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The years 1919–1923 were a period of almost continuous crisis. Understanding why the Republic survived is just as important as understanding the threats it faced.
Key Definition: A putsch is an attempted seizure of power by a small group using force. Germany experienced several putsches between 1919 and 1923.
When the government tried to disband Freikorps brigades, Wolfgang Kapp and General von Luttwitz declared a new government. The army refused to intervene — General von Seeckt: 'Reichswehr does not fire on Reichswehr.' The putsch was defeated by a general strike called by trade unions and the SPD.
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Defeated by | General strike by workers and trade unions |
| Aftermath | Few participants punished |
| Significance | Exposed anti-democratic sympathies of military and judiciary |
Exam Tip: The Kapp Putsch shows the greatest threat came from the right. Spartacists were brutally suppressed while Kapp's co-conspirators went unpunished.
Between 1919 and 1922: 376 political assassinations — 354 by the right, 22 by the left.
| Statistic | Left-wing | Right-wing |
|---|---|---|
| Assassinations | 22 | 354 |
| Average sentence | 15 years | 4 months |
| Executions | 10 | 0 |
Key victims: Matthias Erzberger (1921) and Walther Rathenau (1922), both murdered by Organisation Consul.
Heinrich August Winkler argues political violence and judicial bias was 'the most corrosive feature of early Weimar politics.'
The KPD attempted insurrections in 1921 and 1923, all quickly suppressed. Dick Geary emphasises the KPD never had a realistic chance of seizing power, but the fear of communism drove voters towards authoritarian alternatives.
Key Definition: The KPD was the German Communist Party, founded December 1918 from the Spartacist League.
France and Belgium occupied the Ruhr in January 1923 after Germany defaulted on reparations. The government called for passive resistance, funded by printing money — triggering catastrophic hyperinflation.
| Date | Price of a loaf of bread |
|---|---|
| January 1919 | 0.26 marks |
| January 1922 | 3.50 marks |
| January 1923 | 700 marks |
| September 1923 | 1,500,000 marks |
| November 1923 | 200,000,000,000 marks |
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