Germany (1918-1934)
Was the Weimar Republic doomed from the start?
How did Germany emerge from defeat at the end of the First World
War?
1918- The end of the First World War. Proud Germany army was defeated. The
German people were surviving on turnips and bread. A flu epidemic was sweeping
the country, killing thousands of people already weakened by rations
Impact of the war on Germany by 1918:
Germany was virtually bankrupt
-Industrial production was about 2/3 of what it had been in 1913.
-National Income was about 1/3 of what it had been in 1913
-War left 600000 widows and 2 million children without fathers, by 1925, state
was spending 1/3 of budget on pensions
Germany had a revolution and became an unstable democratic republic
-October to November 1918 there was revolution due to stress of war
-Many ex-soldiers and civilians despised the new democratic leaders and
came to believe that Hindenburg had been betrayed by weak politicians
War had deepened divisions in German Society
-Huge gaps between the living standards of rich and poor.
-German workers were bitter at the restrictions placed on their earning during
war while factory owners made vast fortunes from the war
- During war, women were called up to work in the factories people
saw this as damaging to traditional family values and society as a whole.
The German Revolution: 1918-1919
Causes-
o Failure in WW1
o Hardship caused by the war - food shortages, illness, many dead, etc.
o The Russian Revolution caused discontent. Many Germans wanted to copy the
Russians and overthrow their Kaiser, replacing him with councils of workers.
Effects-
o Revolution took place with Friedrich Ebert being appointed Chancellor.
o The new government agreed on an armistice.
o The Weimar Republic was set up.
o The Treaty of Versailles was agreed
The Weimar Republic:
1918- Allies clearly won the war. Germany was in a state of chaos.
Was the Weimar Republic doomed from the start?
How did Germany emerge from defeat at the end of the First World
War?
1918- The end of the First World War. Proud Germany army was defeated. The
German people were surviving on turnips and bread. A flu epidemic was sweeping
the country, killing thousands of people already weakened by rations
Impact of the war on Germany by 1918:
Germany was virtually bankrupt
-Industrial production was about 2/3 of what it had been in 1913.
-National Income was about 1/3 of what it had been in 1913
-War left 600000 widows and 2 million children without fathers, by 1925, state
was spending 1/3 of budget on pensions
Germany had a revolution and became an unstable democratic republic
-October to November 1918 there was revolution due to stress of war
-Many ex-soldiers and civilians despised the new democratic leaders and
came to believe that Hindenburg had been betrayed by weak politicians
War had deepened divisions in German Society
-Huge gaps between the living standards of rich and poor.
-German workers were bitter at the restrictions placed on their earning during
war while factory owners made vast fortunes from the war
- During war, women were called up to work in the factories people
saw this as damaging to traditional family values and society as a whole.
The German Revolution: 1918-1919
Causes-
o Failure in WW1
o Hardship caused by the war - food shortages, illness, many dead, etc.
o The Russian Revolution caused discontent. Many Germans wanted to copy the
Russians and overthrow their Kaiser, replacing him with councils of workers.
Effects-
o Revolution took place with Friedrich Ebert being appointed Chancellor.
o The new government agreed on an armistice.
o The Weimar Republic was set up.
o The Treaty of Versailles was agreed
The Weimar Republic:
1918- Allies clearly won the war. Germany was in a state of chaos.
