What problems confronted the Weimar Republic between 1919 and 1924 and how were they overcome?

At the end of World War I the German Kaiser abdicated and fled Germany. On that day Phillipp Schiedemann declared Germany was a republic, and Friedrich Ebert was elected president of the Republic. This republic was doomed from the beginning as it had to admit defeat in World War I and sign the Treaty of Versailles. In this essay I will attempt to look at some of these problems and show clearly how they were overcome.

When elected President, Ebert’s first task was to end the war. The German public agreed to surrender under the terms of Woodrow Wilson’s 14 points. It became apparent that Germany was not going to receive peace under these terms and Ebert was forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles (TOV) to the disgust of his Nation. Not only was the peace dictated but they had to sign the War Guilt Clause. This was a big problem as it led to the hatred of the Weimar Republic as Germany felt it had been ‘stabbed in the back’. The republic never really overcame this hatred throughout its existence. It became a scapegoat for all problems the Germans faced and therefore was doomed.

Many things happened after signing the TOV which were a direct result of the Treaty. German extremists killed Matthias Erzberger who had carried out the task of signing surrender in 1918 and Foreign Minister, Walther Rathenau, was machine gunned in a Berlin street. The extremists were also responsible for attempts to overthrow the Government. The first occurred in 1920 when Dr. Wolfgang Kapp led 5,000 men into Berlin in the Kapp Putsch. He intended to set up a right wing government when the true government withdrew to Dresden. He called for a general strike in which all services came to a stand still. Kapp couldn’t rule in the chaos and he effectively put down his own revolt.

Another putsch occurred in Munich, 1923. Adolf Hitler intended to march on Munich and seize power. However his attempt was quashed by Bavarian Police. Hitler learned a valuable lesson from this and although the republic had survived for now, it was eventually overtaken by Hitler later on.

Under the conditions of the TOV, Germany had to pay reparations to all the allies. This amounted to 136,000 million Deutsch Marks, to be paid in instalments. The bill was crippling and the German economy struggled. France were not sympathetic and the bill was not reduced. Finally in 1923 Germany failed to pay what was due and the French were outraged. They sent troops into the Ruhr, the only major industrial area left for Germany after the TOV. Inhabitants of the Ruhr refused to co-operate with the French after the government requested they strike. This meant almost all production in Germany stopped. The inflation, that was already very high, soared and led to hyper-inflation. The value of the Mark dropped every day. More and more money was printed. Compared to other currencies, the Mark was useless.

Not only did the republic have to deal with economic problems and revolts, there was an increasing amount of political extremists in the country. Communist and Nazi power within the government was getting stronger and the republic could do nothing. It was also hindered by its constitution. It was very democratic and any decision was made by proportional representation which made it very difficult to make a decision and rarely a majority was found. The critical point in the constitution was article 48. It stated that if the country was in a crisis the president could take complete control and make decisions with the back up of the army. The government could be cut out.

By September 1923 the country was in such a state that a new chancellor, Gustav Stresemann, was appointed. Stresemann’s attitude to recovery was different to that of the Army’s. This was because his views were delivered more gently. He wanted to reduce the amount of reparations that Germany had to pay and protect her colonies. His first actions were to stabilise the economy. He introduced a new currency, the Rentenmark, which replaced the old, devalued currency. This new currency was strong and Germany appeared to recover, however for some people it was too late. Germany was also greatly helped by the introduction of the Dawes Plan in 1924. This was loan of money from the USA, that greatly reduced the burden of reparations. The money had a miraculous effect. More goods were produced, and exports rose. As a result the labour force increased and unemployment levels decreased. Most Germans were better off and it was the catalyst for a better and more respected Germany.

In conclusion I feel that the Weimar republic did not really overcome many of its problems in the first five years of the republics existence until 1924 when Stresemann was appointed. This was a pivotal point for the republic. Stresemann’s initiatives restored Germany’s international credibility. Despite the growing economic stability, the confidence of the German public was never fully regained.