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Seeds of Bitterness

This section, "Seeds of Bitterness," includes the following subtopics:

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The Establishment of the Weimar Republic

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The Weimar Republic Constitution

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Treaty of Versailles

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Weimar Culture

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Weimar Politics

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Weimar Economy

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Weimar Foreign Policy

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Locarno Pact

Many Germans considered the Treaty of Versailles which concluded World War I as unjust and vindictive. They resented:

  1. Germany’s loss of territory;

  2. The reparations imposed on Germany;

  3. The reduction of the German Army to a peacekeeping force.

Adding to German resentment was the unprecedented inflation that followed the war and reached a peak in 1923.

Image: The national assembly agrees on the signing of the peace-contract. Courtesy of Library of Congress.

Image: The national assembly agrees on the signing of the peace-contract. Courtesy of Library of Congress.

The Weimar Republic that Germans created after World War I to replace the former Empire of the Kaiser adopted a liberal constitution and encouraged freedom of expression in cultural activities and the arts. The multiparty system was designed to represent a great variety of opinions. Nevertheless, the Republic experienced difficulties in gaining widespread support among the German people and failed to capture the imagination of the intellectual elites. The Republic was held responsible for signing the “humiliating” Treaty of Versailles. A popular belief was that the Republic was a “Jew Republic” even though very few Jews served in government positions during the Weimar Era. It was only in the mid-1920s that the foreign minister Gustav Stresemann brought a respectable image to the Republic, reintegrating Germany into the European community and renegotiating the terms of the reparations payments.

 

The National Socialist German Workers’ Party symbolThe National Socialist German Workers’ Party (later known as the National Socialist Party or the Nazi Party; see symbol on left) was a small radical right-wing party at the outset of the Weimar Republic. It sought support among Germans disappointed at the political and economic policies of the Republic. The early Nazi leaders used both terror tactics and propaganda to gain a following. The Nazi 25-point program adopted in 1920 set forth the principle ideas of the party, which were reiterated in Adolf Hitler’s autobiography Mein Kampf (My Struggle).

Next: The Establishment of the Weimar Republic

Back: Overview of Room 2: The Third Reich

Related:

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Seeds of Bitterness

bullet

The Establishment of the Weimar Republic

bullet

The Weimar Republic Constitution

bullet

Treaty of Versailles

bullet

Weimar Culture

bullet

Weimar Politics

bullet

Weimar Economy

bullet

Weimar Foreign Policy

bullet

Locarno Pact


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