The Weak Weimar Republic
In the confused and violent aftermath of war, the Weimar republic (Germanys new government) was much weakened by being blamed for agreeing to the treaty. Extremists from right and left struggled to overthrow the republic. Even the army was not totally loyal to its own government. It was angry about the military restrictions in the treaty. Many ex-soldiers refused to disarm after the war, and became members of Freikorps. These were semi-official bands of soldiers, who helped the government crush its left-wing enemies. The trouble was that they were very unreliable Allies for the republic to have, and were notorious for their extreme nationalist views. In 1920, when the government, under pressure from Britain and France, tried to enforce military restrictions in the Versailles treaty, a force of Freikorps under Wolfgang Kapp occupied Berlin with the intention of overthrowing the republic. The army did nothing to intervene. This attempted revolution – known as the ‘Kapp putsch’ – failed only when a general strike organised a protest against the putsch brought communications to a standstill and demonstrated the support of the working people for the government.
The issue that the Germans resented most about the Treaty of Versailles was being forced to accept responsibility for the war (the ‘War Guilt’ clause) and to pay reparations. It was not just Germans who thought reparations were an impossible burden for Germany to bear. In his book The Economic Consequences of the Peace, published in 1919, the famous British economist John Maynard Keynes argued that, by keeping Germanys economy weak, reparations would undermine trade between nations, and therefore harm everyone. In fact, the sum of £6.6 billion, fixed by the reparations commission in 1921 was a small fraction of the amount that had been talked about in the immediate aftermath of the war. But the treaty was so unpopular in Germany that any politicians who argued that Germany should try to pay ran the risk of assassination; indeed, several were murdered for this reason.
By 1921, the German economy was in serious trouble. To solve this problem, Germany started to print off more money. This provided the Germans with a perfect excuse for delaying reparations payments. By the end of 1922, France was running out of patience. If Germany could ignore reparations, what other terms of the treaty might become worthless?
In January 1923, France and Belgium sent troops in to the Rhur, Germanys most important industrial region, to seize its produce as reparations. In response, the German government ordered a campaign of passive, non co-operation in the Rhur. The workers went on strike and the government paid them not to work. This meant printing even more money, which produced the ‘The Great Inflation’ of 1923, and left the German economy effectively bankrupt. Before long, even the French could see that there was little chance of receiving reparations, and that the invasion of the Rhur was pointless. But the German government knew it could not ignore realities forever. Sooner or later, the issue of reparations would have to be faced.
By the end of 1923, a new German government under Gustav Stresemenn had accepted the principle of fulfilment – obeying the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. Promised huge loans from the USA to help rebuild the German economy, it introduced a new, sound currency and brought inflation under control. The Dawes Plan of 1924 determined the amount of reparation the Germans should pay each year, and approved the promised American loans. Over the years, Germany received far more in loans than it paid in reparations. In 1925, the French withdrew their soldiers from the Ruhr. It seemed that Germany was finally reconciled to the Treaty of Versailles, and could look forward to a future of peace and prosperity.
Sarah Huckle 10Σ
