History weimar republic

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Why did the Weimar Republic fail?

The Weimar Republic experienced two points of crisis. The first was between 1919 and 1923, from which it recovered. The second, between 1929 and 1933, destroyed it. The first of the two (1919-1923) had three main causes; the treatment of Germany by the Allies, economic collapse within Germany and political putsches (revolts). All three were interconnected.

The first cause was mainly as a result of the Treaty of Versailles. Just two days after the formation of the Republic, Germany surrendered to the Allies (11 Nov 1918)- this led to the terms of the Treaty being announced in June 1919. The four main points of the Treaty were as follows;

  • Blame- Germany was to take all blame for causing the First World War and the damage resulting from it.
  • Reparations- Germany had to pay the costs of the war- this meant many of its railway engines and rolling stock were confiscated, and in 1921, it was announced that Germany should pay a huge 6,600 million in reparations, it was a large price to pay.
  • Army- Germany had to cut back severely as a military power. A navy of only six battleships, an army of no more than 100,000 and no air force to speak of. The Rhineland was also demilitarized to protect the French.
  • Territory- Germany also lost a huge amount of territory as a result of the ToV.
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The people of Germany found these terms extremely difficult to deal with. The Government complained that it had no choice, but the press called for revenge; firstly against the allies and then against the government. The republic found themselves in an impossible position and the crisis was only to worsen.

After 1921, the German economy experienced hyper-inflation; this was mainly as a result of the huge reparations bill put forward by the allies. The value of the mark declined rapidly between 1921 and 23, also, in January of the same year French troops invaded the Ruhr to collect reparations still ...

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