Lesson 7: Handout 1

Weimar Republic biographies7

Hermann Struts
Hermann Struts, a lieutenant in the German army, fought bravely during the war. He comes from
a long line of army officers and is himself a graduate of the German military academy. Struts has
always taken pride in the armys able defense of the nation and its strong leadership. Yet Struts is
bitter about the fact that he has not had a promotion in over ten years. Few soldiers have, mainly
because the Treaty of Versailles limited the size of the German army. In the old army, Struts
would have been at least a captain by now and possibly a major. The treaty, he argues, has
harmed not only Germanys honor but also his own honor as a soldier. He feels that if the government had refused to sign the treaty and allowed the army to fight, both he and Germany would
be better off.
Otto Hauptmann
Otto Hauptmann works in a factory in Berlin. Although his trade union has actively worked for
better conditions and higher wages, it has not made many gains. Hauptmann blames their lack of
success on the 1923 inflation and the current depression. He believes that the union would be
more successful if the economy were more stable. Still, it is the union that has kept him
employed. At a time when many of his friends have been laid off, his union persuaded the owners
of his factory to keep men with seniority.
Karl Schmidt
Karl Schmidt is an employed worker who lives in the rich steel-producing Ruhr Valley. Like so
many men in the Ruhr, he lost his job because of the depression. Yet Schmidt notes that the owners of the steel mills still live in big houses and drive expensive cars. Why are they protected from
the depression while their former employees suffer? Although the government does provide
unemployment compensation, the money is barely enough to support Schmidt, his wife, and their
two children. Yet the government claims that it cannot afford to continue even these payments
much longer. Schmidt feels that the government would be in a stronger position to help people if
it cut off all reparations.
Elisabeth von Kohler
Elisabeth von Kohler, a prominent attorney who attended the University of Bonn, has a strong
sense of German tradition. She believes that her peoples contributions to Western civilization
have been ignored. Kohler would like to see the republic lead a democratic Europe. She disapproves of the methods the Weimar Republic often uses to silence and repress different points of
view. Her sense of justice is even more outraged by the way the victors of World War I, particularly France, view Germany. She would like to prove to the world that the Germans are indeed a
great race. She is proud to be an attorney and a German woman in the Weimar Republic.

Purpose: To deepen understanding of how historical context can impact decision-making by studying
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Lesson 7: Handout 1
Weimar Republic biographies
Gerda Munchen
Gerda Munchen is the owner of a small Munich grocery store started by her parents. For years,
her parents saved to send her to the university. But Munchen chose not to go and the money
stayed in the bank. In 1923, she had planned to use the money to pay for her childrens education.
But that year inflation hit Germany. Just before her older daughter was to leave for the university, the bank informed the family that its savings were worthless. This was a blow to Munchen,
but even more of a blow to her daughter, whose future hung in the balance. Munchen does not
think she will ever regain her savings. With so many people out of work, sales are down sharply.
And Munchens small grocery is having a tough time competing with the large chain stores. They
can offer far lower prices. She and her children question a system that has made life so difficult
for hardworking people.
Albert Benjamin
Albert Benjamin is a professor of mathematics at the University of Berlin. While his grandparents
were religious Jews, Benjamin is not religious. Benjamins three brothers, however, are religious
Jews. He is very proud of his German heritage, and even volunteered to serve in the German
Army during World War I. After the war, Benjamin married Eva Steiner. Eva is Protestant and they
are raising their three children as Christians. Benjamin is concerned because prices have gone up
while his salary as a professor has not. His family can no longer afford vacations and special presents for the children. His wife worries that if the economic problems continue, the family might
have to cut back on spending for food.
Eric von Ronheim
Eric von Ronheim, the head of a Frankfurt textile (fabric) factory, is very concerned about the
depression. Sales are down and so are profits. If only Germany had not been treated so ruthlessly
at Versailles, he argues, the nation would be far better off. Instead the government has had to
impose heavy taxes to pay reparations to its former enemies. As a result, Germans are overtaxed
with little money to spend on textiles and other consumer goods. The worldwide depression has
made matters worse by making it difficult to sell German products to other countries. Even if the
depression were over, Ronheim does not think taxes would come down because of reparation
payments.

Purpose: To deepen understanding of how historical context can impact decision-making by studying
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Lesson 7: Handout 2, Document 2

Weimar Republic: Primary source documents

The Treaty of Versailles

(the peace treaty that ended World War I, signed in 1919)
Excerpt from the Treaty of Versailles10

231. Germany and her Allies accept the responsibility for causing all the
loss and damage to the Allied Powers.
233. Germany will pay for all damages done to the civilian population and
property of the Allied Governments.
Reaction to the Treaty of Versailles published in a German newspaper:
[T]oday German honor is being carried to its grave. Do not forget it! The German people will, with unceasing labor, press forward to reconquer the place among the nations to which it is entitled. Then will come
vengeance for the shame of 1919.11
Questions:
1. When was the Treaty of Versailles signed?

2. What did Germany agree to when signing this treaty to end World War I?

3. How do you think the terms of the Versailles Treaty impacted __________________ (the German citizen
you have been assigned)? How might he/she have felt about this treaty?

