Issues of Weimar Germany (1918-1933)

- Germany was in chaos after WW1 because of the harshness of Versailles on Germany which caused many uprisings -> not a good time to start a republic (the new republic was assosiated with the defeat of Germany because it was founded as a result of it) -> to make matters worse people were angry with the government and e.g. tried to inflict their own types of governments such as a communist government 

- The reublic and the socialist politicians associated with it were seen as traitors by some Germans because they signed the Treaty of Versailles -> this led to some politicians being assassinated

- In 1923 Germany failed to pay reparations in time which caused a French invasion to the Ruhr, a general strike, hyperinflation, a number of communist rebellions and an attempted Nazi putsch in Munich

- The Republic faced opposition from both the right and left-wing

- In January 1919 the German Communist Party (KDP) led by Karl Liebnecht and Rosa Luxemburg attempted to seize power by force in the Spartacist Uprising -> suppressed by the government with the help of the Freikorps (ex-army soldiers)

- The Kapp Putsch in March 1920; 12 000 Freikorps marched to Berlin to overthrow the government -> a new government led by Wolfgang Kapp was announced

- In November 1923 the Nazi Party led by Hitler tried to seize power in Munich (The Beer Hall Putsch)

- The Weimar Republic still had to deal with the debts and reparation costs from WW1 -> rather than increasing taxes the new government printed money -> hyperinflation -> by November 1923 the German mark was worthless

- The economic issues increased after the invasion of Ruhr since that cut Germany off of crucial industries which led the Republic to again print more money