Political opposition and the Treaty of Versailles
Who were the extremist groups?
From its creation, the Weimar Republic faced challenges from both ends of the political spectrum. Both groups hated democracy and wanted to get rid of the Weimar Republic.
| Extreme left - Communism | Extreme right - Fascism |
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The Spartacist Uprising - January 1919 (left wing)
The German communist party (the Spartacists) wanted to take over Germany from Ebert. Its 50,000 members started a revolution in Berlin, and Ebert moved his government to Weimar. It failed within a week: Ebert used the Freikorps (ex-WWI soldiers paid to help the government keep order) to stop the rebellion, and many communists were killed. The Spartacist leaders, Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, were murdered.
It helped Ebert that the Spartacists were no longer a threat. But relying on the Freikorps made him look weak, and was risky: the Freikorps did not support Ebert, they just hated communism. The communists also kept creating riots around Germany afterwards.
The Kapp Putsch - March 1920 (right wing)
The right wing also hated the Social Democrats. In 1920 the Freikorps turned against Ebert and supported Wolfgang Kapp in an attempt to take over the country. They were unhappy about the Treaty of Versailles and Ebert’s attempt to disband the Freikorps. The army refused to stop them, and they took over Berlin.
It was only the workers of Berlin going on strike and refusing to help Kapp that stopped the Putsch.
Political assassinations
Over 200 people connected to the Weimar Government were assassinated between 1919 and 1923. The most famous was Walther Rathenau, a politician involved with the armistice and the Treaty of Versailles. This showed how much people disliked the new government, and made it look like it was doing a bad job, as it couldn’t stop violence on the streets.
Question tip
A good way to remember the difference: the COMMUNIST Spartacist Uprising was crushed by the FAR RIGHT Freikorps. The Kapp Putsch was crushed by the LEFT WING going on strike.
The Spartacists failed because the Freikorps hated communism more than they hated the Weimar Republic. The Kapp Putsch failed only because the workers saved the republic - if they hadn’t, Kapp might have succeeded. This suggests Germany was more likely to support a right-wing takeover.
The armistice
Signed 5:12-5:20am on 11 November 1918 in a railway carriage at Compiègne, France. The guns stopped 6 hours later, at 11am.
The Treaty of Versailles - June 1919
After WWI, the winning countries met at Versailles in France to agree the peace terms. The "Big Four" were Britain (David Lloyd George), France (Georges Clemenceau), the USA (Woodrow Wilson) and Italy. Germany could not take part in the talks, but was forced to sign - if it didn’t, it would be invaded.
Remember the terms with BRAT:
| Blame | Clause 231, the War Guilt Clause, made Germany accept the blame for the war. (The Weimar Government and the German people didn’t start the war, the Kaiser did.) |
|---|---|
| Reparations | Germany had to pay £6.6 billion. (Germany surrendered because it ran out of resources, so it couldn’t afford these huge payments, and Germans didn’t feel solely responsible for the damage caused.) |
| Armed forces | Army limited to 100,000 men and 6 battleships; no tanks, submarines or planes. (Many felt this was unreasonable, as Germany couldn’t defend itself if attacked.) |
| Territory | Lost 13% of its land and 12.5% of its population, and all its overseas colonies. The Rhineland (the border with France) was demilitarised, and Germany was forbidden from uniting with Austria. (This made Germany feel weak, and German-speaking people were now ruled by other countries.) |
How did Germans view the Treaty?
Germans were outraged. They called it a "diktat" (a dictated peace) and accused the Weimar politicians who signed it - the "November Criminals" - of "stabbing them in the back". People began to look to other politicians to rule Germany better than the Social Democrats.
Question tip
The italics show why Germans hated the Treaty and how it affected them. Don’t just list the terms of the Treaty - use them to answer the question.