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German Revolution of 1918 and Kaiser Wilhelm II resigns
As news began to spread that Germany had officially lost WWI, the people began to revolt against the government, those with a socialist/communist ideology taking the front lines. The Kaiser was abdicated in November of the same year and the Weimar government took over. This picture is of one of the many street protests and pictures the hammer and symbol, indicating the popular views of this time. -
Ebert-Groener Pact
This pact was made right around when Ebert became president, and it was done due to Ebert feeling that the government needed the backing of the military. While it was initially a secret, word eventually got out. The radical left disliked Ebert's choice and deemed him a traitor for working with the right, but moderates deemed him the best choice. Pictured his is Friedrich Ebert himself, very significant as he initiated the pact. -
Armistice ending WWI
This marked this official end of war between the allies and Germany, and the end of WWI as a whole. The armistice was created and discussed in quite a hurry due to the state of the war, and due to Germany's position at the time they were forced to agree with everything except the literally impossible demands. The picture here is chose to showcase how Germany had little choice in the terms of the armistice. -
Spartacist Revolt
As various political parties competed in post-war loss chaos, the Spartacist Revolt was smaller scale and mainly between the SPD and the KPD. Many workers in the USPD and KPD went on strike and challenged the SPD. The revolt ended on the 12th, but near the end half, combat occurred with Ebert from the SPD sending out the Friedkorps and resulted in some injuries and deaths. Pictured here are the Friedkorps who were able to shut down this revolt in the span of 7 days. -
Bavarian Soviet Republic
An attempt to establish a post-war socialist government in Germany when socialists seized control in Bavaria, It was initially ruled by USPD members such as Ernst Toller and Gustav Landauer, and anarchists like Erich Mühsam. The republic was later defeated by Reichswehr troops and the Freikorps paramilitaries in May 1919.
Image: The photo clearly demonstrates the party's ambition to take control of Bavaria which could've put them in an in influential position in the government. -
Treaty of Versailles and the Results for Germany
Germany was forced to accept the War Guilt Clause which overwhelmed them with reparations. Those led to the Hyperinflation Crisis of 1923 and loans from the U.S which would later deeply hurt the economy during the Great Depression. It also established the emergence of new political parties from both the radical right (NSDAP) and left (KPD) and brought social tensions, and economic instability and poverty.
Image: The cartoon clearly portrays how the treaty demolished Germany's economy. -
Formation of Weimar Republic/Constitution
After much protest in 1918 and after the abdication of the Kaiser, the governmental power was given to the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and for six months they worked to write a constitution for the new government. This eventually became the Weimar Constitution. This picture is important as it shows all of the leaders of the Weimar Government, the creators of what they hoped to be a new and better government. -
Kapp Putsch
Led by Led by Dr. Wolfgang Kapp, & Walther von Lüttwitz, it was a coup d'état that attempted to overthrow the fledgling Weimar Republic. 5000 Freikorps were led to Berlin, but the army did not attack because they felt sympathy towards the cause of the coup.
Kapp fled the country and died while awaiting trial.
Image: The photo demonstrated the significant desire to overthrow the SPD Party. -
(Red) Ruhr Uprising
Members of the communist parliamentary group, the Red Army, led 50,000 workers/communist workers to the Ruhr region and took control of raw materials. German workers were angry about poor working conditions and pay. Due to the communist’s weak leadership, the Freikorps and German army ended the uprising which resulted in around 1,000 deaths.
Image: Conveys the workers' dedication to protest and the republic's economic instability to support workers. -
Hyperinflation Crisis
Germany's worsening economy was a major issue, and it only worsened when inflation became hyperinflation in 1921 (I had a hard time finding a specific date, but general consensus agrees to August of that year). I chose this picture because it shows the value of the currency deteriorated to the point that it became a child's toy. This illustrates how disastrous this event was for the economy and the German people -
Rapallo Treaty
Treaty between Germany and the Soviet Union, it was meant to restore relationships between the nations, strengthen their economic and military relationship, cancel financial claims against each other and essentially permitted Germany to produce weapons while violating terms of the Treaty of Versailles.
