German Revolution, 1918-1919
Shortly before the end of World War One there were
revolts across Germany, similar to the Russian
Revolution.
These rebellions continued until a new German
Republic – not Empire – was set up in 1919.
Real democracy?
After WW1, German army generals knew political change would happen.
They agreed to support a civilian government to stop
revolution.
They also thought a democratic Germany would
be better treated by the victorious Allies.
The Weimar Republic
Between 1919 and 1933, the system of government in Germany was known as
the Weimar Republic.
This was because the assembly that set up the
system met in the German city of Weimar.
Role of the army
The army reluctantly reached a deal with
Friedrich Ebert, who became President of
Germany.
Ebert agreed to not pursue revolution and respect law and order in return for the
army’s support.
Workers’ demands
A deal was reached with employers which
improved some working conditions.
However this was not the Soviet-style control of
industry that some Germans wanted to
happen.
German democracy
Huge democratic changes were introduced under
Weimar:
• All Germans age 20+ – male and female –
could vote• Reichstag (Parliament)
was directly elected• The President was elected by the people
German elections
German elections used proportional
representation, meaning a party with 15% of the
vote got 15% of the seats.
This meant many small parties were elected and
governments were always coalitions.
The Spartacist revolt
In 1919, Communists tried to lead a revolution
to take control of Germany.
They were defeated when Ebert persuaded the army to help, employing violent
ex-soldiers called the Freikorps.
Financial problems
During the Weimar Government there were
many challenges, but the mains were caused by the
economy.
Hyperinflation in the 1920s and the 1929
Depression brought major poverty to Germany.
Arguments for importance
The Weimar Government was weak from the very
start.
It had to make secret agreements with the army and unpopular
deals with employers, meaning no-one ever
truly supported it.
Arguments for importance
Weimar’s election system also undermined
confidence.
Proportional representation allowed extreme parties to get
elected, and led to coalitions which made taking action difficult to
agree.
Arguments against importance
Between 1924-1929, the Weimar Republic was very
prosperous.
It was only after the 1929 Wall Street Crash – a
global event – that Weimar collapsed. Hyperinflation can also be linked to the
Treaty of Versailles.