emily
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Post by emily on Jun 18, 2013 6:34:02 GMT
During this response I aim to be able to come to a justified conclusion regarding what factor damaged to Weimar Republic the most. If it was due to hyperinflation or the treaty of Versailles.
My instant response is that the treaty of Versailles is the main cause of damage to the Weimar Republic, as it was signed first causing Germany to pay £6.6billion which really was unrealistic! In addition, they had their army reduced to a size of 100,000 men which isn't anywhere near enough the amount you need for sufficient defence for a country. The consequence of the treaty hit directly at the unhappy citizens of Germany, who were now stuck with it, through no fault of their own. They were the ones who would ultimately pay the price, for if another country were to attack, they would lose everything they'd worked for as they are what made up Germany. Demonstrating of how unrealistic the reperations is that it was only completely paid off in December 2011! The whole treaty was a diktat and the people had no choice, unless the country they had been so proud of would've been completely seized and they'd have absolutely nothing.
On the other hand, through the point I have just made, it's worth considering that without this treaty, which was down to hate of Germany for starting the war and the extreme loss of lives, enabled Germany to repent for the war even if it wasn't entirely their fault. It was a very low point from which they were given time to recover, but the long suffering of this showed.
Which leads on to whether or not hyperinflation was more of a factor for the damage of the Weimar Republic. It was only due to the treaty that hyperinflation occurred, and it was evidence of the long suffering and mess that Germany was now in. But should anyone have been surprised that many, many people would be furious at the mess that their government had allowed? The ridiculous scale of hyperinflation is proven by how out of control paying for anything was; 428,000,000,000 marks for a loaf of bread in November 1923. People needed wheel barrows, and imagine going to collect your pay from work. But the sad inevitability of the matter was that all this money was worthless, and families starved as a consequence. Germany really had suffered badly, and the innocent children who had never done anything wrong to another country were having starvation to deal with. The whole country was in a mess due to hyperinflation; small businesses would be taken over by large ones which would then only soon have to close. The people were the ones who really suffered, but it did again allow Germany a basis from which to incorporate radical ideas to fix it, a fresh start. But the start the chose turned out to be devastating: Hitler.
To conclude, from having considered both sides of the argument I'd say that the most damage came from the treaty of Versailles, as it came first and asked a ridiculous pay of reperations from Germany, which in turn damaged to Weimar Republic. Hyperinflation was indeed another massively devastating factor, but it came due to the treaty, and this caused the mess that followed ultimately.
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Post by Ashley Ward on Jun 18, 2013 7:59:14 GMT
The treaty of Versailles had a devastating effect on the Weimar Republic. The German citizens were full of hatred towards the party for signing such a crippling treaty which they thought was very unfair. Although they had no choice but to sign it, the German public were still embarrassed by their government for signing it and it came across that the Weimar Republic were weak. Also, as part of the Treaty, they had to sign over one of the things Germany valued most- Alsace Lorraine. Following the signing of the Treaty, a series of protests occurred throughout the nation calling for the government to be axed. This shows that the public couldn't stand the Weimar Republic so the Treaty obviously had a negative effect on the government's reputation. The fact that their nation was in ruin made the German people angry as the government seemed an easy target at the time.
Hyperinflation was another key problem for the Weimar Republic and their reputation. When the French tried to take over the Ruhr, Ebert told the workers to go on strike and that he would pay them. With no money due to the reparations, the government decided to print more money. Soon it became worthless and lead to hyperinflation. This had a huge effect on the German people. Firstly, their savings became worthless, secondly, the rates were always changing so buying necessaries became near impossible and thirdly, carrying their money was ridiculous also. This also crippled the German economy so the citizens were outraged.
Overall, I believe that the Treaty of Versailles was the most damaging thing for the reputation of the Weimar Republic as it caused riots, huge rates of unemployment and without the reparations, the occupation of the Ruhr would needed had happened so hyperinflation would also have been avoided. The Weimar Republic were doomed from the off.
