Chapter 2: Weimar’s ‘Golden years’
The German economic recovery
- Strengths:heavy industry able to recover quickly: by 1928 production levels had
reached those of 1913 due to more efficient methods of production
- Foreign bankers attracted by high interest rates and large US corp eg Ford invested
in efficient mass production
- Growing cartels eg IG Farben= largest manufacturing enterprise in Europe
- 1925-29 exports rose by 40%
- Social Welfare: progressive taxes implemented by Erzberger: finance minister
- 1924-31 = 2mil houses built and a further 200,000 renovated
- Weaknesses: 1926 production declined
- Number of unemployed averaged at 1.9mil 1929
- German exports hindered by protective tariffs
- Saving and investment discouraged
- Sick economy?
-
Political stability
- extremists lost ground and polled less than 30% of votes cast
- 1928= grand coalition of SPD, DDP, DVP and ZP under Muller enjoyed support of
over 60% of Reichstag
- SPD largest party until 1932
- Hindenburg acted as Ersatzkaiser (substitute emperor) and so as President gave the
Weimar some respectability in conservative circles
- Hindenburg’s view the whole time was that government should move to the right
- Government didn't make real progress, it just coped the best it could
- Stability was a mirage, there was no basis for a lasting stable government
Stresemann’s foreign policy achievements
- Sretsemann’s ideal was a constitutional monarchy, he was referred to
avernunftrepublikaner (rational republic who supported Weimar out of necessity)
rather than a committed one
- Dawes Plan,1924: called off passive resistance, French promise to evacuate the
Ruhr during 1925, loan of 800 million marks
- Locarno Pact, 1925: international security pact for Germany’s western frontiers,
demilitarise Rhineland, Arbitration treaties (settle disputes peacefully)
- Kellogg-Briand Pact, 1928: outlawed war in national policy
- 1926: Stresemann won the Nobel peace prize
- 1929- end of allied occupation
Culture
- Wiemar became a more liberal society and reduced censorship
- Neue Sahlichkeit- new practicality= desire to show reality and objectivity
- Otto Dix- aggressive/seedy with a strong political/social message
- Bauhaus Movement (Walter Gropius) est 1919- new functional approach, close
relationship between art and tech- motto ‘Art and Technology- a new unity’- resisted
among covervative circles
- Avant Garde style literature e.g. Peter Lampel- social issues, misery of working class
The German economic recovery
- Strengths:heavy industry able to recover quickly: by 1928 production levels had
reached those of 1913 due to more efficient methods of production
- Foreign bankers attracted by high interest rates and large US corp eg Ford invested
in efficient mass production
- Growing cartels eg IG Farben= largest manufacturing enterprise in Europe
- 1925-29 exports rose by 40%
- Social Welfare: progressive taxes implemented by Erzberger: finance minister
- 1924-31 = 2mil houses built and a further 200,000 renovated
- Weaknesses: 1926 production declined
- Number of unemployed averaged at 1.9mil 1929
- German exports hindered by protective tariffs
- Saving and investment discouraged
- Sick economy?
-
Political stability
- extremists lost ground and polled less than 30% of votes cast
- 1928= grand coalition of SPD, DDP, DVP and ZP under Muller enjoyed support of
over 60% of Reichstag
- SPD largest party until 1932
- Hindenburg acted as Ersatzkaiser (substitute emperor) and so as President gave the
Weimar some respectability in conservative circles
- Hindenburg’s view the whole time was that government should move to the right
- Government didn't make real progress, it just coped the best it could
- Stability was a mirage, there was no basis for a lasting stable government
Stresemann’s foreign policy achievements
- Sretsemann’s ideal was a constitutional monarchy, he was referred to
avernunftrepublikaner (rational republic who supported Weimar out of necessity)
rather than a committed one
- Dawes Plan,1924: called off passive resistance, French promise to evacuate the
Ruhr during 1925, loan of 800 million marks
- Locarno Pact, 1925: international security pact for Germany’s western frontiers,
demilitarise Rhineland, Arbitration treaties (settle disputes peacefully)
- Kellogg-Briand Pact, 1928: outlawed war in national policy
- 1926: Stresemann won the Nobel peace prize
- 1929- end of allied occupation
Culture
- Wiemar became a more liberal society and reduced censorship
- Neue Sahlichkeit- new practicality= desire to show reality and objectivity
- Otto Dix- aggressive/seedy with a strong political/social message
- Bauhaus Movement (Walter Gropius) est 1919- new functional approach, close
relationship between art and tech- motto ‘Art and Technology- a new unity’- resisted
among covervative circles
- Avant Garde style literature e.g. Peter Lampel- social issues, misery of working class
