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Sparticist Revolution
The Spartacists attempted to overthrow Ebert and the Weimar government to make a communist state in Berlin. Ebert and Noske used the regular army and Freikorps to attempt to stop the rebellion. Liebkneht and Luxemburg were captured and killed, and the new government was moved to Weimar. -
Weimar Established
The Weimar Republic was a federal republic and a parliamentary democracy which replaced the imperial form of Government in Germany. -
Period: to
Weimar
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Germany signs the Treaty of Versailles
The treaty was signed in Paris. Germany had no other choice but to accept it. The treay saw German lose territory & colonies. Germany was forced to accept responsibility for WW1 and would have to pay very large reparations. -
Founding of the Nazi Party
The Nazi Party was a political party in Germany between 1920-1945. The party was founded out of the violent anti-communist group called the Freikorps. -
Berlin Kapp Putsch
The German revolution led by right wings extremists in Berlin. Kapp and the Freikorps take over Berlin for one week. Ebert is forced to flee but a workers strike stops Kapp and he flees to Sweden. -
Walter Rathenau Assassinated
Rathenau was assassinated two months after the signing the Walter Rathenau was a prominent man and a liberal. The organisation that killed him was the "Organisation Consul" which were one of many ultranationalistic movements that had emerged after the war and wanted to destablize the repulic by public killings of influencial man. -
Stresemann becomes Chancellor
Streseman was appointed Chancellor and Foreign Minister. Streseman introduced the Rentenmark, since Germany were not able to pay the workers wages. They printed more money but that only meant that prices went up and inflation occured -
Berlin Riots on Hyperinflation
Over 30,000 people rioted in Berlin due to the misery caused by Hyperinflation. Many Germans blamed the Jews who they believed controlled the economy. -
Munich Beer Hall Putsch
The Beer Hall Putsch was a failed attempt of revolution. The Beer Hall Putsch was led by Adolf Hitler and was an attempt to seize power in Munich, trying to overthrow the Weimar Republic. -
Dawes Plan
The Dawes plan was to cut Germany's reparations bill. The amount was unpayable and with the fall of the economy it became impossible. -
Friedrich Ebert Dies before re-election, Hindenburg becomes president
Ebert was the first President of Germany. Ebert was a member of the Social Democratic Party and was in office for 17 days before he died. Hindenburg was the next president of Germany and took over after Eberts death. Hindenburg was a field marshall, statesman and a politician. He is remembered as the man who appointed Adolf Hitler as the Chancellor of Germany. -
Germany Joins the League of Nations
Germany joined the League of Nations because they needed to be accepted back into the world they had also tried to prove that they were a "peace loving country". They needed some kind of stability, so they joined the League of Nations. -
The Young Plan
Similar to the Dawes plan, the Young Plan was put into place in 1928 to try and reach a settlement regarding Germany's reparations bill. The Young Plan reduced further payments to 112 billion Gold Marks. -
US: Wall Street Crash
So many people were confident in the quick money in stocks, that so many people borrowed money to buy them. All the people who bought on them suddenly found themselves broke. The USA loaned Germany money, just as they had to Britain and France during WWI, so that Germany could pay the reperations. The USA recalled all loans, which meant that Germany was put into more debt, and was not able to fund it's government properly. -
5 million unemployed
After 1929, Germany faced massive unemployment. By the autumn of 1932, five million Germans were out of work, eroding support for the Weimar Republic. -
Elections
Federal elections were held in Germany on 31 July 1932, following the premature collapse of the Reichstag. The elections resulted in great gains by the Nazi party, who became the largest party in parliament. Neither the Nazi Party nor President Hindenburg had a governing majority and the other parties refused cooperation. -
Hilter named the last Weimar Chancellor
On January 30th, 1933, Adolf Hitler was named Weimar Chancellor. He acted quickly to destroy democratic institutions and to take away the rights of the individual. -
The Reichstag Fire
The Reichstag Fire was an arson attack on the Reichstag building in Berlin on 27 February 1933. The event is seen as pivotal in the establishment of Nazi Germany. In early March 1933, three men were arrested who were to play pivotal roles during the Leipzig Trial, known also as the "Reichstag Fire Trial". -
Weimar Republic Destroyed: The Enabling Laws are passed
The last Weimar elections were held in March, 1933. Using violence to intimidate their opponents, the Nazis still only received 44 percent of the vote.The only opposition came from the Social Democrats. Communist party members had already been arrested - both parties were subsequently banned. They Manipulated the media to paint a poor picture for democracy and put forward benefits of communism. A
