Germany

Background

• German empire created in 1871
• Prissia= Dominant State
• German parliament= Reichstag - limited power
• Political power= Kaiser

Impact of War:

Germans= Support  for War           Support break downd =early 1917

• 'Turnip Winter' 1916-17 (Potatoe fail) Food & Fuel Shortages
• High Civilian Deaths: Infant mortaility rate up 50%+
• Inflation= (prices double) Long hours dont cover rise
• Heavy Casualties: War
  • 2m Germans Killed
  • 6m wounded
    

Defeat

• No rapid Vic-Summer 1914-failure of Schlieffen Plan
• War on Two fronts:
  •  Russia (surrendered March 1918)
  •  Western Front -March-July 1918 (by August -German Forces Retreat)
• Allied Naval Blockade- limited imports/supplies
• USA-Mobilised 2m men -April 1917
• German Eco- not prepared prolonged war -gov/finance

Reasons for Reform

• Hindenburg& Ludendoff -puched peace/change =
• Ludendorff- W: Best possoble peace terms- Allies
• Change= no revolutionary outbreak
• Responsibility not on miltary= 'Stab in the back'myth =Protect rep of Army

3rd October 1918 Reforms: - From ABOVE

• Max Baden= Chancellor = Parliamentary democracy:
• Kaiser= Army & Navy power to Reichstag
• Chancellor & gov now acountable to Richstag- Not Kaiser
• Armastice negotiations opened- Allies

Revolution -1918

• 28 Oct Admiral Scheer - no authority= German fleet to sea = Strike on Britain
• 29 Oct Munity (Crew turn V Captain)= Kiel
• 2 Nov 20,000 sailors &workers control Hamburg & Kiel
• 6 Nov = Workers & Soldiers Councils= Berlin, Hamberg, Cologne, Stuttgart
• 8 Nov- Bavaria= Socialist republic

Why:

Reactonary backlash to October Reforms: Want Abdication of Kiaser & peace:

• Soldiers  & Workers = Know war is lost
• Defeat= Great shcock (propaganda)
• Anger=Socia/Eco Conditions

Reaction:

• Kaiser believe= no changes = Kaiser obsticle to peace
• 9 Nov = kaiser would rennounce throne= Coalition Gov- Friedrich Ebert = Germany Republic

Ebert= temporary Gov = elections at National Constituent Assembly=

The Ebert- Groener Agreement (10 Nov)

• Groener agreed= army troops to support Gov
• Ebert Return= oppose the spread revolutionary socialism - preserve authority=army

The Stinnes- Legien Agreement (15 Nov)

• Karl Legien= Leader of trade unions
• Hugo Stinnes= leader industril empoyers
• Sgreement: Trade unions not intervine= private ownership, free markets
• Retun: Workers committees & 8 hr Days

Spartacist Revolution:

• 5 Jan- launch armed uprising in Berlin= Overthrow temp Gov & create Soviet Republic
• 6-11Jan='Spartacist Week'- Wanted: denounce Gov, called for General strike
• 100 killed by Army- Supported by Freikorps
• Karl Liebknect & Rosa Luxemburg= Brutally murdered
• Kreikorp acting on behalf of: SPD & KPD

Berlin- March1919

• KPD called General strike
• Workers angered by Eco problems= Called for shorter hours
• Freikorps crushed them=
  • 1,500 Killed
  • 10,000 wounded

Bavaria (April 1919)

• Declared: independant Soviet Republic
• Crushed By Friekorps: 700 Killed

Why did the challenge from the 'Left' Fail?

• Feared by middle & upper classes
• Lacked strong leaderhip= Divided over tactics
• No strategy/organisation
• Lacked popular & commited support
• Repressed: Freikorps, Army, Police
• SPD &KPD determined to oppose

• New national Assembly Met- Feburary 1919- Wiemar=Draft up new constituion (Security 7,000)
• July 1919- Reichstag i favour of New constitutuion
• 11August: confirmed by President Ebert

Structure: Germany Democratic Rpublic

• 17 regional states
• Federal Structure: Power shared between central/regionalgov
• 20+= Right to vote

• Reich ressident:
• Elected every 7yr
• Could disole reichstag
• Appointed the Chancellor ( usually from Largest Party)
• Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces
• Capacity to rule by decree= through Article 48

