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German Revolution of 1918 and Kaiser Wilhelm II resigns
The German Revolution of 1918 and Kaiser Wilhelm II resigns begun as a result of the anger of the German citizens in regards to the conditions they had suffered through and after WWI. Not only that, but they were upset about reparations they would have to pay to the Allies as a result of the Treaty of Versailles as they were convinced it would poorly impact the economy. I chose this image as it demonstrates that the anger of the people took over the media and was extremely important. -
3. Formation of Weimar Republic/Constitution
The Weimar Republic Constitution was established to be a moderate, democratic government. This political cartoon shows that while the government was meant to be created to consider all parties, many parties did not like this idea and fought each other for power causing the government to not be successful. -
Ebert-Groener Pact
This was an agreement between the Social Democrat Friedrich Ebert, the current Chancellor of Germany, and Wilhelm Groener, Quartermaster General of the German Army, on November 10, 1918. Wilhelm Groener made it clear to Friedrich Ebert that the loyalty within the army was to him. The image pictures the signing of the pact. -
Armistice ending WW I
The Armistice of ending WWI in 1918 was an article signed at the Le Francport that formally and seriously ended the fighting and disputes on all of the following: land, sea and air in World War I. There was to be no more tension between the Allies and Germany, the opposing side. The chosen image is from the signing of the agreement and represents an end to violence and introduction of peace finally. -
Spartacist Revolt
The Spartacist Revolt of January in 1919, was a dispute between the Weimar Government led by President Friedrich Ebert and his party followers and a group of revolutionaries called the Spartacists. The Spartacists were fighting for the spread of communism and wanted the working class of citizens in charge. The image shows the seriousness of the dispute and how determined the communists were in getting what they wanted (hence the guns pictured). -
Bavarian Soviet Republic
The Bavarian Soviet Republic was a very short time period that accompanied a socialist state in Bavaria during the German Revolution. It took the form of a workers' council republic. The image shows the land in which was considered the Bavarian Soviet Republic. -
Treaty of Versailes and Results for Germany
This treaty helped formally end WWI and blamed Germany for causing the entire dispute. As a result everyone (but Germany and a few others) agreed Germany must pay for the damage done, which upset a lot of people. The image is a political cartoon that illustrates how pricy and severe the reparations of the war would be on Germany. -
Kapp Putsch
The Kapp Putsch was an attempted coup against the German national government in Berlin. It was stopped through the help of the working class of Germany who had gone on strike in order to reduce the strength of the army. This picture shows how strong the military was and how threatening they were to the government if they had tried to go against the government and overtake it. -
(Red) Ruhr Uprising
The Red Ruhr Uprising was an uprising against Freikorps revolt against the government in Ruhr, an important industrial region in Germany, by the German workers . The image shows the significance and impact of the workers' refusal to work in the factories, causing the soldiers to not be able to move quickly and overtake the Weimar government. -
Rapallo Treaty
The Rapallo treaty was a treaty signed between the German Republic and the Soviet Union which helped open friendly diplomatic relationships with each other by rejecting any territorial claims towards each other. This image represents the friendly relationship between the two countries as they both were left weakened by the war and were both isolated by other countries diplomatically. -
Occupation of Ruhr by France and Belgium
France had occupied Ruhr due to Germany's inability to pay war reparations and the opportunity for an economic advantage from the heavily industrialized city. The city had paid its citizens with printed money to passively resist the French by refusing to work. This political cartoon shows how impactful the passive resistance was as it made the occupation of the Ruhr for the French more harmful to them than helpful. -
Hyperinflation Crisis
The hyperinflation crisis happened after the government printed money to pay the people of the Ruhr to continue protesting 'passively' against French control. This shows how severe the Hyperinflation crisis was due to the amount of money needed to buy everyday food items such as bread, eggs etc. -
Beer Hall Putsch
This image is significant as it demonstrates the amount of influence Adolf Hitler had as he led the NSDAP to the city of Feldherrnhalle. The coup ended up being unsuccessful as 16 NSDAP members died, however, Hitler was able to evade the police and avoid being arrested as other members from the party were instead. Ultimately, the NSDAP grew in popularity after the events at Beer Hall helping their publicity. -
Introduction of Rentenmark
This image is significant since it displays the new German currency replacing the old Reichsmark which had no value due to the hyperinflation crisis, the Retenmark which hoped to revive Germany's economy. It was ultimately successful as hyperinflation ended and held a value similar to gold. -
Weimar Golden Age
This image is significant since it illuminates the joy that Germans had because of problems like the hyperinflation crisis ending allowing for employment opportunities to reopen allowing for stability to return to the country. -
Dawes Plan
This image is significant since it displays how desired the money that was being supplied by Americans was through the plan of Charles Daws. The plan was to help Germans rebuild their industry and exchange to repay their reparations as this was something they struggled to complete. Now through the help they were receiving from the Americans, they could now pay their reparations. -
Election of President von Hindenburg
This image is significant since it displays Hindenburg as being supported by right wing nationalist groups despite not having a party, likely due to his background as a military general. Hindenburg was appointed after the unfortunate death of President Ebert after winning the election with major support from the DNVP on the right wing. -
Locarno Treaty
This image is significant since it demonstrates how Germany would be able to become a strong power once again through the imagery of the punching glove. On the other hand, France seems unsure about signing the treaty but ends up going through with it. This treaty ended up ensuring peace between Great Britain, France, and Belgium. -
Treaty of Berlin with Soviet Union
This image is significant since it shows the land distribution between Germany, Austria-Hungary, France, and other countries within the Treaty of Berlin. In the treaty, countries such as Romania, Montenegro, and Serbia gained independence. Also, Russia gained a substantial amount of land from the Ottoman Empire. -
German Entrance Into League of Nations
The propaganda piece would be pertinent towards this timeline as it shows the struggles and pressure face by Germany entering the treaty. It would highlight the conditions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles and portray a bottle being fed to a baby to show Germany attempting to retaliate to the harsh conditions. -
Grand Coalition of Weimar Germany
This picture is important to the timeline as it shows multiple parties coming together. Furthermore, the coalition government formed between the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Catholic Center Party (Zentrum) during the Weimar Republic era (1919-1933). It was made to tackle problems involving challenges, including political polarization, economic instability, and the rise of extremist movements. -
Young Plan
The picture involves a helpful infographic to synthesize the information around the Young Plan. The Young Plan was an international agreement designed to address the reparation payments and economic challenges faced by Weimar Germany in the aftermath of World War I. -
Beginning of Great Depression
The picture involves the young generation asking why parents can't get jobs indirectly alluding towards unemployment rates being higher. As evident since, the Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic downturn known for its widespread unemployment, financial crisis, and a significant decline in global trade and industrial production. -
Von Papen’s deal with Hitler
The "von Papen deal" refers to the political maneuvering and power-sharing agreement between German Chancellor Franz von Papen and Adolf Hitler. This photo is pertinent as it expresses their agreement allowing Hitler and the Nazi Party to come to power legally, with von Papen as Vice-Chancellor, with the addition of supporting Hitler's government -
Hitler Becomes Chancellor
This picture is important as it shows Hitler directing the general public as chancellor. Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933, after a series of political negotiations and maneuverings. His appointment was facilitated by Papen who referred to him as a "chancellor in chains" believing he could "control" Hitler, which would later be proved significantly wrong.
