1923 was a bad year for the Weimar Republic. French and Belgian troops occupied Germany’s most important industrial region, the Ruhr, as reparation payments were not kept up. The Germans within the region of the Ruhr responded through passive resistance, refusing to work. Consequently, Germany’s economy went down. In an attempt to solve this problem, more money was printed, devaluing the German mark and increasing prices. This led to hyperinflation. The effects of this were catastrophic for the majority and confidence in the economy collapsed. The Weimar Republic was blamed for this, having agreed to pay reparations under the Treaty. It was seen as another example of the weakness of the Reich government, even though inflation had previously begun under the Kaiser’s war government through its borrowing.
In an attempt to solve this economic crisis, Stresemann ended passive resistance in the Ruhr in September 1923. Yet this decision was seen as a betrayal to those who hated the Republic, in particular the right-wing extremists, and was followed by an example of violent political extremism that threatened the Republic. The Nazi Party attempted a revolution on the 8th November 1923; the Munich putsch. Hitler and Goerring, along with 600 stormtroopers, stopped a meeting held in a beer hall in Munich and attempted to gain support in overthrowing the Reich government. However, news of the putsch reached the government and, the following day, it was crushed by the army and the police and Hitler was imprisoned.
This was not the end of the Nazi Party. Although the Munich Putsch was a disaster in the short term, Hitler used his time in prison to write Mein Kampf. This was a success for Hitler as his ideas became well known. The Putsch also made him realise that he would have to use constitutional means in order to gain power. He learnt how to win over the public through powerful speeches instead of through violence. This was threatening for the Republic as people looking for solutions to the problems they were unable to solve became more aware of alternative parties.
Despite this, things greatly improved for the Weimar Republic from 1924 to 1929. This period therefore became known as the Golden Age of Weimar. From 1923 up until his death in 1929, Stresemann was a very influential politician in Germany. He became foreign Minister in 1924, taking Germany into the League of Nations two years later, allowing the country recognition for its great power. The Young Plan of 1929 resulted in the dismissal of the Allied occupational forces from the Rhineland.
Between 1924 and 1929, governments were becoming more stable and as a result of the Dawes Plan, the German economy began to recover. This consisted of Germany borrowing 800 million marks from the USA. Industrial production had increased dramatically by 1928.
Things took a turn for the worse in 1929. The Wall Street Crash has a huge effect on Germany as America was forced to withdraw their loans. This was disastrous for the German industry and businesses were forced to close due to lack of funds. German exports declined due to a decrease in world trade. This was known as the Depression. Millions of people were jobless, causing widespread poverty throughout Germany. Taxes were consequently raised in order to help, yet this simply made the problem more widespread. As well as this, unemployment benefit was withdrawn, causing hunger and homelessness for those who had lost their jobs.
The withdrawal of the Social Democrats from the coalition caused governmental collapse and the German people lost faith in the Weimar Government’s ability to solve the problems it was faced with. They began to turn away from the democracy and look towards extremist parties who claimed to have radical solutions.
After taking into account many of the events that took place from 1918 to 1929, I feel I am able to base a sufficient conclusion as to how far the Weimar Republic was doomed. It was blamed for the terms issued by the Treaty of Versailles, resulting in an association with defeat which was hated by the German people. The instability of the government made it weak and the occupation of the Ruhr meant that confidence in the economy collapsed. The effects of hyperinflation and the Wall Street Crash of 1929 resulted in many people looking elsewhere for solutions, which was provided by extremist parties such as the Nazis, whose power increased following the Munich putsch. However, things were not all bad for the Weimar Republic. Germanys acceptance into the League of Nations reinstated power which previously appeared to have been lost and the introduction of the Young Plan removed Allied occupational forces from the Rhineland. The stability of the government appeared to be increasing and the Dawes Plan gave a much-needed solution to hyperinflation. In conclusion, while the Weimar Republic appeared to be doomed at the beginning, it recovered for a period from 1924 during which it provided many solutions to the problems it was faced with. Therefore, the Weimar Republic was not completely doomed.
