Albowicz-They truly tried.

--beginning of testimony—

Guten Tag! My name is Brigitte Luxemburg. You probably know my cousin, Rosa Luxemburg, one of the leaders of the Spartacists. But, I am not my cousin. I sit here in Landsberg Prison for my own reasons. My own desires were sought out, before any plan could be put into action. I had a plan, a good one at that, to destroy the Weimar forever. But, dastardly traitor Körbl Liebknecht betrayed me, instigating my arrest. Oh, you recognize that name too? His Uncle, Karl Liebknecht was also a Spartacist leader. Maybe that is where I went wrong, thinking people would not betray family. After all, with the Weimar in power, family is literally all we have.
But, testimonies are not where you want to hear my betrayal or my family. You just want to hear my reasoning, and I understand. It goes along with that whole good behavior deal. Well, here goes. Why did I do it? HA, I didn’t, yet I’m still here! Oh, you mean why did I WANT to do it? Well, basically with the Weimar, I can’t have power. After all, doesn’t it seem like that’s all anyone wants anymore? The first thing they Weimar did when power was gained was pull us out of the war.(1) This was rapid, two days in fact.(1) But, they managed to pull it off. This was very successful in the eyes of the families of soldiers, that only wanted them home. I mean, who wants to keep fighting? But, this also failed a bit because some people wanted to rally under new leadership. But, since we were out of the war successfully, and quite a clean break, my chance of military leadership was gone.
The Treaty of Versailles was not a very good status booster for the Weimar though. They completely agreed to it. We lost 13% of our 1914 territory and 12% of our population.(1) Losing the land that lives were lost for was a big upset. And think about the people that were among that portion of territory that preferred to stay under German leadership? They had to pick everything up and relocate. This was not successful on the Weimar’s part. I understand the politics behind it. I mean, with the aggression France has shown before, It honestly wouldn’t surprise me if they threatened an invasion, but I think German citizens would rise up in order to keep her land in tact. And because of the Treaty, we were forced to pay what the US said to be about 33 Million USD. But, when we lose are best industrial land, how are we expected to repay. Our industry has gone down severely and it honestly trails back to the loss of land that the Weimar idly sat by and gave up. Then, the Weimar has the bright idea to print more money. Smart move, right? Let’s just make more money so it is worth less. This way production goes down because people can’t afford to live anymore. Isn’t that the best way to pay off debts? This upset people very much, so it was definitely a failure for the Weimar government. I don’t think it sounds like we were on the road for Democracy now, after we saw how crooked the road was to be. So you see, it was for the good of the people. I just wanted a more…strict government. Why not? It has worked in the past. There is a reason we have never had democracy in Germany.(1) It doesn’t work. So, I saw how bad the German people were, and I couldn’t help but hurt. I just needed to try what I could to get them out of such horrible conditions.
But, finally the Weimar got smart, and sought help. In about 1924, the Dawes Plan was created using American help. (2) It was basically a payment plan. It set a definite fee to be paid annually, in order to cover reparations. This was definitely a bright idea. It caused a stabilization of the inflation that was continuously increasing. (2) I think seeking help was a very bold move on the Weimar’s part. But, it also showed weaknesses. A) it proved a weakness that the Weimar was not succeeding on their own. B) It asked help from a country who was just our enemy a few years ago. So, there was a lot of controversy. Adolf Hitler disagreed with it because it didn’t lower the price at all, not even with good behavior. (2) Also, he didn’t like that foreign affairs were controlled by foreign people. When the Dawes Plan failed because of the Wall Street Crash, the Young Plan was put in. Again, this was done using US help. But, this one was more ideal because it cut due amount by about seventy-five percent. (3) Also, the annual due would increase each year so it would finally end in 1988.(3) Again, this was a success for the Weimar, because they showed to be making a true effort to cover the reparations without such tactics as printing more money. (You would think they’d notice that the more they printed, the more expensive ink began to cost. Owell.) Again, Hitler criticized this plan, but I’m beginning to think he is just a moody insolent person.
So let me guess, the fact that I’m actually saying the Weimar did a good job, for the most part, is confusing you a bit right? So, why would I want the downfall? Oh, I’m just a left-winger that wants things done my way, and I want my say in it. But, that’s not to discredit the work of the Weimar. They were new and pressured, and signing the armistice was all they could think to do, to make an obvious change. And, although the Treaty of Versailles was not ideal, they made attempts to repair the damages from it, including seeking outside help. In the end, the help they found managed to decrease the reparation payments. (3) Everything isn’t perfect, but what is? If leading a country were so easy, everyone would be doing it.
But that’s about all I have to say. There is my testimony. Why I wanted to. But, I’ve been a good little Spartacist in here, so don’t I get time for good behavior?

--end testimony--

(1) Coach Belk's Notes
(2) http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/GERdawes.htm
(3) http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/GERyoung.htm