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Made by Molly B, Emma S and Kieron F  --------- Y10/11 GCSE History

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Made by Molly B, Emma S and Kieron F  --------- Y10/11 GCSE History

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The Fourteen Points:

Woodrow Wilson, the American President, believed that this war had to be the war to end all wars and would end in world peace. So he created the fourteen points; these were points to follow that enabled a more peaceful, respective way of living. It was due to these points that Germany believed that they would be treated fairly and justly.

The meeting and signing at Versailles:

The political leaders of the Allied nations, which included France, the USA and the Britain, along with many different armies that had fought under these rules, issued a diktat. This meant that the German leaders who signed the treaty were not allowed to negotiate terms or they faced invasion.

Reasons behind Germany's unfair treatment:

Due to France being the main war grounds for the war, the people were angry. They wanted to bear down on Germany in retribution.

The Terms of the Treaty:

The terms of the treaty were harsh and not fair. In the end Germany now :

Had 6.6 billion marks to be paid in reparations to the allied forces.

Had their army limited to only 100,000 men, no submarines and no aircraft.

Lost 10% of its land to the allies and 12.5% of its population now woke to foreign governments. They lost  Alsace-Lorraine to France and East Prussia to the Polish Corridor.

They were forced to be known as the sole proprietors of the war and to blame for all of its casualties and the damage it caused.

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November 1918

Germany faced defeat.

This caused strikes, riots.

Which eventually led to food shortage.

November 8

The Kaiser fled to Holland.

This meant the Provisional Government took over. They promised fair treatment.

However,  many Germans (mainly nationalists) thought the government had betrayed them. This is known as the 'Stab in the Back myth' or 'November criminals'.

By agreeing to the armistice and by signing the Treaty of Versailles, the new government was associated with defeat and humiliation.

November 1918

The Kaiser fled as he was responsible for the war.

Although the government was the group who proposed to make peace, they were blamed for Versailles. As the Allies did not invade Germany, it made it easier to spread the lie that the army had been betrayed, rather than defeated.  The Allied blockade caused riots and strikes. Communists set up councils of soldiers and workers. There was chaos all over Germany.

January 1919

Freidrich Ebert is elected president.

Germany's economy was a disaster as they had to pay 150 billion marks (£6.6 billion) to countries like France for damage caused.  The government couldn't afford to pay war pensions for 600,000 families whose fathers and sons had been killed.  This meant that people were starving. However, as food was became scarce it meant the price of food was rising, making it harder for people  access food.  300,000 Germans suffered from malnutrition.

Germany was very  divided as industrialists were getting wealthier and poor were getting poorer.

Most Germans did't know how democracy works. Therefore, Berlin had become dangerous as they didn't want one. Gangs were fighting with police. The new government had to meet in Weimar, a small town as Berlin was too dangerous, hence the name 'Weimar Republic'.

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The Spartacists

The Spartacists were a group of Communists, led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Leibnecht.

The 1919 Communist Revolt

In January 1919, the Spartacists took over some major government buildings and roads.They also kidnapped Freidrich Ebert, the president but they let him go when he said he would meet their demands

Ebert asks the Freikorps for help

The Freikorps were bands of ex-soldiers who had kept their weapons after the war and continued to follow their officers . Between 6 Jan and 13 Jan, battles were wrought throughout the streets of Berlin but the Freikorps' superior weaponry meant they won, leading to the execution of Leibknecht and Luxemburg.

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Germany's economy was in ruins because they had to pay £6.6 billion worth of reparations to the Allies.

The Ruhr & Hyperinflation

When Germany was unable to pay war reparations, France and Belgium invaded the Ruhr to extract raw materials in order to make up the lack of reparations.

When the Ruhr was invaded, Germany lost important industrial resources.

The government asked its workers in the Ruhr to strike decided to print more money in order to be bale to. However, this caused hyperinflation.

This is because Germany only had a limited wealth and by printing more money, each individual mark was worth less in relation to the wealth Germany had in things like gold and produce.

The figures below show the difference in the exchange rate between the mark and the US dollar in 1914 and mid-1922

1914:                                    $1= 256 marks

1922:                                    $1= 4,200,000,000,000,000 marks

The Aftermath

German currency was now worthless and this ruined the lives of many  people in Germany.

There was a trade depression causing many business to close and high unemployment.

Many lost their life savings overnight and were forced to sell there valuables to buy essentials, such as food. Worker's wives were forced to take suitcases and baskets to their husband's place of  work to collect their wages.

People in the middle class could not afford to keep up with rising prices because they were on monthly salaries that could buy a week's worth of food at the start of the month but not even a loaf of bread by the end. Old aged pensioners and disabled people had the same problems as they were also paid their state assistance monthly.

It also caused problems with trade with other countries as they were unable to pay for imports.

However, not everyone lost out. People who borrowed money found it easy to replay as the marks were worthless.

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Conservatives and Fascism-

These parts of the government were lead by the ideals that Germany should have private ownership of their own land, law and order/military should be stronger, harsher and more enforced and that anything in the country must be to the up most patriotism.

Conservatives ran simply by the name Conservative party.

Fascism was filled with the group called the National Socialist party or Nazis.

Both these groups had Friekorps to make up a large majority of their followers.

The Freikorps launched the Kapp Putsch in 1920 to take over the Weimar government. They were supported by many groups, including the military. Ebert asked the people of Berlin to help them take back the country. The people went on strike and the Freikorps realised that the people did not support them and they backed down.

This coup was followed in 1923 by the Munich Putsch. The Nazis, led by Adolf Hitler stormed a meeting and got the support of a military leader but then let him go. The military leader went back to Berlin and told the Weimar government of the plot. The Putsch was crushed when it went on march and 17 Nazis were killed.

Hitler was put on trial but he used it as good publicity and the judge sympathized with him and gave him a lenient sentence of 5 years. However, he only served 9 months and he used this opportunity to write Mein Kampf (My Struggle) in which he set out his beliefs, including his antisemitism.