Germany 1918-1929 Notes

Germany 1918 - 1929

Kaiser Abdicates

(1918)

• Germany starts to retreat in September, and so the German Navy is ordered to attack the British Navy who are blocking Germans supplies

• The Navy go on strike in the Kiel Mutiny, and the Kaiser abdicates on the 9^th November

• Ebert (leader of social democratic party) becomes first president and makes peace with allies (armistice)

Treaty of Versailles

(June 1919)

• Germans had to pay $6600 million in reparations to the allies, take the guilt for starting the war, have a limited army of 100,000 men and give land such as the Saar are given to allies

• Most Germans hated the Treaty and called it the ‘Diktat’ (dictated peace)

Spartacist Revolt

(January 1919)

• Communists called Spartacists stage a revolt in Berlin, led by Rosa Luxembourg and Karl Liebknecht

• Ebert hires ex-soldiers, the Freikorps, who defeat the Spartacists in a few days

Kapp Putsch

(March 1920)

• The government tried to disband the Freikorps after the Treaty of Versailles, so Wolfgang Kapp storms Berlin with the Freikorps

• The workers general strike in Berlin (passive resistance) ends the putsch

Troubles of 1923

• French and Belgium troops invaded the Ruhr (industrial heartland of Germany) and take materials after Germany is unable to pay reparations

• Hyperinflation occurs as the government starts printing money to support the workers on strike in the Ruhr

Munich Putsch

(November 1923)

• Hitler took advantage of the Weimer failures and attempted to take control of the country. He stormed a Beer Hall in Bavaria with 600 Stormtroopers on the 8th November where…