Weimar Republic

Summary of the Weimar Republic

The Weimar Republic was the government of Germany that lasted from 1919 until 1933. It was formed in Weimar due to nearby Berlin being too chaotic and unsafe to hold meetings.

Fig. 1: Flag of the Weimar Republic.

The Weimar Republic was formed after Germany's humiliating defeat in World War One. The monarchy was disbanded, and a Republic was formed in its place. While the Republic enjoyed a 'Golden Age' from 1923 onwards, in 1929 it was devastated by the Great Depression. It was unable to stem the rise of the far-right and in 1933 was taken over by Hitler.

Weimar Republic Background

Years of costly military action in World War I had pushed Germany close to collapse. The early stages of the Weimar Republic were defined by economic hardship, post-war humiliation and isolation, and chaos from radical political factions.

Weimar Republic Abdication of Wilhelm II

The German Empire came to an end with the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1918. Wilhelm had been eager to lead Germany into World War One. But as the tide turned against Germany, with humiliating defeats at the hands of Britain and France, the Kaiser became the target of anger.

His failed naval attack against the British army in October 1918 signalled the end of his reign. Sailors and soldiers mutinied against the Kaiser, forcing him to abdicate.

Weimar Republic Government

Following the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II, Germany experienced months of disorder, chaos and attempted socialist revolution as had occurred in Russia.

Friedrich Ebert was the leader of the Social Democrat Party (SPD). In an attempt to restore order, Ebert partnered himself with the German army. After the Kaiser's abdication, Ebert set up a provisional government for Germany.

Ebert's provisional government met with the Allied forces to end the war.

Weimar Republic Treaty of Versailles

On 28 June 1919, Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles. It stated that Germany would accept responsibility for World War I under Article 231 (known as the war-guilt clause). As a result, Germany was forced to reduce its military to only 100,000 men, give up some of its territory to the Allies, and pay huge war reparations.

The signing of the treaty was seen as a betrayal by many right-wing German military leaders. They insisted that Germany could have won the war, had it not been stabbed in the back by its country’s politicians.

Weimar Republic Constitution

The Weimar Constitution was signed into law on 11 August 1919. It officially proclaimed Germany as a parliamentary democracy. The monarchy was abolished and the newly established Republic was split into 17 departments or states.

The constitution protected the civil rights of all Germans, granting citizens freedom from censorship and religious oppression, and guarantees to protect labour and provide welfare.

A major weakness of the constitution was its reliance on proportional representation. It led to the creation of many small parties in the Reichstag and forced governments to form coalitions. This made it difficult to pass laws and coalitions were often short-lived.

The powers granted to the President were criticised for being too great. The President was to be elected every 7 years, with powers that included:

• The right to dissolve the National Assembly (the Parliament).

• The right to appoint a Chancellor.

• The position of supreme commander over the military.

• The right to rule by decree alone in a state of emergency (Article 48).

Article 48 would later prove crucial in the latter stages of the Republic, helping Hitler's rise to power.

Crisis in the Weimar Republic (1920-23)

The Weimar Republic was dominated by the SPD under President Ebert. It immediately faced multiple crises variously from the far-right, the economy, and from the punishing requirements of the Treaty of Versailles.

Weimar Republic the Kapp Putsch 1920

The SPD faced the threat of a coup from Germany's hardline right. After the defeat in World War I, unofficial military groups had flourished in Germany. The SPD ordered one of these groups, the right-wing Freikorps, to disband immediately.

General Lüttwitz, who commanded the army in Berlin, launched a coup against the SPD on 13 March 1920. Lüttwitz attempted to take over the city with the help of right-wing nationalist official Wolfgang Kapp.

In retaliation, the SPD called on the German workers to resist through a general strike. Helped by the Independent Social Democrat Party and other left-wing political parties, the strike was successful. The strike forced General Lüttwitz and Kapp to accept defeat and flee from Berlin.

Weimar Republic Hyperinflation

The Treaty of Versailles forced Germany to pay war reparations of about £6.6 billion - an extremely high amount. Germany increasingly failed to make its scheduled payments. To combat this, the German government chose to print more money. This resulted in the German mark losing value and soaring hyperinflation. It plunged Germany into economic crisis.

Weimar Republic Occupation of the Ruhr

Germany failed to make one of its coal deliveries to France in time. In January 1923, France sent 60,000 troops to occupy Germany's industrial heartland, the Ruhr.

Fig. 2: Photograph of France's occupation zone in the Ruhr, 1923.

French occupation sent the German currency spiralling downwards, with the mark diminishing in value. By 23 November 1923, 4,200,000,000,000 marks held the same value as a single dollar. This hyperinflation resulted in trading of goods replacing commercial sales. It meant that the savings of the middle-classes and pensioners were lost completely, and meant there was a catastrophic decrease in real wages that crippled the working classes.

