Recovery of Weimar Republic 1924-29
Gustav Stresemann became Germany's leading politician in 1923. He greatly improved Germany and it's relations with other countries. This period was known as the 'Golden Age of Weimar.Political Recovery
At the time there was a system of proportional representation. Stresemann was able to take advantage of this by forming the 'Great Coalition' made up of the pro-democracy parties. They were able to resist criticism from smaller extremist parties, due to their size. Furthermore, they were able to pass any laws they needed to.
Economic Recovery
Stresemann called off passive resistance in the Ruhr, thus increasing industrial production. The French left the Ruhr once repartions were resumed.
Additionally, he solved hyperinflation by burning the old currency and introducing the new rentenmark.
In 1924, the Dawes Plan allowed Germany to pay reparations according to it's ability to do so. It also allowed Germany to take a loan of 25,000m gold marks from the USA.
This was followed by the Young Plan of 1929 which gave Germany a further 59 years to pay reparations.
International Relations
Relations with other countries were improved by the signing of the:
* Locarno Treaty, 1925
The German foreign minister Gustav Stresemann proposed that France, Germany and Belgium should recognize as permanent their frontiers that was agreed at Versailles. This included the promise not to send German troops into the Rhineland and the acceptance that Alsace-Lorraine was permantely part of France. The French foreign minister, Aristide Briand agreed with Stressemann's proposals and signed the treaty.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kellogg%E2%80%93Briand_Pact
Basically is was a pre-NATO sort of thing.
* Germany was invited to join the League of Nations, 1926
This meant that Germany was again accepted by the other powers.
No comments:
Post a Comment