deutschemark (German currency) before W.W.I was 4.2 to 1 U.S. dollar. By August 1923, 1 million deutschemarks equaled 1 U.S. dollar.
By 1923, the German government was unable to pay the reparations to Britain, France, and Belgium. As a result the French and the Belgium governments sent in troops to occupy the Ruhr Valley in Germany. The Ruhr Valley was the industrial center of Germany, home to coal mines, factories, iron deposits, and steel mills. German workers refused to work for the French or the Belgiums and went on strike. Fights broke out between the Germans and the French, and some German workers were killed. The rest of Germany demanded that the French and Belgium troops leave Germany, and protests took place all over the country.
1924-1929
The United States looked on the crisis in Germany with growing concern. The last thing that the U.S. wanted was another war in Europe. Charles Dawes was asked by Britain and the United States to formulate a plan that would bail out the German economy. The Dawes Plan, had the United States loan Germany money so that the German government could pay off its debts to the Allied nations of Europe. In addition to this the German economy was going to be restructured and issue a new type of currency. One the loans were put in place, France and Belgium agreed to withdraw their troops from the Ruhr Valley.
This eased the economic burden that was placed on Germany. For the next five years the German economy would grow and the Weimar Republic flourished. Germany became one of the leading nations in architecture, music, math and science, and fashion.
The Bauhaus style of architecture revolutionized modern buildings in cities across the world. The type of design was radically different from the previous style of the 19th century.
Arnold Schoenberg was a composer living in Germany. He developed a new twelve tone technique that influenced an entire generation of composers across the world. Along with Richard Strauss, Germany was at the center of the Classical Musical World.
During this period Fritz Lang produces what many consider the first scientific film, Metropolis. The film painted a dark future where the population of the world had been divided. Planners and Thinkers live on Earth in luxury, while the workers live underground.
In October of 1929, the stock market crashes in America and the U.S. enters what historians call, “The Great Depression.” As the American economy worsened, banks and businesses began to close. The American government cancels the Dawes Plan, and the Depression spreads to Germany.
1929-1933
The Depression quickly ended the period of economic growth that Germany had briefly enjoyed. The numbers of unemployed Germans grows at an alarming rate, from 1.8 million in 1928 to over 6 million in 1932. As more and more Germans lose their jobs and savings, many blamed the Weimar Republic for failing to provide for them.
Questions
1. Who did conservative German groups blame for the German loss of World War I?
2. Why did German veterans join these groups?
3. Why did the French and the Belgiums seize the Ruhr Valley?
4. What was the Dawes Plan?
5. What ended the German economic revival?