In the wake of this economic devastation, communist parties on the left and militias on the far-right were gaining increasing popularity across the country. New coalition leader Gustav Stresemann proclaimed a state of emergency under Article 48 of the constitution. The military was brought in to subdue threats of a communist coup in Thuringia and Saxony. The military suppressed far-right uprisings in Hamburg and Munich.

The ‘Golden years’ of the Weimar Republic (1923-29)

In the aftermath of the occupation of the Ruhr and the hyperinflation crisis, the Weimar Republic experienced a drastic social and economic turn-around.

Stresemann had identified the issues surrounding the mark, and introduced a new, highly-limited currency, the Rentenmark, on 20 November 1923. The new currency was supported by mortgaging the entirety of Germany’s agricultural and industrial resources. The stabilisation process was painfully slow but successful.

Weimar Republic The Dawes Plan

In April 1924, the Reparation Commission of the Allied powers commissioned Charles G. Dawes to review Germany's reparations. The Commission hoped to alleviate some of the economic burden Germany was facing.

The Dawes plan involved:

• German reparation reduction, increasing over time as its economy improved.

• Economic policy-making in Berlin to be reorganised with foreign supervision.

• New currency, the Reichsmark, to be introduced.

• Allied forces to evacuate the Ruhr.

• Allied forces promised not to invade German territory again.

• Foreign banks to loan $200 million to allow economic stabilisation.

American banks supported Germany with enough money to meet their reparation requirements.

Weimar Republic The Locarno Pact

In October 1925, Gustav Stresemann negotiated the Locarno Pact. This was a series of agreements between Germany, France, Belgium, Italy and the UK, to promote peace and discourage warfare between these nations.

Fig. 3: Photograph of delegates meeting for the Locarno Pact, 1925.

Germany was entered into the League of Nations as a member state in September 1926, accepting it into the concert of Allied nations. German foreign trade began to increase and general disarmament was now being discussed by the League of Nations.

Weimar Republic The Kellogg-Briand Pact and the Young Plan

Signed by Germany, France and the United States in Paris on 27 August 1928, the Kellogg-Briand Pact proposed the outlaw of warfare. This meant that any disputes were to be settled peacefully, rather than through invasion or occupation. The Kellog-Briand Pact signalled Germany's acceptance into European politics.

In 1929, a committee under the leadership of Owen D. Young met to propose a reduction of the Germany's reparation payments to 37 billion marks (approximately £29 billion), payable over 58 years.

Why Did The Weimar Republic Fail?

Weimar prosperity during the 1920s was risky, as it largely relied on foreign loans in order to work. The Wall Street Crash wrecked this precarious prosperity and pushed Germany towards the hands of the far-right.

Weimar Republic and the Great Depression

America plunged into economic depression with the American stock market crash of 29 October 1929. As a result, the United States could no longer afford to support Germany financially, recalling its loans in the process. This had a knock-on effect on the Republic’s economy and triggered the Great Depression.

Fig. 4: Weimar welfare stamps stall during the Great Depression in Germany, 1931.

The recently-recovered Weimar economy now failed to meet its financial repayment obligations, and as a result, businesses folded. Germany faced economic crisis once more, with 6 million unemployed in 1932.

Weimar Republic and the rise of the Nazis

The German middle class had endured the biggest hit of the financial crisis, and they grew angry and suspicious of the Republic’s leaders. Fears that Communism would once again flourish pushed the middle-classes towards the Nazis.

In July 1932, the Nazi Party won 230 seats, proving them to be the largest party in Parliament. The President, Paul von Hindenburg, was ultra-conservative and feared Communist revolution. Hindenburg appointed Hitler as Chancellor in January 1933 and agreed to activate Article 48. This declared a state of emergency in Germany and suspended the Weimar Constitution. It allowed Hitler to arrest anyone suspected of Communist party sympathies.

Fig. 5: Adolf Hitler, 1937.

In March 1933 Hitler initiated the Enabling Act, allowing him to pass legislation without parliamentary or presidential approval. Hitler no longer needed President Hindenburg's stamp of approval to pass his laws. Hitler could now establish a dictatorship and govern with no checks and balances process, signalling the end of the Weimar Republic and Germany's system of parliamentary democracy.

Was the Weimar Republic a Success or Failure?

The Weimar Republic was a success in many ways, implementing a democratic system of Parliament for the first time in Germany. It rejected the militaristic atmosphere of its predecessor, Wilhelm II, and brought World War One to an end.

Nonetheless, the Republic failed to prevent the rise of the Nazis, Germany's biggest failure as a nation. Here's a table outlining the Weimar Republic's successes and failures: