However the French occupation of the Ruhr could be said to have strengthened the government. This is because the government encouraged the workers to go on strike against the French occupation. Although this led up to hyperinflation, it meant that the French didn’t get what they demanded and that in itself felt a satisfaction that they were getting back on track to be the proud Germany they once were, united against the enemy.
Unfortunately, one of the outcomes (as I mentioned before) of the French occupation of the Ruhr was that the economy suffered hyperinflation. This seriously damaged the Weimer republic because middle class support tuned against the Weimer republic. They supported the extremists. It seemed as if the government couldn’t suffer any more blows to it. The hyperinflation was very severe. It was amazing at how prices could rise at such a rate. I’m still very astonished to look at the actual rise in price. For example the price of a single egg in 1914 cost 0.9 marks a mere 5 years later; it shot up to 201,000,000,000 marks!!!
Peoples savings, which may have took them a lifetime maybe wasn’t even worth a cup of coffee anymore! But, then, some people did benefit greatly from the economic disaster - debts were easily paid off.
However, in 1923 Gustav Stressman was appointed the chancellor of a new government. He was a very able politician and began to restore the credibility of the government by solving Germanys most urgent problem, hyperinflation. He introduced new currency called the retenmark; the worthless marks were taken in and destroyed. This steadied the economy greatly.
During this period of economic and political instability, Adolf Hitler seized the opportunity to stage the Munich Beer Hall Putsch. This is was a right wing attempt to replace the republic. On 13th March 1920, Dr Wolfgang Kapp marched on Berlin streets with 5,000 supporters. On 8th November Adolf Hitler walked into a meeting held in the Munich beer hall. He had his private army with him, the Sturm Abeileung. The next day Adolf had around 3,000 supporters to the centre of Munich, only to be met with armed forces. Adolf tried to escape but was later found and punished. Hitler was arrested, tried for treason and sentenced to five years imprisonment in landsberg castle.
In some ways the failure of the attempted seizure of power by Hitler and the Nazis strengthened the Weimar republic. I believe this because by the way the Weimer government dealt with the Munich Putsch, it was plain to see that they controlled Hitler. Later the Nazi party was successfully banned. It showed that a successful young determined man couldn’t overrule the government. So it made The Weimer republic seem stronger to the German who, in turn, looked up to the government the way they used to.
In my opinion the problems faced by the Weimar Republic were not insurmountable as in the end they were successfully overcome. However, there is no doubt that they were very serious and at times posed a very real threat to the survival of the republic. Although there were other significant factors, I feel that the evidence suggests that Stressman was a fundamental figure in Weimar’s fight for survival.
Clearly the events of 1923 were a turning point for the Weimer republic because it seemed as if problems were virtually impossible to overcome and it seemed that there would be no hope for the starving poor country. The government, riots, hyperinflation, war, the treaty, all happened in the space of a decade, but in the end Germany pulled through and united to re-emerge as the strong, independent country it is today. All with the overdue help of the Weimer Government.
