Political Unrest 1919-1923

This section explains the Political Unrest in Germany from 1919-1923. The Weimar Republic was established in 1919 amid a period of extreme turmoil. Germany had just lost World War One, and its people were suffering from starvation, economic collapse, and political instability. The Kaiser had fled, leaving the country without strong leadership, and the new democratic government immediately faced serious opposition from both the left and right.

Many Germans resented the Republic, seeing it as a weak and illegitimate government. This hostility led to a series of violent uprisings between 1919 and 1923, as extremist groups attempted to overthrow the democratic system.

Why Was the Weimar Republic So Unpopular?

Two main reasons explain why many Germans opposed the new Weimar government:

The ‘November Criminals’ and the ‘Stab-in-the-Back’ Myth

• The government was blamed for Germany’s surrender in November 1918, despite the fact that the military leadership had advised that defeat was inevitable.
• Many Germans, misled by wartime propaganda, believed that their army was on the verge of winning the war. The sudden surrender came as a huge shock.
• This led to the ‘Stab-in-the-Back’ Myth (Dolchstosslegende) – the false idea that Germany’s brave soldiers had been betrayed by weak politicians, rather than defeated on the battlefield.
• The Weimar politicians who signed the armistice were labelled the ‘November Criminals’, a nickname that fuelled distrust in the new democracy.

The Treaty of Versailles (1919)

• Many Germans saw the treaty as a national humiliation.
• The government was forced to accept full blame for the war (Article 231 – War Guilt Clause), even though many believed other nations were also responsible.
• The treaty crippled the economy, as Germany had to pay £6.6 billion in reparations to the Allies.
• The military was reduced to 100,000 soldiers, making Germany vulnerable to attack.
• Large areas of German territory were lost, including Alsace-Lorraine (to France), the Saar (controlled by the League of Nations), and West Prussia (to Poland).
• All overseas colonies were taken away, damaging Germany’s status as a global power.

These factors made the Weimar Republic deeply unpopular and led to violent uprisings from both left-wing communists and right-wing nationalists.

Left-Wing Threat: The Spartacist Uprising (January 1919)

Who were the Spartacists?

• The Spartacist League was a communist group led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht.
• They wanted to overthrow democracy and create a Soviet-style government like in Russia (following the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917).

What happened?

• On 5 January 1919, 50,000 communist supporters took to the streets of Berlin, seizing key buildings and attempting to overthrow Ebert’s government.
• However, President Ebert turned to the Freikorps (paramilitary groups made up of ex-soldiers) to crush the uprising.
• The Freikorps brutally suppressed the rebellion, killing over 100 revolutionaries.
• Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht were arrested and murdered.

Aftermath:

• Although the uprising was defeated, further communist revolts took place across Germany, particularly in Bavaria, where a short-lived Communist People's Government was declared.
• By May 1919, the Freikorps had crushed all left-wing rebellions.
• The brutal suppression of the Spartacists deepened divisions in German society and led to continued hostility between communists and the Weimar government.

Right-Wing Threat: The Kapp Putsch (March 1920)

Who were the Freikorps?

• The Freikorps were right-wing ex-soldiers, many of whom refused to accept Germany’s defeat in World War One.
• They were angry at the Treaty of Versailles, especially the reduction of the German army.
• In 1920, the Weimar government attempted to disband them, as required by the treaty.

What happened?

• In March 1920, a right-wing nationalist politician, Dr Wolfgang Kapp, led 5,000 Freikorps soldiers in a march on Berlin.
• They aimed to overthrow the Weimar government and restore the Kaiser.
• The regular army refused to fire on the Freikorps, showing sympathy for the rebels.
• However, the coup failed because German workers went on a general strike, shutting down Berlin’s transport and industry.
• Kapp was forced to flee after just four days, and the rebellion collapsed.

Aftermath:

• The government survived, but the Putsch exposed the fragility of Weimar democracy.
• The army’s refusal to defend the Republic showed their loyalty lay with the old regime, not democracy.
• Despite attempting to overthrow the government, Kapp and his supporters received light sentences, showing judges were biased towards right-wing extremists.

Further Right-Wing Violence (1921-1922)

The right-wing nationalist groups continued to undermine the Weimar Republic through political assassinations:

🔴 Matthias Erzberger (Finance Minister)

• Murdered in 1921 for signing the Treaty of Versailles.

🔴 Walther Rathenau (Foreign Minister)

• Assassinated in 1922 for negotiating with the Allies.

🔴 In total, 356 government politicians were murdered by nationalist terrorists between 1919 and 1923.

• Judges were lenient, often letting right-wing assassins go free while harshly punishing left-wing rebels.

Rebellions During the Hyperinflation Crisis (1923)

By 1923, the Weimar Republic faced economic collapse due to hyperinflation (where money lost its value). This led to a surge in uprisings across Germany:

🟥 September 1923 – Black Reichswehr Rebellion

• A right-wing nationalist group attempted a coup but was quickly crushed.

🟥 October 1923 – Communist Rebellions in Saxony and Thuringia

• Inspired by the Russian Revolution, communist groups briefly took power.
• The government sent in the army to crush the uprisings.

🟥 October 1923 – Separatist Rebellion in the Rhineland

• A group of separatists declared the Rhineland independent from Germany.
• The rebellion failed due to lack of support.

The Munich Putsch (November 1923)

🔴 Who were the Nazis?

• The National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP), led by Adolf Hitler, was a small extremist group based in Bavaria.
• They hated democracy and wanted to overthrow the Weimar Republic.

🔴 What happened?

• On 8-9 November 1923, Hitler and 600 Nazi supporters tried to seize power in Munich, Bavaria.
• The putsch failed, and Hitler was arrested.
• However, Hitler’s trial gave him national publicity, and he used his time in prison to write ‘Mein Kampf’, outlining his future political ideas.

🔴 Aftermath

• The failure of the putsch convinced Hitler to gain power legally rather than by force.
• The Nazis began using elections to undermine democracy from within.

Conclusion

Between 1919 and 1923, the Weimar Republic survived multiple threats from both left and right. However, the government relied heavily on the Freikorps and the army, both of which were hostile to democracy. These early crises weakened confidence in Weimar and paved the way for extremists like Hitler to gain influence.