The threat from extreme left-wing groups caused a lot of political instability in Germany between 1919 and 1923. The Socialists faced a dilemma, as they were unsure whether to allow there to be a democracy, or to try and impose socialism by force. They knew that the German army was weak and they were supported by Russia, but the main group, the Spartacists, were poorly organised, had no serious plans and lacked members. However, they decided to press ahead with their plans, and tried to seize power in January 1919. The Spartacists seized and occupied buildings for seven days, which became known as the ‘Spartacus Week’, but they were soon over-run by military style units from the Government, called ‘Free Corps’. This showed how the left-wing groups tried to cause political instability in Weimar Germany. By attempting to seize power, they hoped to undermine the Government, and rapidly gain support from others who opposed them current system, which would boost their numbers significantly. Their key leaders were arrested and imprisoned, and despite the fact that their plan failed, it showed how Socialists tried to cause trouble and disrupt the country. However, this was not the main reason for political instability; the Treaty of Versailles was far more important, as it was the Treaty which initially weakened the German army, and gave the Spartacists the opportunity to try and cause a revolution. If the army had not been weakened, the military presence would probably have stopped the Socialists from trying to cause trouble, thus illustrating how the Treaty of Versailles was the main reason for political instability at this time.
The Nazi’s on the far-right of the political spectrum also contributed to political and economic instability from 1919 to 1923. In 1920, many Free Corps units had to be disbanded, because the Treaty of Versailles limited the size of the army. This was despite the fact that the Defence Minister, Noske, had previously promised to keep the units in place, and merge them with the regular army. The Erhardt Brigade, worked Kapp and Luttwitz, moved several units into position, and planned to take Berlin by force, and declare a revolution. The Government asked the army for help, but they refused to attack other soldiers, and initially, the putsch appeared to be working. However, poor organisation led to its collapse, along with several strikes by civil servants which brought the city to a standstill. This caused political instability as it highlighted how the Government, despite being in power, could not rely on the army for support. This meant that in the result of an Allied attack or any other internal disturbances, there was no guarantee that the army would be willing to protect the Government. As a result, some people began to lose faith in the Weimar Government, as they saw first-hand how they could not control Germany’s army. The Kapp Putsch also contributed to economic instability in Germany; this was because many civil servants in Berlin refused to work, as they supported the Weimar Government and so tried to bring the city to a standstill. Although this eventually worked and helped to bring the Government back into power, it had negative economic consequences. This is because goods were not being produced, so the country’s output was reduced, which led to a fall in economic growth at the time. This shows how the attempted rebellions by the right-wing caused economic uncertainty. The Munich Putsch in 1923 also instigated economic instability; Hitler worked with major politicians, Kahr and Lossow, and planned to take over Munich by revolution. Storm Troopers, who were Nazi soldiers, were told to prepare to attack, but then Kahr and Lossow called off the revolution; however, Hitler stormed a beer hall they were in and forced them at gunpoint to agree to the revolution. On the 9th November, Hitler took his soldiers to Munich, but the police and army were there, and there were several scuffles, in which 16 Nazis were killed. This is further proof of how the Nazi’s were trying to cause political disruption in Germany. Hitler didn’t think that the army would fight his own soldiers, and was relying on this fact to try and take control of the city. This caused political instability in the country, as it was another attempt by extreme parties to seize power. Since 1919, there had been several off these attempts, showing how those on the far-left and far-right didn’t support the current Weimar Government. However, although the threat from the right was a major cause of political and economic instability in Germany, the Treaty of Versailles was more important. This is because the Treaty limited the size of the army to 100,000 men, and this point specifically angered Free Crops groups and led to them trying to seize power in Berlin. Therefore, it can be said, that without the Treaty, the extreme parties would not have tried to seize power in this manner.
A final cause of political and economic instability in Weimar Germany was the hyperinflation crisis. After Germany failed to make a reparation repayment on time, the French occupied the industrially important area of the Ruhr. With an already weakened military, the Government responded with a policy of passive resistance, which brought the area to a standstill when workers refused to co-operate with the French. . Due to the lack of work being done, the Government had to import many goods, whilst still paying wages for the workers who were not working. This huge increase in Government spending caused there to be high inflation, and they responded by trying to print more money. This failed to work, and caused a loss in all confidence in the economy, leading to uncontrollable inflation, known as hyperinflation. The German Mark lost all of its value, and many people gave up on the currency. This caused major political and economic instability; Germans felt that the Government’s policy of passive resistance has caused the crisis, and so felt that they should get them out of the position that people were now in. This caused a loss of support for the Weimar Government, as people now began to look at other political alternatives. The economic instability caused by the hyperinflation was obvious to see. The currency lost its value, so people who had savings in the bank lost all of their money, whilst firms had to lay off workers in an attempt to stay in business, leading to rising unemployment as well. Despite all of these issues, hyperinflation was not the main cause of instability; the Treaty of Versailles imposed reparations repayments on Weimar Germany. Therefore, had the Treaty not been in place, Germany would not have experienced such massive inflation, and the economy would remain relatively stable. Also, people’s faith would have remained in the Government, as they would not have become frustrated about losing all of their money.
In conclusion, there were many causes of political and economic instability in Weimar Germany between 1919 and 1923. These included the left-wing threat, the potential revolutions from extreme right-wing parties, and hyperinflation. However, the Treaty of Versailles is without doubt the most significant reason for political and economic issues during this period. This is because the terms of the Treaty, such as the ‘war guilt’ cause, reparations payments and the loss of Germany territory, all angered other political groups, which ultimately caused the attempts by them to seize power.
by
Bilal