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Post by BadBoyBrennock on Jun 18, 2013 8:01:17 GMT
I think that the treaty of versailles damaged their reputation more because without that hyperinflation wouldn't take place. The treaty made most of the German population despise the Weimer Republic because it made their country weak and defenceless. Even though I think that the treaty was more damaging to their reputation I still think that the hyperinflation was bad because it crippled the German economy and made the Weimer Republic even more hated. Good basis - remember the facts and the backing up ... just add to this if you can...  |
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Post by hollybrown on Jun 18, 2013 19:01:10 GMT
In my reply I will be arguing whether I think that hyperinflation or The Treaty of Versailles damaged the reputation of the Weimar public the most.
I believe that the treaty of versailles damaged the reputation of the Weimar public the most. It was a Diktat, this means that it was 'dictated peace', which it was because the politicians who signed it, later known as the November criminals had no choice in signing the treaty, they had to. The people of Germany felt utterly betrayed, and as if they had been stabbed in the back by the government. This, the same government which supposedly promised them that they would be the ones who decided how he country was run. This had undoubtedly damaged their reputation somewhat, as the public had obviously lost faith in them and it would take a lot for them to win their support back. Also, the soldiers had especially felt betrayed becuase they believed they were doing well in the war. The treaty reduced their army to 100,000 soldiers and 6 warships. Germany had to pay£6.6 billion in reparations for the damage caused, which Gerrmany couldn't afford to start with, and this meant they couldn't afford to rebuild their industry so they could make money which would then help them to pay the reparations, so many people were out of jobs. This damaged the Weimar's reputation even more. This left the Weimar in a poor state. Before, they were perceived to be to be strong and powerful, whereas now, they were weak and pathetic.
However, hyperinflation may have futrther worsened their reputation. If they hadn't had signed the treary of versaille, then hyperinflation would never have happened in the first place. Hyperinflation caused people to loose their jobs, because their bosses couldn't afford to pay them, meaning that the unemployment rate increased rapidly, and families had to live on the poverty line. The economy nosedived into disaster, and this meant that Germany couldn't afford the reparations. Even people with jobs suffered, as their wages couldn't keep up with rising prices. Lots of people with savings in banks lost everything, as their money became worthless. on the other hand, people with debts and mortgages couldp pay off what they owed in a day. Stresseman stepped in and helped solve the problems, negotiating with America for help. But, by now, Weimar's reputaion was well and truly shattered. The people hated them, and there was no way they could hope to rebuild the trust.
In my opinion, the treaty of versailles damaged the Weimar's reputaion the most. It lead to a lot of uproar and rebellion against them, especially during 1923. This year became known as "the year of crisis".Also, this all lead to hyperinflation which crippled Germany and brough it to its knee's. Weimar now looked like they betrayed their own people and gave them false hope, promises of things which never materialised.
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Post by elliotlockyer on Jun 18, 2013 19:17:47 GMT
what damaged the reputation of the Wiemar republic more the treaty of Versailles or hyperinflation?
I think that the treaty of Versailles damaged the Wiemar republic reputation more as it crippled Germany and actually without the treaty there would not have been the problem with hyperinflation all. the treaty of Versailles effectively doomed the Wiemar republic as it caused the German people to hate them as they felt betrayed, and the fact of the matter is that that the Wiemar republic had no choice but to sign the treaty or Germany would be flattened by the allies. Germany appeared weak they had to pay reparations of £6.6b , having being reduced to only 100000 soldiers, no air force what so ever, only 6 battleships and the Rhineland was demilitarized alongside other things, the Germans did not like this at all, they placed the blame on the Wiemar republic, this was made worse by the fact that it was not long since the Wiemar republic had been set in place. the time scale of the treaty of Versailles is much larger and has had a much more severe effect on Germany than hyperinflation as hyperinflation was 'solved' in a few years time where as the reparations were only payed off recently (2010), and the treaty of Versailles affect all of Germany where as hyperinflation only affected more wealthy people where as poorer people were in a much better situation.
in conclusion as far as i am concerned the treaty of Versailles had a much more serious and long term affect than hyperinflation as it brought Germany and its people to their knees for a much longer time than hyperinflation did.
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Post by badboybrennock on Jun 18, 2013 20:38:27 GMT
I think that the Treaty of Versailles damaged their reputation more because if it hadn't of happened then the hyperinflation wouldn't of taken place afterwards.
