In Bavaria Kurt Einser set up a Socialist Republic. Freikorps troops fought their way into Munich the capital, murdering over 600 people. Control was regained. This was known as the ‘Munich Putsch’.
Germany therefore hated the Treaty of Versailles for a series of interlinked reasons. The loss of territory was obviously a huge blow to Germany, as they lost 12.5% of their population, and the loss of industry and raw materials, but there were other reasons that caused Germany to feel angry towards the Allies.
All these attempted political assassinations from the right wings or the left wing Communists were all caused by anger at the Treaty Of Versailles, causing huge political instability.
When the terms of the Treaty were announced on the 7th of May, they were greeted with horror by the German nation. Worst of all, Germany had to accept the blame for starting the war and should pay reparations. This would not only cripple Germany economically, but also anger the German people, as they did not feel they had been to blame for the war. The reduced army, navy, and air force was further humiliation, making a strong nation weak.
Furthermore, many Germans and many ordinary German soldiers did not think that they had been defeated. They thought they had signed a truce and that President Wilson’s 14 points and talk of a fair and just peace would be the basis of a peace treaty. They called the Treaty a ‘Diktat’, a dictated or imposed peace. They were outraged that Germany had not been invited to the Paris Peace Conference, when they were not invited to join the newly formed League of Nations this was further evidence of unfair treatment.
The fact that Germany lost so much territory because of the Treaty angered them. In 1919 many Germans did not really understand how bad Germany’s military situation had been at the end of the war. They believed that the German Government had simply agreed to a ceasefire, and that therefore Germany should have been at the Paris peace conference to negotiate peace. It should not have been treated as a defeated state. They thought that they were being forced to accept a harsh treaty without any choice or even a comment. The fact that Germany had to accept the blame for starting the war, and all the implications that the treaty applied on Germany added to the sense of anger and defeat that most German’s felt. The German’s naturally blamed the economic collapse on the Treaty, which had left them feeling humiliated and outraged, and left Germany militarily weakened and economically crippled.
b) In 1923 Germany was suffering economic, political and industrial collapse, and international isolation. By 1929 Germany had become economically stable and part of the international community. When Germany's democracy survived the turbulent year of 1923, things started to get better. Although unemployment began to rise after the currency reform, the economy stabilized.
In 1923, Gustav Stresemann took over as Chancellor and foreign minister. Stresemann aimed to help German industry recover with loans from the United States, to deal with the inflation, and to sign agreements with its old enemies so that they might start to trust Germany again.
Stresemann also sought to end Germany's international isolation. In 1922 Germany and the USSR signed the Treaty Of Rapallo, which provided the German army with the opportunity to train with weaponry it was not normally allowed to have, according to the Treaty of Versailles. Germany continued to ignore the Treaty and regarded it as unjust and enforced. Charles Dawes, an American banker, arranged for reparations to be paid in instalments, starting at £50 million, in line with Germany’s ability to pay. US loans then poured into Germany. Germany was further helped by another American plan- the ‘Young Plan’ (1929), which brought the reparations down to £2,000 million- to be paid over 59 years.
In 1925 Germany and France signed the Treaty Of Locarno. In this treaty Germany recognized Alsace-Lorraine as French. The French agreed to withdraw the forces occupying the Ruhrgebiet and Rhineland (1925-1930). They evacuated the city of Cologne in 1926. Also in 1926, Germany and the USSR signed a Pact Of Friendship. Germany was admitted to the League of Nations. In 1928, 65 countries including Germany signed the ‘Kellogg-Briand’ agreement condemning war. They agreed that the only occasion they would use their armed forces would be to defend themselves. In 1926 Germany was welcomed back into the League of Nations. These various pacts that Stressmann signed began to recover Germany’s national pride. The remerging of Germany with the League of Nations made German people sense that they were being recognised as a world power again.
Stresemann also increased Germany’s political stability. Longer and more stable coalitions were formed. There was better co-operation between the middle class p0arties and the Social Democrats. And there was a decline in the support for parties opposed to the Weimer Republic (e.g. Communists and Nazis).
The introduction of the ‘Rentenmark’ (by Stresemann) was highly significant in Germany’s economic recovery. As it allowed the currency to stabilise and supported by the Dawes Plan it stood a good chance of not succumbing to inflationary pressures as had previously happened. The new Rentenmark was valued at 1 Rentenmark to One Trillion old marks. The Rentenmark was exchangeable for bonds in land and industrial plant – in other words they were worth something. Inflation ceased to be a problem, the German people accepted the value of the new currency and businesses accepted it as being of worth. Production overtook the 1914 levels in 1928, and exports rose sharply. Gustav Stresemann was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1926.
