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German Revolution of 1918 and Kaiser Wilhelm II resigns
Revolution in Germany that happened in November of 1918 following the end of the first world war. Disestablished the monarchy system in Germany at the time and replaced it with a parliamentary democratic system. Because of this revolution Kaiser Wilhelm II resigned from his position as emperor on November 10th, 1918 and moved away to the Netherlands. The photo is of a gathering during the German revolution of 1918. -
Ebert-Groener Pact
A deal made between SDP member Friedrich Ebert and chancellor of Germany at the Wilhelm on November 10th, 1918. The pact made the German army a self-governing entity that operated outside of civilian control and ensured that Ebert would act against leftist uprisings. The photo is of Friedrich Ebert. -
Armistice ending WWI
An armistice is an agreement between two opposing sides in a war to end conflict at a set date. The armistice was between Germany and the allies to end the first world war on November 11th, 1918. The armistice was made because the bloodshed of World War 1 was becoming too much to handle for both sides of the war so ending all conflict was the only way to get the war over with. The photo is of a newspaper after the armistice was signed -
Spartacist Revolt
On January 5th, 1919, a power struggle between the SPD and KPD over their ideals for society. The revolt was almost immediately squashed by government powers since it was getting too out of control. The total death toll during the revolt was around 200. The photo is of a gathering during the Spartacist revolt -
Bavarian Soviet Republic
An unrecognized socialist republic established in the state of Bavaria on April 6th, 1919. It was made following the demise of Kurt Eisner. The republic was very short-lived after about a month it was squashed by the German army. The photo is a map of the Bavarian Soviet republic. -
Treaty of Versailles
Treaty that followed the end of World War One. Germany was not allowed to participate in the negotiations. Some effects the treaty had on Germany was the loss of massive amounts of land, reparation payments to the winning armies, the demilitarization of the Rhine Land and the shrinkage of the army to only 100,000 men, and Germany had to take responsibility for the war. Picture is of the "Big Four", who lead the negotiations during the conference -
Formation of Weimar Republic/Constitution
On August 11th, 1919, a member of the SDP named Friedrich Ebert signed a constitution which established rules for governing and election within Weimar Germany. This was the first time that Germany had any kind of democracy in its history. The photo is of the front of the Weimar constitution -
Kapp Putsch
The Kapp Putsch was an attempted coup by right-wing nationalists, members of the army, and the Freikorps. The Putsch was ended by the government calling for the people to go on strike, and without the peoples support, the Putsch couldn't continue. Image is of Wolfgang Kapp, one of the leaders of the Putsch -
Ruhr Uprising
General Strike in Germany in response to the Kapp Putsch. Communist leaders took advantage of it and tried to start a rebellion and take the government. They failed after the Weimar Republic sent in the army to put the uprising down, with summary executions taking place. Included picture is a memorial to the uprising found in Hagen, Germany -
Rapallo Treaty
Treaty signed between Germany and the Soviet Union in Rapallo, Italy. The treaty ended all financial and territorial claims between Germany the the Soviets, along with opening friendly diplomatic relations. Later extensions also applied to Soviet republics. Picture is of German Foreign Minister Walther Rathenau, who helped get the treaty signed. -
Grand Coalition of Weimar Germany
A coalition was formed by the SPD, Centre Party, DDP, and DVP. The coalition's main goal was to fight the extremism on both the left and the right. Also ended the French invasion of the Ruhr. This had lasted for 4 years. The image is of some of the members of the Grand Coalition. -
German Hyperinflation crisis
After the occupation of the Ruhr, and along with Germany's ever difficulties paying the war reparations, Hyperinflation skyrocketed in Germany. The Mark was worth at around 4,210,500,000,000 to 1 USD, and people could be seen carrying wheelbarrows of cash just to buy food. Pictured is a 5 trillion dollar mark. -
Occupation of the Ruhr by France and Belgium
French and Belgium occupation of the Ruhr in 1922 after Germany had defaulted on their Reparation payments. The occupation worsened the German economy and lead to the death of 130 civilians. France and Belgium left in 1925 after facing economic and international pressure. The picture is of French soldiers marching into the city of Buer in Germany. -
Beer Hall Putsch
A failed coup by the NSDAP which was led by Hitler. Hitler was arrested two days after the coup, but the event gave Hitler his first wave of national attention. During his nine months in prison, Hitler wrote and published his autobiography, Mein Kampf. The image is the cover of Mein Kampf, the book Hitler wrote in prison after being arrested for the Beer Hall Putsch. -
Introduction of Rentenmark
The rentenmark was introduced to stop the hyperinflation that was destroying the German economy. The old reichsmark had been printed, without anything backing it, so much it had become worthless. The rentenmark was backed by gold and a national bank which was privately owned by some wealthy, German citizens. The image is of Gustav Stresemann, the German politician who introduced the Rentenmark. -
Period: to
Weimar Golden Age
The Weimar golden age, following Stresemann's economic policies, was a period of great economic security and prosperity. It was also an era where a far greater deal was made and spread throughout the country. This period also saw some social progress with women gaining the right to vote, making Germany one of the few countries at the time to give women such power. -
Dawes Plan
This plan was an update to Germany's reparation payments, allowing the nation to make smaller payments over a longer period of time and gave Germany around $200 million in loans from U.S. banks to help German industry. This followed the French and Belgians leaving the Ruhr valley. The picture is of Charles G. Dawes, the American banker who proposed the plan. -
Election of President von Hindenburg
Due to a divide amongst the center and left wing parties, the support of the conservative BVP party, and Hindenburg's independent, far right politics won him the 1925 election. The image if of von Hindenburg during his first presidency. -
Locarno Treaty
An agreement that settled Germany's western borders, and left its eastern borders with Poland up to discussion. It also banned Germany from going to war with any other nations. The image is a political cartoon of Gustav Stresemann (Germany), Austen Chamberlain (Great Britain), and Aristide Briand (France), the big three figures involved in the agreement. -
German Entrance into League of Nations
Germany was originally not given a seat in the league of nations. But following the Locarno pact, the following year after its signing, Germany had been admitted into the league as a permanent member, along with full enforcement of the Locarno pact. This image is from the signing of the Locarno pact that had directly led to the allowing of Germany into the League of Nations -
Treaty of Berlin with Soviet Union
This was an agreement between Germany and the Soviet Union. The agreement said that, if either nation was invaded by a third party nation, the other would remain neutral for five years. The image is a photograph of the various politicians involved in the signing of the treaty. -
Young Plan
A plan to settle Germany's reparation payments from WW1. It was formally adopted in 1930. American Owen D. Young was the one who'd proposed this plan. The image is that of Owen Young -
Beginning of The Great Depression
Germany had been dependent on American exports and loans which had stopped when the Great Depression began. German industry had nearly collapsed and the Golde Age had ended. The image is of Germans lining up outside of a bank due to its closure. -
Von Papen's Deal with Hitler
Von Papen made agreements with Hitler, that if he could be the vice-chancellor then Papen would convince President Hindenburg to appoint Hitler as chancellor. The image is of Hitler's cabinet at the time. -
Hitler Becomes Chancellor
Following backroom agreements between Hitler, Von Papen, and Hindenburg. Hindenburg eventually appointed Hitler to become Chancellor. The image is of Hindenburg and Hitler together.
