Account For The Changes In Society In Germany Between 1918 And 1933

Account for the changes in society in Germany between 1918 and 1933
The changes in Germany society between 1918 and 1933 can be accounted for by a multitude of reasons. After World War 1 the Kaiser abdicated and new liberal republic was formed known as the Weimar Republic. After this due to the Treaty of Versailles, France occupied the Ruhr leading to a period of hyperinflation crippling the standard of German society. Recovering from this during the Stresemann years allowed a new rise until the Great Depression caused a massive change in German society. The rise of the Nazi Party afterwards caused a large stir and this was shown completely once Hitler became chancellor causing a complete shift in society.
Kaiser’s Abdication / Weimar Consitution
Imperial Germany was replaced by the Weimar Republic on the 9th of November 1918 opening the door for the democracy which subsequently lead to political instability and a contrastingly new liberal society. This new republic adopted the Weimar constitution which created the first parliamentary democracy in Germany. The change in society from a previously autocratic society is highlighted by a passage in the Constitution saying “The German Commonwealth is a Republic. Political authority is derived from the People”. Electors were now all men and women above the age of 20 compared to before where it was men only above the age of 25. It also guaranteed personal freedoms such as religious freedom and freedom of speech. This new highly liberal and democratic society highlighted a change in society from the previous autocratic one controlled by the Kaiser. However the Weimar constitution had flaws in it which were used ultimately in its fall such as Article 48 and proportional representation in the Reichstag. Historian Eric Weitz said “The flaws…were to do [more] with…the fact that German society was so fragmented” highlighting that although there were flaws, they could have worked under a society more committed to democratic principles. The change in German society, due to the Weimar constitution, to a much more liberal one was unaided by it’s people and its elite ultimately only changing to a moderate degree.

Hyperinflation / Treaty of Versailles
The change in society caused by the Treaty of Versailles was very large and affected all German society economically and socially while causing a general feeling of humiliation and anger. It caused many Germans to be enraged as they saw the extremely harsh measures of the Treaty where economist John Maynard Keynes said that it was “degrading the lives of millions of human beings”. This general feeling of hatred and humiliation lead to attacks against the Weimar government for signing it. Due to the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was forced to pay reparations to the Allies and in 1923, it was no longer able to pay reparations, and followed a policy of passive resistance to the French as they occupied the Ruhr. Historian Jim McGonigle says “To the ordinary German it was the fault of a government that had accepted reparation payments”. A result of the occupation was that it lead to a halt in industrial production. To pay for the reparations a policy of printing more money was carried out which caused hyperinflation and even more money to be printed. This had a significantly crippling effect on German society where historian Norman Lowe says “The working class were badly hit…trade union funds were wiped out”. The price of a loaf of bread had risen to 201000000000 marks by November 1923 highlighting the large impact of hyperinflation. The Treaty of Versailles caused a massive change in German society as it required Germany to pay reparation payments which it was not able to do thus causing the occupation of the Ruhr and the subsequent hyperinflation and severe economic and social impacts on German society.

Stresemann Years
In !924 Gustav Stresemann became foreign minister and oversaw and engineered a policy of fulfilment and economic prosperity from foreign investment causing a great change in German society as the quality of life increased while becoming more liberal. In April 1924, Gustav Stresemann negotiated the withdrawal of French troops from the Ruhr and implements the Dawes Plan. The immediate loans were massive for the German economy as Germany acquired 800000000 dollars’ worth of debt to America but allowed the economy to recover. Stresemann’s policy of fulfilment allowed for the Golden Years of the Weimar Republic. Historian W.M Knight-Patterson said “[Stresemann] restored Germany to the status of a Great Power.” During this era, society had changed a lot since the era of hyperinflation. Welfare money had now increased to 26% of Germany’s GDP while in 1925 the workforce was now 35% women. In 1927, the Unemployment Insurance Act was passed insuring 17 million Germans if they became unemployed along with the Provisional Work Hours Law limiting worker hours without overtime pay. This highlighted a dramatic shift in German society as it moved towards an increasingly liberal society. During the Golden Years also the culture and arts flourished as provocative theatre and cabaret became a major part of the night life while women were given sexual freedoms and prostitution was decriminalised. In 1928 homelessness had decreased by 60% showing an increase in the quality of society and a shift in society due to the political actions of Gustav Stresemann and the heavy foreign investment from America.