Purpose: To deepen understanding of how historical context can impact decision-making by studying
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Lesson 7: Handout 2, Document 3

Weimar Republic: Primary source documents

The Weimar Constitution (approved in 1919)

After Germany lost World War I, the king left the country and a new government was formed. It was called
the Weimar Republic because it was formed in Weimar, a city in Germany. One of the first acts of this new
government was to write a constitution. A constitution is a document which sets up the way a nation will
govern itself. Questions such as Who writes the laws? Who picks the leaders? Who is a citizen? And what
rights do they have? are answered in a nations constitution.
Excerpts from the Weimar Constitution12

Article 22
Members of parliament are elected in a general, equal, immediate and
secret election; voters are men and women older than 20 years . . .
Article 109
All Germans are equal in front of the law . . .
Article 118
Every German is entitled, within the bounds set by general law, to express
his opinion freely in word, writing, print, image or otherwise . . .
Article 123
All Germans have the right to assemble peacefully and unarmed . . .
Article 135
All Reich inhabitants enjoy full freedom of liberty and conscience.
Undisturbed practice of religion is guaranteed by the constitution and is
placed under the protection of the state . . .
Questions:
1. When was the Weimar Constitution approved?

2. What does the constitution say about elections?

3. What rights does the Weimar Constitution give to German citizens living at this time?

4. What thoughts or opinions might __________________ (the German citizen you have been assigned) have
had about any of the ideas in the Weimar Constitution?

Purpose: To deepen understanding of how historical context can impact decision-making by studying
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Lesson 7: Handout 2, Document 4

Weimar Republic: Primary source documents

Hyperinflation
Germans describe life during the hyper-inflation:
Lingering at the [shop] window was a luxury because
shopping had to be done immediately. Even an additional minute meant an increase in price. One had to
buy quickly because a rabbit, for example, might cost
two million marks more by the time it took to walk into
the store. A few million marks meant nothing, really. It
was just that it meant more lugging. . . . People had to
start carting their money around in wagons and knapsacks.13
Of course all the little people who had small savings
were wiped out. But the big factories and banking
houses and multimillionaires didnt seem to be affected
at all. They went right on piling up their millions. Those
big holdings were protected somehow from loss. But
the mass of the people were completely broke. And we
asked ourselves, How can that happen?. . . . But after
that, even those people who used to save didnt trust
money anymore, or the government. We decided to
have a high-ho time whenever we had any spare
money, which wasnt often.14

Inflation is when money loses its value. During an inflation, you need more money to buy the same item
(e.g., $3 to buy milk when it used to cost $2). Hyperinflation is very high inflation. This picture, taken in
1923, shows German children playing with stacks of money. Because of hyperinflation, German money had
become virtually worthless. People even put paper money in their stoves, instead of wood, to heat their
homes.
Questions:
1. When was this photograph taken?

2. Describe what you see in this photograph.

3. What does this image and the quotations tell you about how hyperinflation impacted life in Germany
at this time? How might it feel to live in Germany at this time?

4. How might hyperinflation have impacted __________________ (the German citizen you have been
assigned)?

Purpose: To deepen understanding of how historical context can impact decision-making by studying
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Lesson 7: Handout 2, Document 5

Weimar Republic: Primary source documents

Mein Kampf (My Struggle)

published in 1925

Quotations from Mein Kampf:

The Jew has always been a people with definite racial
characteristics and never a religion.15
What we must fight for is to safeguard the existence
and reproduction of our race and our people, the sustenance of our children and the purity of our blood, the
freedom and independence of the fatherland, so that
our people may mature for the fulfillment of the mission allotted it by the creator of the universe.16
[T]he personification of the devil as the symbol of all
evil assumes the living shape of the Jew.17

Hitler wrote Mein Kampf (My Struggle) while he was in jail for treason (trying to overthrow the German
government). In this book, Hitler writes about many of the ideas in the Nazi Party platform. He writes that
one cannot be both a German and a Jew and that the Jews are hurting Germany. He also writes that
Germans are part of a superior race and that Germany should have never signed the Versailles Treaty.
Questions:
1. When was Mein Kampf written? By whom?

2. What ideas are expressed in this book?

3. What do you think ___________________(the German citizen you have been assigned) would have thought
if he/she read Mein Kampf? Would any of the ideas have appealed to him/her?

Purpose: To deepen understanding of how historical context can impact decision-making by studying
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Lesson 7: Handout 2, Document 8

Weimar Republic: Primary source documents

Depression

Depression is a word used to describe a time when many workers are unemployed. During a depression,
companies make less money and some may close. As a result, workers lose their jobs. Without regular
paychecks, many workers and their families struggle. They might not have money to buy food or pay rent.
In 1929, Germanys economy was in a depression. With so many people out of work and with wages low,
many Germans relied on the government and charities for food. This photograph, taken in 1930, shows a
long line of men waiting for soup in Berlin. In 1932, Germanys economy was still suffering and the unemployment rate remained very high.
Questions:
1. When was this photograph taken?
2. Describe what you see in this image.
3. What does this image tell you about life in Germany at this time? How might it feel to live in Germany
at this time?
4. How might the depression have impacted __________________ (the German citizen you have been
assigned)?
Purpose: To deepen understanding of how historical context can impact decision-making by studying
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Lesson 7: Handout 5
The Election of 1932
Using your understanding of conditions during the Weimar Republic (19181933) and your understanding of the Nazi Party platform, consider the reasons why the Nazi Party might appeal, or not
appeal to the German citizen you have been assigned.
Reasons why the Nazi Party might appeal to
(fill in name of your assigned German citizen)

Reasons why the Nazi Party might not appeal to

(fill in name of your assigned German citizen)

Based on the information in this chart, do you think this citizen is very likely, likely, or not likely at all
to vote for the Nazi Party in the 1932 election?
Explain your answer:

Purpose: To deepen understanding of how historical context can impact decision-making by studying
Weimar Germany. 112