British magazine 1920
German Cartoon
produced in 1919
Why did the Treaty cause problems
for Germany from 1919-1923?
1. To explain how the Germans reacted to the Peace Treaty
2. To create a chronology of events in order to show the effect of
the Versailles Treaty on Germany
Task: Read pages 6-10 as a class Then
answer!
How did German´s feel about the
Treaty and why?
Use these phrases: Stab in the back /
humiliated, Weimar Government
German newspaper June 1919
A chronology of problems 1918-1923
Task 1: Create a timeline showing all the problems that
occured for the Weimar goverment from signing the
Treaty of Versailles. Include details on the following:
- Stab in the back
- Treaty of Versailles
- Spartacists
Task 2:
- Red rising
Which was the
- Kapp Putsch
worst problem for
the Weimar
- Munich Putsch
government?
- Invasion of the Ruhr
Why?
- Hyperinflation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7xXKT4
u5ZQ
TITLE: 1923 The Invasion of the Ruhr and
hyperinflation
LO: To use primary sources to describe the
“Hyperinflation” of 1923
STARTER: Match up the following key words
1. Treaty of Versailles
2. Reparations
3. Weimar Government
4. Proportional Representation
5. Article 48
A) 6.6 billion pounds
B) Government between 1919-33
C) The President could make decisions
without consulting the Reichstag
D) Said Germany could only have an army
of 10,000
E) Voting method which resulted in weak
coalition Governments
1923
• Germany could no longer repay the reparation
repayments
• How do you think the French reacted?
In pairs what does this poster
tell us?
The French Occupation of the Ruhr
• When the Germans could no longer repay the 6.6 billion pounds in reparation
repayments the French were angry
• They sent troops to an area called the Ruhr in Germany which was very industrial
and produced iron. They then occupied this area to take resources from Germany
• Germans in the area went on strike to stop the French getting these resources.
This was called “Passive Resistance”
• This meant that Germany had even less money as they were not longer making
money in this area
• Germany had to print more and more money to try and pay the reparation
repayments
WHY WAS THIS A PROBLEM?
Using Source H and your own
knowledge explain how hyperinflation
in 1923 affected German people (4)
Source H: photo taken in 1923 of a woman heating
her home by burning money
Hyperinflation
The more German money that was printed the
more worthless it became.
Businesses had to increase their prices as money
wasn’t worth as much.
People could not afford to buy things and
became angry with the Government.
Hyperinflation – Clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI1i5yhwOz8
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
Why did Germany owe the Allies money?
Where did the French invade?
What did the Germans in the Ruhr do?
What did the German Government do when it couldn’t pay it’s workers?
What did businesses do as the Government printed more money?
What happened to wages when the Government printed more money?
What is it called when money becomes worthless?
How did some people collect their wages?
Who suffered the most?
How did some people heat their homes?
What happened to savings?
Who benefited from hyperinflation?
What did some people use to buy things?
Who did people blame for the situation
Hyperinflation – Clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI1i5yhwOz8
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
Why did Germany owe the Allies money?
Where did the French invade?
What did the Germans in the Ruhr do?
What did the German Government do when it couldn’t pay it’s workers?
What did businesses do as the Government printed more money?
What happened to wages when the Government printed more money?
What is it called when money becomes worthless?
How did some people collect their wages?
Who suffered the most?
How did some people heat their homes?
What happened to savings?
Who benefited from hyperinflation?
What did some people use to buy things?
Who did people blame for the situation
Around the room there are primary sources. Fill in
the table. Write down one fact that each of the
sources tells you about hyperinflation in 1923
SOURCE
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
FACTS ABOUT HYPERINFLATION
Source A – A writer remembering the
effects of hyperinflation on his father
My father sold his business and retired. He was
considered a rich man and intended to live on
his savings. Due to hyperinflation his savings
became worthless and the only way he could
stay afloat was by going back to work
Source B – A worker in a factory
On paydays we went with the factory manager
to the bank in a 6 seater car which we filled to
the brim with bundles of million mark notes.
We drove back without anyone paying attention
and when the workers got their wages they
didn’t even bother to count the notes.
Source C – A business owner
I paid my workers in goods. My wife stocked
these in our flat; chickens, flour, butter. We
bought these in bulk as soon as money was
available before it went down in value.
Source D – A German writer
I went to a café for a coffee and as I went in I
noticed the price was 5000 marks – just about
what I had in my pocket. I sat down read a
paper and drank my coffee and asked for the
bill.
The bill said 8000 marks. I asked the waiter why
and he replied that the value of the mark had
dropped.
Source E – German woman
Me and my friend were carrying a laundry
basket full of money. We saw a commotion in
the street and put down the basket for a
moment and turned our backs. When we
turned back the money was untouched but the
basket was gone!
Source F
You often bought things you didn’t want. You’d
then start to barter. You’d swap a pair of socks
for a shirt, a shirt for a pair of trousers and
repeat the process until you had something you
wanted.
Source G
During this time people were very depressed
and angry. People were especially angry with
the Government who did not seem to be solving
the problems. People started to look for
alternatives such as extremist parties like the
Communists and the Nazis.
Using Source H and your own
knowledge explain how hyperinflation
in 1923 affected German people (4)
Source G: photo taken in 1923 of a woman heating
her home by burning money
Mark Scheme
1-2: Generalised answer. Uses content of
source ONLY.
3-4: Good explanation of the content of the
source. Gives relevant background knowledge
which puts the source in context.
Help - think about these questions and use
these sentence starters
What was hyperinflation in 1923?
Why can the woman in the picture not buy wood to heat her home?
Why is the woman burning money?
What does this tell us about the woman’s living standards?
How did this make people feel in Germany… who were they angry with?
SENTENCE STARTERS:
Source G shows us…
This shows us how German people were affected because...
German people therefore felt….
Using Source H and your own knowledge explain
how hyperinflation in 1923 affected German
people (4)
Source H shows a woman burning ______________ in 1923.
This was when money became __________________ during
hyperinflation as the Government printed more money to pay
the reparation repayments.
This affected people as prices _________ and people could not
afford things like food and fire wood (as seen in Source _____)
which meant that people were starving and poor. Goods were
more valuable than ____________ (this explains why the woman
in the source is burning the money instead of wood).
This affected people as they were angry and depressed and
blamed the _____________________ and started to look for
alternatives such as the __________________.