When the treaty was signed by Frederick Ebert (leader of the Weimer Republic) it made the German Population despise them because it made them feel like they had been stabbed in the back by their own leaders. This issue because the Germans thought they were winning the war and now they had to accept responsibility for it, another reason why they would hate the Weimer Republic is that it would decrease their army to only 100,000 soldiers making their military crippled and at risk being invaded.
Another reason why they hated the Weimer Republic is because they had to pay reparations of £6.6 Billion, which in those days was un payable especially for a nation that has just lost a war.
However the hyperinflation did still damage Weimer Republic's reputation, when France and Belgium invaded the Ruhr (main industrial area of Germany.) Ebert ordered the German workers to go on strike so the invaders couldn't take any of the resources to help pay for the reparations. However, eventually the workers needed money to pay for their bills. Ebert decided to just give them money while on strike, soon the money started to become worthless which crippled Germany's economy.
In conclusion, I think that the treaty of versailles was more damaging to the Weimer Republic because it was the thing that started this chain of events.
Better Matthew! Have a good read through the rest of the posts too and see if you can perhaps counter argue some of them or offer a critique! - Mr Modica
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Post by jessicaaaa on Jun 18, 2013 21:49:32 GMT
(Firstly I'd just like to point out my spelling/grammar may not be correct as I'm using iPad to write this) The Treaty of Versailles and hyperinflation both damaged the reputation of the Weimar Republic dramatically, although in my opinion, the treaty of Versailles was the most damaging. Without it, hyperinflation wouldn't of happened, so it was obviously the start to bad things to come for Germany. The treaty of Versailles had mainly long term affects, whereas hyperinflation had mainly short term effects. The treaty of Versailles was designed to break Germany and to be honest, it is completely unreasonable. The army had to be reduced to 100,000 soldiers, and they were only allowed 6 battleships, no submarines or airforce and they had to give up Alsace Lorraine, they also had to demilitarise the Rhineland. Not only this, £6.6Billion had to be paid in reparations. Because the treaty was signed and accepted with no arguments from Germany, the Weimar Republic were automatically labelled as being weak and feeble by the German population. The Germans were so confused as to why they had to obay all of this, as they thought they were winning the war. Hyperinflation also have the government a bad name. Due to the lack of money available to pay the huge sum of £6.6B, somehow it was a 'good idea' to just print more money, which then actually lowers the value of it. Therefore, rich people who have spent years and maybe even generations earning and saving money, are literally becoming more and more poor by literally the minute. The poor would become poorer, and the winter or 1923 meant that many lives in freezing conditions burning furniture to get some heat. Prices raised quicker than people could spend their money! People were paid by the hour and rushed to pass money to their loved ones so it could be spent before its value dropped to almost nothing. Money was used to wallpaper houses! They had to shop with wheelbarrows just to carry all their money. Restaraunts didn't print menus because by the time your food arrived, the price will of gone up! So, hyperinflation obviously affected every single person living in Germany at this time. But it was soon resolved when a new chancellor - Gustav Stressemann was put into power. He ordered workers in the Ruhr to go back to work. He knew this was the only common sense approach to the crisis and he changed the currency from the German mark, to the rentenmark. In conclusion, I think that the signing of the treaty of Versailles was the main reason for the damage of the reputation of the Weimar Republic, because without it, hyperinflation wouldn't of become necessary.also, it caused long term affects, only having the £6.6billion entirely paid off in 2011! That's a long time to owe money for...  |
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Post by Mr Modica on Jun 23, 2013 7:05:58 GMT
Little reminder folks for the rest of you to get your posts done - Remind your friends if they haven't done it yet - Team!!
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Post by hannah eglen on Jun 28, 2013 14:25:06 GMT
they are all liked in one way or another because if it wasnt for the treaty then there would have been no hyperinflation. in my opinion i think the treaty was the one that damages the weimar because Germany had too lose lots and had to pay alot of money in repretaions. they where reduced to 100,000 soldiers which was never enough for Germany to defend themselves if they needed to. they also got all of their war ships taken away and also their air defence. also if there was no treaty there would have been no hyperinflation. this is where they printed too much money and it became worthless.
in conclusion i think that the treaty damaged weimar the most.
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