Topic 19 Discussion 98 The German Republic and the Spirit of Locarno

1. Introduction

a. Germany’s revolution of 1918 left the Social Democrats shouldering the consequences of the war as the Emperor and the High command moved to the sidelines

b. Social Democrats ended up in the middle between Leftist Bolsheviks and Reactionaries of the old regime

c. Spartacists revolted under the leadership of Karl Leibknecht

i. Leftist supported by Bolsheviks

ii. Social Democrats crushed the revolt by turning to the military

d. 7/1919 a constitution was adopted establishing the Weimar Republic

e. Weimar Republic as plagued by attacks from the left and right

i. Armed bands led by reactionaries

ii. Antidemocratic agitators

1. Hitler

iii. Never denied the rights of election to the Reichstag

1. Communists and antidemocratic interests were voiced

f. Characteristics of the Weimar Republic

i. Universal suffrage

ii. Proportional representation

iii. Referendum and recall

iv. Was not much aligned with “socialism”

1. Few reform policies

2. Eight hour day

3. Safeguards to the workers’ welfare

v. No land reforms were taken

vi. No industries were nationalized

vii. Army remained under the leadership of the old officer corps

g. In some ways it seemed that no revolution at all had taken place

2. The German Democracy and Versailles

a. The conditions of the Versailles treaty were not acceptable to the German Republic

b. Germans republicans protested against the treaty

c. The treaty was signed under pressure from the west

d. The treaty was viewed by Germans as a dictated peace

i. Ruthless

ii. Vengeful

iii. Carthaginian

e. War guilt clause offended the German sense of honor

f. French fear

i. France lived in fear of the day when Germany would recover

ii. France was unable to detach the Rhineland as a buffer zone

iii. The U.S. had refused to guarantee France against German invasion

iv. Britain was becoming isolationist now that Germany was less a threat to their navy and market interests

v. League of Nations was weak and could do little to protect France

vi. French began to form alliances with Poland and Czechoslovakia

vii. French began to demand payment of the reparations from Germany

1. $35 billion

2. More than Germany could possibly pay

viii. Germany looked to the Soviet Union for an ally

1. 1922 the Rapallo Treaty

a. German manufactures went to the USSR

b. German army provided training to the Red Army

3. Reparations, the German Inflation of 1923, Recovery

a. Post-war inflation and refusal to raise taxes exploded the German mark

i. 4 trillion paper marks to equal 1 dollar

b. Debtors paid off debts in worthless money

c. Every form of revenue turned to nothing

d. The middle-class lost everything

i. Traditions of the past did not protect them

ii. Abandoning the traditions of the past with out new traditions to replace them created a moral void

iii. They lost faith in society and the future

iv. Once the losses were accepted the slate was cleaned for a new beginning

e. The US and the war debts

i. The Dawes Plan

1. The French evacuated the Ruhr

2. Payments ere scaled down

3. Germany borrowed money from abroad (America)

4. Loans to Germany were used to pay France and Britain

5. France and Britain used the reparations to pay the U.S.

4. The Spirit of Locarno

a. Relative calm in the face of unresolved international issues

i. Universal German hatred for the Treaty of Versailles

1. Left unattended by the west allowed nationalistic rabble-rousers to gain momentum

ii. League of Nations was weak

1. Limited interventions (sanctions)

2. Did provide a convenient place to meet

b. The Locarno Treaties

i. High point of good will between the wars

ii. Germany guaranteed French and Belgian boarders

iii. Germany signed a treaty with Poland and Czechoslovakia

1. Agreeing not to attempt changes to the boarders without international discussions

iv. France signed treaties with Poland and Czechoslovakia

1. Promising military aid if attacked by Germany

v. Britain signed treaties with France

1. Promising military aid if the borders of Belgium and France were violated by Germany

2. Britain took the position the British interests would be threatened if Germany expanded to the west not if Germany expanded to the east

vi. 1928 Pact of Paris

1. 65 nations

a. Condemned war as a recourse in international controversies

c. A hopeful outlook

i. Germany moves toward the west at Locarno

ii. 1926 Germany joined the League of Nations

iii. The economy seemed to be growing

iv. But the great world depression led to many reversals