The early challenges to the Weimar Republic, 1919-23

IMPORTANT: Some of the activities refer to the textbook "Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History: Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1918-1939 (editor Leonard A. and published by Pearson) ISBN 9781292127347 and will not be usable without a copy of this text.

This Edexcel 9-1 GCSE unit covers around 3-4 lessons depending upon your class and their overall ability/work rate.

Aims and Objectives:

• To understand the reasons for the early unpopularity of the Republic, including the “stab in the back” theory and the key terms of the Treaty of Versailles.
• To understand the challenges to the Republic from Left and Right: Spartacists, Freikorps, the Kapp Putsch.
• To understand the challenges of 1923: hyperinflation; the reasons for, and effects of, the French occupation of the Ruhr.

The Power Point leads students through all activities with accompanying worksheets. These include a presentation on the context and terms of the Treaty of Versailles which asks students to consider why these angered the German people, a summary table of reasons why the treaty angered Germans and a 12 mark explanation question on this issue with advice and examples. There is also a homework which asks students to cross-reference a source with their own knowledge to prepare them for future work on interpretations. The Kapp Putsch is introduced through two sources and a problem solving starter. The concept of right and left-wing politics is explored before a summary table of the Spartacist and Kapp uprisings is completed. A card sort is used to explore the concept of hyperinflation and a video activity asks students to summarise causes, events and consequences of the occupation of the Ruhr. There is also another optional 12 mark question on this topic.