Republic


 * 1 Weimar Republic**


 * emergence of the Democratic Republic and the impact of the Treaty of Versailles.


 * 1.2 The November Revolution of 1918-1919**


 * After remaining inactive for most of the war, the German fleet was ordered to attack the British Navy in November 1918. The sailors refused and the mutiny spread to the workers at Kiel, where a Workers’ and Soldiers’ Council was set up. This was followed by councils in many northern industrial towns in Germany. The councils, formed by moderate socialists, took control of the city governments. They demanded basic rights and an end to the war.
 * 8 November, radical socialists, led by Kurt Eisner, abolished the Bavarian monarchy and declared Bavaria an independent republic.
 * 9 November, the Chancellor, Max von Baden, announced the abdication of the Kaiser. He then stepped down as Chancellor. Friedrich Ebert (SPD) became the new Chancellor. Germany was now a republic.
 * 10 November, the Kaiser left for exile in Holland.
 * 11 November, the armistice was signed.
 * General Groener, successor to Ludendorff, gave the new government an assurance of support from the Germany army. This allowed the army to maintain its dignity after the humiliating defeat in the war, and also its political influence in the new republic.
 * An agreement between trade unions and industrialists (Stinnes-Legien Agreement) helped to maintain some order and stability.


 * Counter-revolution - the threat from the extreme left**
 * The **Spartacist League** was a Marxist organisation led by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg. They attempted to overthrow the new government in a counter-revolution just as the Bolsheviks had done in Russia in November 1917. They took advantage of the demonstrations in Berlin in January 1919, seizing key buildings in the city. The revolution was **bloodily suppressed by the __Freikorps__**, ex-soldiers who had formed an unofficial army. Liebknecht and Luxemburg were murdered.
 * Similar uprisings occurred in Bremen, Düsseldorf and Wilhelmshaven. These, and **Kurt Eisner**’s Bavarian republic, were also suppressed by the Freikorps. In Bavaria, 500 were killed.
 * The new republic, under a socialist government, had had to resort to right wing military forces to maintain its survival. Deep and lasting divisions were created between the socialists and the communists.


 * 1.3 The creation of the democratic Weimar Republic**

Political parties: left - supported reform, change right - supported conservative ideas extreme left or right - radicals who wanted to overthrow the democracy Extreme Left: KPD, USPD Moderate/Centre: SPD DDP ZP DVP Extreme Right: DNVP, NSDAP


 * 19 January - elections held. The moderate parties gained the vast majority of votes, showing the people’s approval of the new democratic republic.
 * 6 February - the Assembly met at **Weimar** for the first time. A coalition of centre parties formed government. Philipp Scheidemann (SPD) became the first Chancellor. Ebert was appointed President.
 * July 1919 - a **new constitution** was approved. One key element of the constitution was __**Article 48**__ which gave the President the power to suspend the constitution and rule by decree in times of instability.
 * Upper house: **Reichsrat** - represented the 17 Lander.
 * Lower House: **Reichstag** - represented the People.
 * Members of the Reichstag were elected by **Proportional Representation**, which ensured that no one party gained a majority in any election during the 14 years of the Weimar republic. Each of the 21 different governments during this time were coalitions.


 * 1.4 The German reaction to the Treaty**
 * The terms of the draft treaty, when presented to the Germans in May 1919, provoked outrage. Scheidemann and Hindenburg urged that the treaty be rejected.
 * The consequences of rejection would be dire: a renewal of hostilities with little prospect of German victory. The Allied naval blockade of Germany also remained in force.
 * Scheidemann resigned and a new government under Chancellor Gustav Bauer (ZP) voted to accept the treaty.

To what extent was the Treaty of Versailles harsh?
 * Despite its harsh terms, it was not as severe as that imposed on Russia by Germany in 1917, nor as harsh as Clemenceau wanted. Germany remained large and with great potential power. There was little war damage in Germany. Germany had a large population and great industrial capacity. From 1924 to 1929 Germany enjoyed a period of economic growth and prosperity.
 * Its last impact was the internal political consequence. The war loss and now the humiliating treaty were associated with the Weimar Republic. This was used to great effect in propaganda by right wing politicians.
 * The huge reparations bill caused immediate economic and political instability.