Weimar Republic Stab in the back Hyperinflation Germany

Weimar Republic – ‘Stab in the back’ - Hyperinflation Germany after World War One Learning objective: • Explain the problems Germany faced after the end of the War.

Weimar Republic – ‘Stab in the back’ - Hyperinflation Germany after World War One Learning objective: • Explain the problems Germany faced after the end of the War. Success Criteria • Identify the main problems facing Germany after WWI. • Identify which problems were economic and which were political. • Explain one reason why Germany’s problems would have helped Hitler gain support.

Weimar Republic – ‘Stab in the back’ - Hyperinflation Starter – how will the following effect Germany? Extension: Which of the points below link together? Loss of land Reparations of £ 6. 6 million Military restrictions, e. g 100, 000 men, 6 battleships, no airforce. War Guilt Clause This might make Germany poorer as they will not generate any money from the land businesses on it.

Weimar Republic – ‘Stab in the back’ - Hyperinflation • After the war Kaiser Wilhelm II abandoned Germany in its darkest hour and fled to Holland. • In the place of the Kaiser a democratic republic led by President Ebert (a democracy) was created known as the Weimar Republic. • The new government signed the hated Treaty of Versailles

Weimar Republic – ‘Stab in the back’ - Hyperinflation Germany after World War One Learning objective: • All will explain the problems Germany faced after the end of the War. Success Criteria • Identify the main problems facing Germany after WWI. • Identify which problems were economic and which were political. • Explain one reason why Germany’s problems would have helped Hitler gain support.

Weimar Republic – ‘Stab in the back’ - Hyperinflation Activity: Next to each write down what problem facing Germany you think the image represents. Extension: Think about how this problem may help you understand why Hitler was voted into power in 1933. Success Criteria • Identify the main problems facing Germany after WWI. • Identify which problems were economic and which were political. • Explain one reason why Germany’s problems would have helped Hitler gain support.

Weimar Republic – ‘Stab in the back’ - Hyperinflation Activity: Next to each write down what Success Criteria problem facing Germany you think the image represents. • Identify the main problems Example: facing Germany after WWI. This shows the violence on the streets of Berlin after the war as • Identify which problems were economic and which different political groups tried to were political. get power for themselves. • Explain one reason why Germany’s problems would have helped Hitler gain support.

Weimar Republic – ‘Stab in the back’ - Hyperinflation Activity: Next to each write down what problem facing Germany you think the image represents. Success Criteria • Identify the main problems facing Key terms to use: Germany after WWI. • Hyperinflation (more and more money • Identify which problems is printed which means the value of were economic and money drops) which were political. • ‘Stab in the back’ (the belief among • Explain one reason many Germans that the politicians why Germany’s had betrayed the Germany army by problems would have signing the Treaty of Versailles) helped Hitler gain support. • The Depression (lots of Germans lost their jobs). This made Germans angry with the government.

Weimar Republic – ‘Stab in the back’ - Hyperinflation What problems did the Weimar Republic face?

Weimar Republic – ‘Stab in the back’ - Hyperinflation Germany after World War One Learning objective: • All will explain the problems Germany faced after the end of the War. Success Criteria • Identify the main problems facing Germany after WWI. • Identify which problems were economic and which were political. • Explain one reason why Germany’s problems would have helped Hitler gain support.

Weimar Republic – ‘Stab in the back’ - Hyperinflation What was the government’s bigger problem – money or power? Activity: Sort the 4 pictures into: • Economic problems • Political problems

Weimar Republic – ‘Stab in the back’ - Hyperinflation Germany after World War One Learning objective: • All will explain the problems Germany faced after the end of the War. Success Criteria • Identify the main problems facing Germany after WWI. • Identify which problems were economic and which were political. • Explain one reason why Germany’s problems would have helped Hitler gain support.

Weimar Republic – ‘Stab in the back’ - Hyperinflation What was the government’s bigger problem – money or power? Activity: Which do you think was the government’s biggest problem? Write a supported answer to explain your point.

Weimar Republic – ‘Stab in the back’ - Hyperinflation Activity: Point One reason why Hitler gained support was… Evidence For example… Explain This is important because… Success Criteria • Identify the main problems facing Germany after WWI. • Identify which problems were economic and which were political. • Explain one reason why Germany’s problems would have helped Hitler gain support.

Why did Germans vote for Adolf Hitler? The German Economic Crisis Understand the nature of the economic crisis facing Germany in the early 1930 s What can you infer about the economic problems facing Germany from the images below?

Why did Germans vote for Adolf Hitler? The German Economic Crisis Understand the nature of the economic crisis facing Germany in the early 1930 s In 1929 the stock market collapsed in the USA and the Americans stopped buying goods from around the world and lending money to other countries. This caused economic chaos around the world. Unemployment rose sharply in Germany, 5 million Germans were unemployed. A shortage of money to pay wages and repay the debts owed to France agreed in the Treaty of Versailles caused the government to print more and more money. This caused hyperinflation, which made bank notes almost worthless.

Why did Germans vote for Adolf Hitler? Understand how Hitler’s policies appealed to Germans and why different groups would support the Nazi Party Task: Explain why Germans voted for Hitler Point: Evidence / examples: Explanation: Promise 1: Hitler said that he would rip apart the hated Treaty of Versailles and take back land that belonged to Germany before the First World War. He would rebuild the army and make Germany strong again. Promise 2: Hitler said that he would crush the communist threat; many Germans feared the communists. He would use violence to do this, if necessary. Promise 3: Hitler said that he would solve Germany’s terribly high unemployment rates and stop the chaos caused by hyper-inflation

Watch the following clip: • http: //uk. youtube. com/watch? v=WI 1 i 5 yhw Oz 8

Main activity • You are a citizen living in Berlin in 1924. • Write a letter to the Reichstag explaining your concerns about the way Germany is being run. • How have YOU been effected? • What suggestions do you have for the better? • Points to include: • Great Germany under the Kaiser • Ebert and the Weimar Republic • ‘stab in the back’ • Unemployment • Communist revolutionaries • Hyperinflation

Plenary • So why did the Weimar Republic find it hard to govern Germany after World War One? • Can you solve the cryptogram?

The new Weimar government signed the hated Treaty of Versailles at the end of the war. Many Germans blamed the government for betraying the German army, or ‘stabbing them in the back’.

Many Germans lost their jobs as the country was in massive debt. This was due to cost of the war and having to pay ‘reparations’. In difficult times many turned to parties such as the Nazi party who promised hope.

The new government was weak and unpopular. Communists wanted to overthrow the government and so there were periods of violence in the streets of Germany.

The government printed more money to try and pay off the reparations. This made money worth less, so businesses put their prices up, which meant workers’ wages also had to increase. This led to ‘hyperinflation’.