How Secure Was The Weimar Recovery?

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Denis Pashkin History Y1 HL March 10, 2012 How secure was the Weimar Recovery 1924-29? By the beginning of 1929, the prospects for the survival of the Weimar Republic looked good. The period from 1924 to 1929 was known as the “Golden Years” for the Weimar Republic. The Republic managed to solve a number of key issues, and, for the first time since the end of the World War, the country was beginning to experience a calm and stable environment. Weimar was established in 1919 to replace the previous imperial government. This Republic was the first real taste of democracy that Germany had ever experienced. A lot of people found it hard to accept, but after the way things used to be, and due to pressure from the Allies, the Weimar Republic was finally established. From the very start, they had to cope with various problems, the main one being hyperinflation. Since Germany was falling behind on their reparations, France sent their troops to the Ruhr, which was a very industrial area for Germany. The Republic called for the workers to form a “passive resistance’’ meaning that they should not cooperate with the French, but would still pay the workers there. This resulted in the government having to simply print more and more money, until hyperinflation kicked in. Loafs of bread cost billions of marks, and people could not afford to buy anything. The country was in a major crisis, and all looked lost. Then, at the very peak of hyperinflation in 1923, Gustav Stresemann became the new chancellor. His so called “100 days” managed to solve a lot of the countries issues and end hyperinflation. First, he called off passive resistance in the Ruhr. This was an unpopular decision with die-hard nationalists, but as the results show, this was the correct decision. The second thing he did was introduce a new currency: the Rentenmark. Finally, he accepted the Dawes Plan,
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