1. I think this source was published by an opponent of the Weimar government. This source was written by ‘Dr Kapp’ which related to the Kapp Putsch which happened in March 1920 when Dr Wolfgang led 5,000 Freikorps into Berlin because he didn’t agree with the Weimar Republic. The people in Berlin supported the Weimar Republic and didn’t want to change so Weimar called for strike in Berlin which meant transport and water supply were affected and Berlin was brought to a halt. The source that Dr Kapp has written is criticizing the government and opposing the Weimar republic.
2.
German people were angered by events which took place in the Ruhr in 1923. In this photo you can see a French Soldier guarding some coal took from the Ruhr, the Germans would be angry because this is their coal which the French took in January 1923 because the Germans failed to pay the reparation demands in 1922 which they agreed to pay to France, England and Italy. The French were angry because of this so they invaded the Ruhr
which was an important industrial area, they took raw materials such as coal to make up for what Germany owed. They would also be angry because the soldier in this photograph has a gun. which means he is aggressive.
3.
This photo explains some of the problems Germany faced in 1923. In 1923 hyperinflation was created, it made the German currency become worthless. In the photo above you can see two children playing with money. This was probably because the money was cheaper to play with than to buy the children toys. Hyperinflation was introduced in 1923 because of the reparation demands that Germany was made to pay and also because of the Ruhr invasion. Germany decided to print off a different currency of money which was worthless, this meant that prices and peoples wages went up. Workers got so much of this worthless money that they needed a wheelbarrow to carry home their wages. Money that might have brought someone a house in 1921 would not even buy them a loaf of bread. On the other hand this photo does not explain any political problems Germany faced in 1923 such as the Beer Hall Putsch which took place in November 1923 when Hitlers Nazi party launced an attempted revolution in Munich.
Essay Questions
1. What were the main features of the Weimar Constitution?
A new president was elected every 7 years
A coalition government
Everyone over the age of 20 could now vote
They used the system of proportional representation
2. Explain why Germany suffered from hyper-inflation in 1923.
Germany missed a reparations payment. This situation spiralled out of control and once again the German people were unhappy and in financial difficulty. As a result of not being able to pay their reparations the French invaded the Ruhr. The Germans organised passive resistance against this and that meant that there was no industrial production and Germany had no
