Europe

1
Europe

• The Provisional Government was established to
  provide democratic rule after WWI
• Most of Europe was used to a type of monarchy
• Many countries had a variety of political groups
  making it hard for a party to win support to
  govern effectively
• Coalition Government (alliance of several
  parties) would come about after no single party
  would win an election
• Continuous changes in government
• Few strong leaders and little long term goal
  setting

2
Weimar Republic
3
Weimar Republic

• Germany Democratic Govt.
• Weaknesses
• Lack democratic traditions
• Many political parties
• German people blamed the Weimar govt.
• Defeat in WWI
• Humiliation from the Versailles Treaty

4
Inflation

• To pay for the expenses of WWI, Germany printed
  more money
• The value of the money would lose its value
• Inflation begins to set in
• Loaf of bread in 1918 cost 1 Mark
• Loaf of bread in 1922 cost 160 Marks (200 billion
  by 1923)

5
Need for Economic Stability

• Charles Dawes (American Banker) came up with a
  plan to get Germany some stability
• American Banks would loan Germany 200 million to
  stabilize the German currency
• Dawes plan did help slow inflation Germanys
  economy began to recover
• By 1929 Germany was producing as much as they did
  prior to WWI

6
Keeping the Peace

• Germanys Gustav Stresemann Frances Aristide
  Briand work on improving relations between the 2
  countries
• They agreed to never fight a war between each
  other again
• Germany would respect the existing borders or
  France Belgium
• 1928 Kellogg-Briand peace pact
• Pledge to renounce war as an instrument of
  national policy

7
Questions

1. What was one positive political effect of World
   War I?
2. Why were democratic governments often unstable?
3. How did Germanys postwar economic problems begin
   during the war?
4. What was a major weakness of the Kellogg-Braind
   Treaty?