How Successful Was the Weimar Republic from 1924 to 1929 Under Stresemann
I believe that between 1924 and 1929, the Weimar Republic was highly successful. They managed to start rebuilding Germany, and completely turn around the country’s morale. This period subdued political opposition, and helped Germany move forward. However, although all seemed rosy on the surface, the method in which Stresemann had achieved stability would cause Germany to fall into turmoil after the 1929 Wall Street Crash. Stresemann wanted to achieve an ecomically stable Germany. Germany was currently crippled by the despised Treaty of Versailles. The reparations Germany were made to pay were sending an already declining country over the edge. Stresemann also wanted to create a single, unified, proud Germany. They had lost much land from the war, and many Germans were being ruled by people that were not German.
There were many reasons for Stresemann's success, as I will now explain.
Germany's industry levels, thanks to increased foreign investment, were back to those of 1913. Germany was an industry-led country, so getting industry back to a profitable level caused the whole country to run smoother. This was a success as it showed that Germany was rebuilding itself and restoring itself to its former glory.
As a result of this, and with increasing presence in the world trade, German exports rose by 40% between 1924 and 1929. This showed that the rest of the world were no longer feeling threatened by Germany, and accepted their desire to move forward and rebuild.
However, it can't all be seen as a success. Although there was economic growth, it was extremely uneven. There were more imports than exports, meaning that Germany was still losing money. This shows a failure on Stresemann's behalf as he should of focused on exports rather than imports, as this would of benefitted the country overall.
Also, unemployment rates never fell below 1.3 million. So, although industry appeared to be booming, there were many people still living in poverty-struck conditions.
There were many reasons for Stresemann's success, as I will now explain.
Germany's industry levels, thanks to increased foreign investment, were back to those of 1913. Germany was an industry-led country, so getting industry back to a profitable level caused the whole country to run smoother. This was a success as it showed that Germany was rebuilding itself and restoring itself to its former glory.
As a result of this, and with increasing presence in the world trade, German exports rose by 40% between 1924 and 1929. This showed that the rest of the world were no longer feeling threatened by Germany, and accepted their desire to move forward and rebuild.
However, it can't all be seen as a success. Although there was economic growth, it was extremely uneven. There were more imports than exports, meaning that Germany was still losing money. This shows a failure on Stresemann's behalf as he should of focused on exports rather than imports, as this would of benefitted the country overall.
Also, unemployment rates never fell below 1.3 million. So, although industry appeared to be booming, there were many people still living in poverty-struck conditions.