Chancellor: Appointed by Presidner BUT must have support of Reichstag

The ReichStag:Deputies elected every 4 years- basis of Prortional Representation

• 35 equal electoral distriact
• 29m voters (1m p/area)
• 60,000 votes= 1 deputy in Reichstag
• Encouraged formation of small splinter parties (NSDAP)- hard to form gov= Political Instibility
• 4 partys to form colatition for win Majority
• Political & Eco crisis 1929-33 = growth of political extremism

• Consitution designed to ensure chacks & balances - between President and Reichstag
• President= Substitute Kaiser- Leadership 'above parties' & limit power of Reichstag

Article 48:

• Massive power to President
• Upset balence or power between Reichstag & President= Uncertainty
• Suspend Civil Rights
• Restore Law & Order: Presidential decrees

Traditional Institutions

• Civil service = conservative values- Imperial Germany
• Judiciary -Biased in favor of right-wing groups
• Army-Considerable influence= unsympathetic to democratic Germany

Fatally Flawed

• Constitution = represented a dramatic improvement
• Constitution- no control conditions & circumstances in which it operated
• Constitution weakness= more serious and fundamental problems within Wiemar Republic- burdened with authoritarian tradition in Germany

Schmachfrieden- Sch/mac/h/fried/en (Shameful peace) = FAIL

• Draft terms(Non-Negotiable)=Shock and outrage
• 1st Weimar Gov=Resigned in Protest
• Germany=No military capacity to resist
• Naval Blockade- until signed (18 June 1919)
• People blamed Weimar Reublic

The 'Diktat' (Terms of Treaty)= unfair:

• Self-Determination =loss: Austria, Danzigm Posen, West prussia, Memel, Upper Silesia, Sudaten Land & Sarr= Excluded from Germany & Loss of Colonies
• War Guilt Clause - denied responabillity for the war
• Reparations- Forced to sign a blank cheque-£ 6,600,000
• Disarmament- Britain  & France maintained arms - no future commitments to disarm
• Treatment= Excluded from LoN - Forced to sign treaty in 5 days- no negotiation -Germany not invited= no 'part ownershiip' of terms
• Poland- Loss of teritory to poland= resented:
  • 1m Germans=now under Polish rule

• Fudementally weaken the ceonomy
• Germany had considerable economic potential- extensive resources & industry
• Germany= Politically Stronger- empires of Russia, Austria-Hungary and Turkey gone= power vaccume- German Power could be stablished in Central Europe.
• Undermined democrats and catylist for collapse of Weimar Republic - TOV= Resentment-gov blamed= 'Stab in back myth'
• Poisoned political atmosphere- Wiemar Republic accepted terms of ToV= Made appear weak 
• Allowed Radial right to gain support: inspiring two challenges: 1920-1923
• Reparations=issues lead to financial system of dependence= loans form USA- loand recalled= German economy collapsed 1929 

United through opposition to Wiemar Repubic

• Anti-Democracy-aimed to destroy democratic constitution- weak- contributed to Germanys problems- Dispised Liberals Socialists & Catholics
• Anti-Communism-Fear of communism- threat to traditional values, ownership of property & wealth- regarded anti-German
• Auhoritairian-Supported dictorial regime
• Nationalism- Stab in the Back Myth & November Criminals (Signed armistice) - war lost due to betrayle of german Pasaficts not Military defeat

Kapp Putch (March 1920)

• First attemt to seize power:
• 350,000 regualr army troops
• 250,000 in Freikorps ( ToV= armed forcesx to 100,00= Freikorps disbanded)
• General Kapp & Luttwitz= encourage 12,000 march on Berlin & ocupy capital
• German Army= No resistance failed to support Wiemar Republic
• SPD= General Strike parylised Berlin- (No coal, gas, lectricity, transport, water) -After 4 days= Kap & Gov= no authority & fled Sweden

Aftermath:

• Kapp Putch= SUCCESS for Weimar Republic- retained support of the people & Working class= ralied defence to withstand threat from right.
• Kapp &Luttwitz=support of minority right wing only
•  ButFriekorp - think Putch=Ill timed
• Army lacked any sympathy for Republic= Unreliability
• Army became a 'State Within a State'