Great Depression
The financial prosperity of the German economy was mainly from the borrowed US loans as Stresemann said “Germany is dancing on a volcano” so that when the Great Depression hit, it caused a massive shift in German society by affecting it economically. When it occurred in 1929, the money from foreign investment was already deep into all facets of German economy including transport, social welfare and reparations. On 24th October 1929, US banks began to recall their own loans and caused a collapse of the German economy. From September 1929 where there was 1320000 people unemployed, this number jumped to 6100000 unemployed people. This highlighted a major shift in society and the standard of living from a previously prosperous era. The general sentiment and negativity felt towards the government was seen as historian Alan Bullock says there was “ incalculable human anxiety and embitterment burnt into the minds of millions of ordinary [Germans].” The political, social and economic instability of the country had allowed the rise of extremist groups particularly the Nazi Party who by 1930 had held 107 seats in the Reichstag. Historian David Welch said “The NSDAP was...appealing to different groups for different reasons”. The Great Depression affected German society greatly as it caused great economic hardship and an decrease in the quality of life which subsequently caused a shift to the extremes of politics allowing the rise of Nazi Party.

Rise of the Nazis/Hitler as Chancellor
When Hitler became chancellor of Germany on January 30th 1933, he caused a great economic upheaval in German society and this changed German society greatly as it now was strong and united. In early 1933 production in Germany had fallen by half of what it had been in 1929. In Hitler’s inaugural address, he stated his intention to turn around the country’s economic situation and change it’s society drastically as he exclaimed “The misery of our people is horrible to behold!”. Hitler employed financier Hjalmar Schacht as his minister of economics and head of Reichsbank who already had an impressive record in the private and public record. Historian John Garraty said Hitler and his new government “immediately launched an all-out assault on unemployment.” This new economic revival due to Hitler was shown as Germany’s crime rates fell dramatically with historian Richard Grunberger saying “the [Nazi] seizure of power engendered a widespread improvement in emotional health”. This was shown as by the end of 1933, the unemployment had fallen to 3773000. This highlighted the great change in society caused by the policies of Hitler in 1933 allowing in an increased quality of life from the destruction caused by the Great Depression.
Apart from Hitler’s economic impact in 1933 which caused great changes to society, his social impact was almost as large as he imposed his racial policies on a wide-scale level allowing the prosecution of Jews. On February 27th of 1933, the Enabling Act was passed allowing Hitler’s will to be executed in reference to his policies. On the 1st of April 1933, under Julius Streicher a boycott is announced against the Jews in Germany followed by massive book burnings on the 10th of May 1933. This showed a great change in German society as it moved towards anti-semitism on a more visible spectrum. Further a law allowing eugenic sterilisation is passed, changing German society largely. Adolf Hitler expressed this sentiment as he said “Was there any form of filth or crime without at least one Jew involved? “ Historian Jeffrey Herf explains this change in German society as he said “1933 Hitler placed anti-Semitic ideologues, at the top of the key opinion-shaping institutions.” This highlighted a dramatic change in German society as it became increasingly anti-semitic by the end of 1933 due to Hitler’s policies of racial superiority and anti-semitism.
The constant drastic changes in German society between 1918 and 1933 can be accounted for by political, social and economic reasons. After the abdication of the Kaiser and the signing of the Weimar Constitution, this ushered in a new era of liberl democracy of which Germany had not experienced. However the later signing of the Treaty of Versailles caused hyperinflation bringing a crippling effect to the economy and German society as a result. During the Stresemann era, this was counteracted by the heavy foreign investment however this became Germany’s undoing as the Great Depression hit. The following polarisation of politics allowed the Nazi Party to gain power which heralded a new transformation of society due to their economic, social and political impact.