Cloze Exercise

How far did the Weimar Republic recover, 1919–29?

The Weimar Republic survived the crises of 1919–23 using the right-wing army & Freikorps to crush Communists, & left-wing unions to crush the Kapp Putsch. Stresemann's leadership & US money (Dawes Plan) → prosperity & cultural flowering in Germany.

How did the Weimar Republic survive & recover, 1919–29?

Despite appearing doomed, the Weimar Republic survived by any means necessary:

1. Freikorps

• SPD Defence Minister Gustav used right-wing Freikorps to crush Communist revolts (1919–20).

2. Army

• Led by von , the right-wing army suppressed Communist revolts (1923).

3. Strikes

• During the right-wing Kapp Putsch, the Freikorps & army refused to help. Ebert appealed to Berlin's left-wing workers → strikes → Berlin shutdown → Putsch collapsed.

4. Stresemann's Achievements [DIFFERS]

a. Dawes Plan (1924)

• Called off 1923 Ruhr strike, resumed reparations w. extended payment terms via Plan. Young Plan (1929) reduced payments.

b. Inflation controlled (1923)

• Burned worthless marks, replaced w. (worth 3bn old marks).

c. French leave Ruhr (1924)

• Persuaded French to withdraw.

d. Foreign Affairs

• Signed Treaty (1925) accepting Alsace-Lorraine loss.

• Germany joined (1926), regaining global status.

e. Economic Growth

• Borrowed 25k million gold marks (mostly from US) → roads, railways, factories. Prosperity → cultural boom (Roaring Twenties).

f. Reforms & Social Change

• Introduced & unemployment insurance (1927), benefits for veterans, single mothers, disabled.

• Welfare programmes inc. infant, youth, maternal care, schools, parks, sports facilities.

• Govt spent on housing; offered loans, tax breaks, land grants to developers.

g. Strength at the Centre

• Stresemann formed '' of moderate pro-democracy parties (SDP, Centre, DVP). United, they passed laws, overcoming proportional representation issues.

Cultural Flowering – The 'Roaring Twenties'

Progress

1. Cultural creativity

• architecture, art, books, films, & cabaret. Arts became accessible to wider audiences.

2. Famous figures:

• November Group (radical artists).

• school (Walter Gropius).

• Paul Klee, Otto Dix (WW1 trench art).

• Marlene Dietrich (singer/actress).

• Erich Maria Remarque (anti-war novel ).

Backlash

3. Opposition to Culture

• Avant-garde art was sexually liberated, politicised → backlash from conservatives & right-wing (who saw it as 'decadent').

• Catholic Centre Party opposed moral decline → 1926 Law to from Pulp Fiction & Pornography, defying no-censorship rule in Constitution.

• Many artists were Jewish → anti-art criticism merged w. antisemitism.

• Avant-garde ≠ mainstream; most Germans consumed 'light' culture (films, magazines).

Social Developments

Progress

1. Real wages: ↑ steadily, esp for working classes.

2. 2m new houses built; homelessness fell 60%.

3. Status of women:

• Women (20+) could vote; some elected to Reichstag.

• ↑ working-class women in jobs; 1/3 of workforce women by 1925.

• Young women had more social freedom (dancing, cinema, modern clothes).

• ↑ magazines/newspapers for women.

Backlash

1. Standard of living:

• rural workers & white-collar employees missed out; unemployment remained high.

2. Social freedoms:

• middle-class women rarely worked; women in cities enjoyed 'liberation' more than rural areas.

3. Feminism:

• Right-wing opposed as damaging to family/nation.

Catholic Centre Party opposed contraception.

• Only KPD supported feminism; women = 5% of Reichstag deputies (1926).

4. Welfare criticism:

• welfare viewed as intrusive; resentment grew over perceived control, creating criticism of the 'lazy' & 'incorrigible'.

Weaknesses of the Weimar Republic

1. Dependent on prosperity → reliant on US loans.

2. Stresemann's 'Great Coalition' collapsed as prosperity returned → moderate parties argued, weakening govts.

3. Extremists (esp right-wing) remained hostile, calling Weimar leaders 'November '.

The Wall Street Crash (1929) revealed the fragility of the Weimar Republic, plunging it into crisis.

