Lecture notes
The Weimar Republic
These are comprehensive notes about The Weimar Republic of
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Topic 2: The Weimar Republic 1919-23Did Weimar democracy face a serious challenge from the left?
Workers were angered by economic problems and disillusioned by the lack of real gains
from their revolution
In the Spring of 1919, the industrial areas of Germany were racked by radical unrest
A wave of strikes occurred in the Ruhr mines, central Germany and Berlin
The strikers demanded shorter hours, the socialisation of industry and a government based
on councils
However, the wave of protests were uncoordinated, with radical ‘leaders’ desperately
following rather than leading the protests
The KPD had neither strong leadership with a clear strategy nor a tightly organised party
structure, as the Communists did in Russia
Furthermore, it lacked support, both in terms of numbers and depth of commitment
Eventually, a mixture of government promises and the use of the army and Freikorps
quelled the unrest, with considerable loss of life in some places
Only in Bavaria did the revolutionaries temporarily gain control
After the overthrow of the Bavarian monarchy and the creation of a republic on 7 Nov.
1918, there had been considerable political confusion
In March 1919 a soviet republic was proclaimed, which created Red Guards and worker’s
councils
In May 1919, this was bloodily suppressed by the Freikorps, with over 700 killed, and a
right-wing government was established
By the Summer of 1919, the best chance of establishing communism in Germany had gone,
even though Marxists considered Germany the country most ripe for revolution
For the next 3 years, unrest continued but it never seriously threatened the government’s
control
There were numerous demonstrations and strikes, some of which developed into
attempted insurrections, particularly in the key industrial areas in the Ruhr and central
Germany.
Workers felt that their gains from the revolution in 1918 were under threat and that the
revolution needed to be deepened
Some looked to Russia and argued the need for a German ‘October’- a second stage
revolution that would establish a true communist state.
Inadequate leadership, poor organisation, internal divisions, lack of support and government
repression meant that the revolts of 920-23, just like those of 1919, failed
How strong was the challenge from the Right? (Kapp Putsch and assassinations)
The Weimar democracy faced strong right-wing opposition
This came partly from powerful conservative forces- army, industrialists and landowners
and other members of the elite
There were also the Freikorps and paramilitary groups which thrived in post-war Germany
and Volkisch groups which had their roots in the pre-war period
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