With the new currency stable, the Dawes plan, earnings up to a third, the industrial population doubled, and the American investments, the economy in Germany was booming. Politics as well as the economy stabilized. The radical parties (communists and Nazis), strongly represented in 1924, took considerable losses. The inflation rate was close to zero and the unemployment rate declined. These years of achievement and success were known as ‘the golden twenties’. By 1929, Germany seemed to have recovered. But there had been little progress towards disarmament. A question arose; was Germany relying too much on loans from the United States? In October 1929, the Wall Street Crash would begin the Depression- and ruin Germany’s recovery.
c). Long term causes like the economic depression 1929-1933, and the failure of the Weimar government were key reasons why Hitler became chancellor of Germany in 1933. But there were many other main factors along the way which lead to his appointment.
Hitler became chancellor mostly because of his political power and his amazing gift for changing the public’s opinions via public speeches. Hitler portrayed himself as Germany’s ‘last hope’. He tried to offer every section of society something. He said a Nazi government would make Germany powerful and recover lost pride, offer land and lower taxes to farmers, destroy the Communist threat to the middle classes and property owners, destroy the humiliating treaty of Versailles, destroy the Jews and the Weimar government (using them as scapegoats who could be blamed for all of Germany’s problems), and offer jobs and military service to the unemployed.
Hitler was the Nazi’s greatest asset. He made a dramatic impact on the thousands of people who came to is rallies, using instruments such as his talent for public speaking, posters, film, radio, and mass rallies to persuade the German population to vote Nazi. There were however some who still opposed the Nazis, but Hitler just used violence to and fear to keep them quiet. The Nazi ‘Brown Shirts’ disrupted communist meetings, battered opponents and harassed Jews. The Nazis were very strong at this point. With Hitler’s Twenty-Five Point Programme that was very popular as the Nazi party appeared strong, organised, disciplined and merciless. The Weimar Government were indecisive, and the Nazis had potent opinions. They campaigned for Germany to stop paying the reparations, and to overthrow the Treaty Of Versailles, as these were adding to economic problems. The Nazis wanted to put men in the army, as this would tackle unemployment. Hitler promoted the idea that Germany was weak because of races and organisations such as the Communists and the Jews. He offered scapegoats as to why Germany was in economic collapse. Hitler appealed to all; he conveyed different messages to different audiences. In this way he persuaded the German people into supporting him, and the Nazis became strong. But, by 1928 the Nazi party still only had twelve seats in government. They were clearly on the fringe of politics, as most people put their faith in moderate republican parties.
Then, the Wall Street Crash led to a Depression in Germany. As world trade collapsed, German factories began to close. American banks demanded repayment of millions of dollars, which had been lent to Germany following the Dawes Plan. Unemployment rose to record levels. By 1933, 6,000,000 Germans were out of work. The Weimar governments seemed incapable of taking action to reduce poverty. For example, the Social Democratic Party was driven to object to cuts in Social Security Payments. President Hindenburg, now over 80 years old, was forced to replace weak coalition government with rule by decree. This was dangerous, as it meant that the Reichstag was not being consulted when important decisions were taken. After 1930, Nazi strength grew. The effects of this economic downturn were catastrophic on Germany and caused many Germans to view the Nazis as a valid alternative. Hitler had financial support from wealthy capitalists, and therefore able to pay for the expensive election campaigns. In 1932 Hitler challenged Hindenburg for the Presidency of Germany. Although he lost, Hitler proved how popular he was by winning 13 million votes, against Hindenburg’s 19 million. At the end of 1932 the Chancellor, von Papen, was sacked. But von Papen still wanted to remain in a powerful position in the government. He persuaded the President to make Hitler Chancellor, with himself as vice Chancellor. In this way he thought he could control Hitler. However Hitler had absolutely no intention of letting anyone else upstage him, and in January 1933 he became Chancellor. This understatement of Hitler’s ability was a key short-term factor in his rise to power.
Overall, the most important long- term reasons for Hitler's rise to the post of Chancellor were those which were most detrimental to Germany’s economy and political status, such as the signing of the treaty of Versailles, the hyperinflation crisis, and the Great Depression. The economic and political disasters that occurred definitely helped Hitler and the NSDAP to prosper and develop into the largest party in the Reichstag in 1932. Article 48 (in times of crisis the president can take over power of the Reichstag) was a crucial political factor, and the weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution and its politicians, the appeal of the Nazis and their violence, the fear of communism, and the actions of Hindenburg and von Papen were all important factors which facilitated Hitler’s rise to power. Finally, his becoming chancellor was also powerfully advanced by his immense personal charisma and leadership qualities. So overall the impact of the economic depression was an important reason why Hitler became Chancellor in 1933, but not the only one. Hitler made it happen for himself; he was a charismatic speaker, and a clever politician. He targeted the weak areas of Germany, and provided scapegoats for all of Germany’s problems. The Weimar Government’s weakness was Hitler’s strength, and he thrived on the increasing support the Nazis were receiving.
Bibliography:
GCSE Modern World History; Exam Revision Notes
Class Notes
GCSE Modern World History Textbook