How did the Weimar Republic survive & recover, 1919–29?

Despite appearing doomed, the Weimar Republic survived by any means necessary:

1. Freikorps

• SPD Defence Minister Gustav Noske used right-wing Freikorps to crush Communist revolts (1919–20).

2. Army

• Led by von Seeckt, the right-wing army suppressed Communist revolts (1923).

3. Strikes

• During the right-wing Kapp Putsch, the Freikorps & army refused to help. Ebert appealed to Berlin's left-wing workers → strikes → Berlin shutdown → Putsch collapsed.

4. Stresemann's Achievements [DIFFERS]

a. Dawes Plan (1924)

• Called off 1923 Ruhr strike, resumed reparations w. extended payment terms via Dawes Plan. Young Plan (1929) reduced payments.

b. Inflation controlled (1923)

• Burned worthless marks, replaced w. Rentenmark (worth 3bn old marks).

c. French leave Ruhr (1924)

• Persuaded French to withdraw.

d. Foreign Affairs

• Signed Locarno Treaty (1925) accepting Alsace-Lorraine loss.

• Germany joined League of Nations (1926), regaining global status.

e. Economic Growth

• Borrowed 25k million gold marks (mostly from US) → roads, railways, factories. Prosperity → cultural boom (Roaring Twenties).

f. Reforms & Social Change

• Introduced Labour Exchanges & unemployment insurance (1927), benefits for veterans, single mothers, disabled.

• Welfare programmes inc. infant, youth, maternal care, schools, parks, sports facilities.

• Govt spent on housing; offered loans, tax breaks, land grants to developers.

g. Strength at the Centre

• Stresemann formed 'Great Coalition' of moderate pro-democracy parties (SDP, Centre, DVP). United, they passed laws, overcoming proportional representation issues.

Cultural Flowering – The 'Roaring Twenties'

Progress

1. Cultural creativity

• architecture, art, books, films, & cabaret. Arts became accessible to wider audiences.

2. Famous figures:

• November Group (radical artists).

• Bauhaus school (Walter Gropius).

• Paul Klee, Otto Dix (WW1 trench art).

• Marlene Dietrich (singer/actress).

• Erich Maria Remarque (anti-war novel All Quiet on the Western Front).

Backlash

3. Opposition to Culture

• Avant-garde art was sexually liberated, politicised → backlash from conservatives & right-wing (who saw it as 'decadent').

• Catholic Centre Party opposed moral decline → 1926 Law to Protect Youth from Pulp Fiction & Pornography, defying no-censorship rule in Constitution.

• Many artists were Jewish → anti-art criticism merged w. antisemitism.

• Avant-garde ≠ mainstream; most Germans consumed 'light' culture (films, magazines).

Social Developments

Progress

1. Real wages: ↑ steadily, esp for working classes.

2. 2m new houses built; homelessness fell 60%.

3. Status of women:

• Women (20+) could vote; some elected to Reichstag.

• ↑ working-class women in jobs; 1/3 of workforce women by 1925.

• Young women had more social freedom (dancing, cinema, modern clothes).

• ↑ magazines/newspapers for women.

Backlash

1. Standard of living:

• rural workers & white-collar employees missed out; unemployment remained high.

2. Social freedoms:

• middle-class women rarely worked; women in cities enjoyed 'liberation' more than rural areas.

3. Feminism:

• Right-wing opposed as damaging to family/nation.

Catholic Centre Party opposed contraception.

• Only KPD supported feminism; women = 5% of Reichstag deputies (1926).

4. Welfare criticism:

• welfare viewed as intrusive; resentment grew over perceived control, creating criticism of the 'lazy' & 'incorrigible'.

Weaknesses of the Weimar Republic

1. Dependent on prosperity → reliant on US loans.

2. Stresemann's 'Great Coalition' collapsed as prosperity returned → moderate parties argued, weakening govts.

3. Extremists (esp right-wing) remained hostile, calling Weimar leaders 'November Criminals'.

The Wall Street Crash (1929) revealed the fragility of the Weimar Republic, plunging it into crisis.