Germany after the War

1
Germany after the War
2
Kaiser Gone

• Why?

Naval Mutinies
German Home Front Collapsing
Revolution from above
3
German Revolution

• Began on 29th October 1918
• Sailors at Kiel refused to obey orders and engage
  in battle with the British Navy
• The sailors in the German Navy mutinied and set
  up councils based on the soviets in Russia
• Soviet Russian word meaning Council
• By 6th November the revolution had spread to the
  Western Front and all major cities and ports in
  Germany.

4
Bavaria

• On 7th November, 1918, Kurt Eisner, leader of the
  Independent Socialist Party, declared Bavaria a
  Socialist Republic

5
On 9th November, 1918
Kaiser
I am out of here! Netherlands here I come!!
6
Social Democratic Party

• SPD for short
• Better chance of a fair peace
• Democratic Republic
• No more Kaiser or emperor
• The SPD were the largest political party

Friedrich Ebert
7
Treaty of Versailles

• How did this cause problems for the new
  Government?

They signed the Treaty!
8
(No Transcript)
9
November Criminals
Stab in the Back
10
Feelings in Germany

• Humiliated
• Revenge
• stab in the back theory meant that the new
  democratic government was blamed for the
  humiliation of Versailles
• Germans were horrified when they discovered the
  terms of the Treaty of Versailles

11

• We didnt start the war!
• why should we be blamed?
• Many Germans were outraged when Germany was not
  even represented at the discussions to sort out a
  peace settlement

12

• The disgraceful Treaty is being signed today.  
•    
• Dont forget it!  
• We will never stop until we win back what we
  deserve.  
• From Deutsche Zeitung, a German newspaper, 28
  June 1919.

13
Questions

1. Who were the November Criminals?
2. What exactly was the Stab in the back theory?
   Do you think the government was used as a
   scapegoat? Give reasons for your answer
3. Why were the German people so resentful in the
   1920s? (discuss the timing behind the Weimar
   Republic and its principles).