Image: Conveys the cooperation of both nations to restore peace to a certain extent and their economic relationship. It also demonstrates the nations' disregard for the terms of the ToV. -
Occupation of the Ruhr by France and Belgium
The French and Belgians invaded the Ruhr much to the anger and dismay of the German workers in the area. This image illustrates the resentment many Germans felt toward the occupation and their willingness to resist compliance with the foreign powers. -
Beer Hall Putsch
Hitler's Beer Hall Putsch had support from notable ex-military officers, including Erich Ludendorff who is standing next to Hitler in the picture. I chose the image because it shows early support from the military for Hitler's efforts that foreshadow Hitler's rise to authoritarianism. -
.Introduction of Rentenmark
I chose the image below since it shows a stark difference from the picture used in the Hyperinflation event. The Rentenmark marked a shift away from the piles of money used by families to uphold everyday life and replaced it with single bills that were worth hundreds or even thousands of the previous marks. -
Weimar Golden Age
The event that lasted from early 1924 to October 24, 1929 was a time of general prosperity. The image below shows an advancement in the techniques and styles in visual art and a more modern gender role for women in society which were two significant changes made during this time. -
The Dawes Plan
This diagram shows the key countries and actions undergone through the Dawes Plan. Germany improved its Hyperinflation Crisis with the economic aid of other currencies/governments. Money from the US would boost production in German goods to foster profit. German profit lead to greater government money, which was used to pay Britain and France for reparations. Loans from the US would be repaid through Britain and France. Interestingly, France was the last country t agree to the plan. -
Hindenburg Elected President
After the death of Ebert, Hindenburg is elected president. Shortly thereafter, Stresemann dies. Hindenburg was a monarchist and moderate conservative. His time served as president, however, shows inconsistent affiliations with party. Over time, and with the acceptance of the Locarno Treaty, he stopped being supported by staunch authoritarians. This cartoon shows how his popularity among conservatives diminished as he became a more democratic leader. -
The Locarno Pact
Germany acknowledges its 1919 Western boarders. The Rhineland becomes demilitarized. Germany in talks to join LofN. The aim of the treaty was to make future was less likely. Unrest in Germany's east border, however, would prove that the Locarno Pact was not successful in its aim, as seen in the cartoon. -
Germany joins the League of Nations
The news article from the New York Times says "Germany elected to league...as assembly cheers." The presence of Germany in the L of N can be seen as a stepping stone to improve economy and foreign relations. The US would be particularly interested in the event because of their involvement with German loans. -
Treaty of Berlin with Soviet Union
The image shows the signing of the 1926 Treaty of Berlin between the Soviet Union and Germany. In the regard that it fostered amicable peace and relations with the two countries, the Treaty of Berlin was an extension of the Treaty of Rapallo. The treaty promised no war between the two countries for five years. For Poland and other new countries established between Russia and Germany, this incremented fear on their independence. -
Grand Coalition of Weimar Germany
The political parties of Germany, the Center, the SPD, and several moderate conservative parties joined to form a grand coalition. This caused the non-democratic parties to only receive 13 percent of the vote. The breakup of this coalition in 1930 was a major point in Germany shifting from democracy to dictatorship. -
Young Plan
This plan was made in order to improve the Dawes Plan. It involved reducing Germany's reparation plans to 2,000,000 marks a year and extended the time Germany had to pay to 59 years, which would give them until 1988. Most Germans were in support of this. -
The Beginning of the Great Depression
As Stresemann who was significant in fixing Germany's financial problems died, the Great Depression soon began. Germany was heavily reliant on the loans from the US, which turned into a weakness during this time because the US withdrew their loans. Creating a bad situation as such opened up opportunities for Hitler to rise to power and Hitler's focus on military scared away a lot of foreign trade that could've helped Germany. -
Hitler Becomes Chancellor
One of the main reasons that Hitler was able to become chancellor was because of his deal with Von Papen and Hindenburg's want to keep him in control. This happened as the NSDAP won 37% of the vote in the elections and became the largest party in the Reichstag. In addition, none of the people of power were truly for democracy, which opened up a wide spot for Hitler to get power. -
Von Papen's Deal with Hitler
Von Papen was anti-Weimar and anti-democratic and once he was not in power, he was angered. With hope of regaining power, he made a deal with Hitler that would make him Vice and Hitler chancellor. This would benefit them both because they would both have power. In result, Hitler became chancellor in 1933. Hindenburg thought that allowing this to happen would give him control over Hitler, which in the end did not happen.
