Describe the problems faced by the Weimar Republic during 1918-1923.

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Describe the problems faced by the Weimar Republic during 1918-1923

Between 1918 and 1923 the Weimar Republic experienced a number of problems. Some people said that it was doomed form the start. These were all political, social and economical problems, all of which had a tremendous impact on German people’s lives. This inevitably led to instability in Germany.

After the First World War, which ended in Germany’s defeat, General Ludendorff (who was considered to be a great war hero) resigned his command. After that, Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated and fled to Holland. For the first time, Germany was left with no leader. Since there was no law and order in Germany, there was a massive threat of revolution. There was now a need for a newly elected government, a constitution, law and order, peace with allies, an end to all the violence and riots all over Berlin. But all this was meaningless compared to what the German people had in mind. The German people were suffering very badly; the morale of the people was an all-time low. After the First World War, Germany was left with no leader and all the pride that the German people had once felt was gone. They were almost certainly feeling devastated, abandoned, depressed, disgraced and extremely annoyed. They would have been feeling annoyed because their sons and husbands had died in the war and some women were left widowed. Add all this t the shortages of food and fuel and the deadly Spanish influenza (which left six million people dead). As there was no fuel or electricity, there was no light or heat so German civilians were left in freezing temperatures. I have described the social problems and some political problems in Germany at this point in time. I will now describe more political issues.

After the Kaiser had left, the people of Germany were free to make up a new government and to shape up their own future. This was the first time democracy was introduced in Germany. The German politicians had to decide who was going to be the new leader of Germany. A man named Friedrich Ebert made a statement to the German people two days after the Kaiser abdicated. In the statement he promised work, freedom, shelter and food. Surely, this was what Germany needed but the Socialists (a left wing political party who made up most of the Reichstag (the German parliament)) were split into groups who had different ideas about Germany’s future. The Sparctacists (an extreme left wing political party who were named after Sparctacus – a Roman slave – who led a revolt by slaves against the Romans.) wanted Germany to be run by workers. The Russian Revolution of 1917 inspired them. In the revolution the Russian people had gone against Tzar Nicholas II and had killed all his family, the people who had started the revolution were called Communist (David George Lloyd – the British prime minister – called Communism the new disease from the East). The aftermath of the war came to a bloody start in Germany. In December 1918, the Sparctacists held a demonstration, Ebert’s troops shot into the crowd killing 16 people. More trouble was yet to come, two days before Christmas, 1000 hungry and unpaid soldiers held Ebert prisoner. Ebert surrendered. The leaders of the Sparctacists were Rosa Luxemborg and Karl Liebknecht. They later renamed the Sparctacists the German Communist Party. For the next two months violence broke out all over Berlin. It was mainly between the German Communists and Freikorps. After the war senior officers, in the German Army began raising private armies called Freikorps. They were hard bitter men who hated Communism and loved brutality. Friedrich Ebert employed 2000 of them to help him against the Sparctacists. The Freikorps fought against the Sparctacists and no one doubted who would win, the Freikorps were well equipped and had military experience and the Sparctacists only had rifles. During all the street fighting and violence in Berlin, Friedrich Ebert moved to Weimar, a town in Southern Germany. In February 1919, Ebert was elected and he became the first new president of the Weimar Republic. As all the violence in Berlin raged the leaders of the Allies were discussing the best way to punish Germany. The 3 main leaders (The Big Three as they were known) were Georges Clemenceau of France, David Lloyd George of Britain, and President Woodrow Wilson of U.S.A. They all met up in the Palace of Versailles in France near the capital – Paris. They did this in a hall called the Hall of Mirrors. They redrew the map of Europe to suit their needs and they set up their demands. Their demands were probably the main reason for all the problems the Weimar Republic experienced during the next four years. Clemenceau wanted Germany to be punished as severely as possible. President Wilson just didn’t want another war and his people didn’t want to get mixed up in foreign affairs. Discussion went on for several months then finally they came up with their demands. Their demands was known as the Treaty of Versailles. Germany had to receive the entire blame for the war – guilt. The war guilt clause not only made the Germans accept responsibility for the war but also cost them dearly. 10% of German lands were lost, these were the Polish Corridor – this was given to Poland so the country could have a rout out to the Baltic Sea. Alsace-Lorraine, east of Germany, was given back to France. The Schleswig, North of Germany, was given back to Denmark. Eupen and Malmedy, West of Germany was given to Belgium. The Saar was to be occupied by France for 15 years and the Rhineland was to be occupied by Allies for 15 years. Also, all of Germany’s overseas colonies were taken away and shared between the allies. As a result of all the land losses, a massive 13% of the German population found themselves. These land losses weren’t the only terms of the treaty. The German army was limited to 100,000 men and conscription was banned. No submarines or military aircraft was allowed and the navy was limited to six ships. Germany had to pay reparations (compensation): - a total of £6,600,000,000. This term had the biggest economical effect on Germany. As a result of the reparations the economy was ruined. The disarmament of the armed forces was viewed as an embarrassment and the Germans felt very insecure about the ability to defend themselves. The treaty left the German people feeling very bitter, as if this wasn’t enough Germany was excluded from the League of Nations (which was set by the Treaty of Versailles). The treaty created an outrage among the German people. Initially, Germany had refused to sign it but they had to. If they didn’t then the Allies would’ve invaded Germany. The German politicians arrived at Versailles to sign the treaty. Rather than hand the rest of Germany’s navy to the allies. They sank their ships as a last sign of defiance. The German politicians came home from Versailles as so-called ‘November Criminals’. The German people were livid that the politicians signed the Treaty of Versailles; they claimed that by signing the treaty the politicians had stabbed Germany in the back. They refused to see that by not signing the treaty the penalty would have been invasion by the Allies. The German people felt that the treaty was highly unfair and unjust. For these reasons and others, Germany looked for someone to blame. The Weimar Republic was made the scapegoat of Germany. Many people were ready for revenge after WW1 and the treaty of Versailles.

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It was no wonder that after all these problems there would be attempts to seize power. The first one came in March 1920 – The Kapp Putsch. Wolfgang Kapp was the leader of the Freikorps. The Kapp Putsch was a direct threat to Ebert’s government. Once again, Ebert moved to a safer place. The Freikorps marched into Berlin and seized power easily. Kapp received support from General Ludendorff and the German military. The Berlin workers decided to go on strike and refuse to co-operate with the Freikorps. With 48 hours, Berlin was at a standstill, as if it was a ...

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