Dear, Weimar Government
I have to say that the newly formed Weimar government seems to have the best of intentions; but like the recently toppled provisional government in neighboring russia, thats all they are. You want peace, You want to fix the economy, and YOu want to help us with our basic needs, but wanting isnt enough, you have to actually do somthing about it, and what you do needs to actually be beneficial.
First, the war. You say you want peace, and I agree with you; however, the cost that peace has come with in the treaty of Versailles far outweighs the benefits (class notes). We have lostour fertile lands and centers of industry, we are being plunged into a huge budget deficit, and we must accept the shame of being to blame for the war, that was started by those ignorant serbs(class notes). True, we wont lose anymore soldiers to fighting, but with such a blow to the economy and with no way to overcome it how many more will we lose to hunger and disease? Also with our most productive lands gone we wont be able to overcome the damage done to our country let alone pay for that of the entire world. Why would you accept a treaty that punishes a government that is no longer in power?
Secondly, you say you want to fix the economy which sounds great, but are you really willing to do anything about it? It doesnt seem that way to me. As I've said before you've conceded our most productive areas to foreign tyrants, but along with that you are unwilling to take the measures necessary to stabilize our economy and balance our budget (1). On top of this, we are now running a trade deficit due to the war guilt clause. Because we are seen as the international "bad boy" noone will trade with us(1). We are importing far more than we are exporting and hemorraging capital all the while. So I ask, you say you want to help the economy, but have you not tied your hands behind your back by giving up on the war effort and signing the TOV? I dont see any way for these problems to be fixed as long as we abide by the rules of that treaty.
Lastly you say you want to help us with our basic needs, and i believe you. Noone with any human qualities at all could watch their countrymen starve, but once again have you not tied your own hands? With a depleted workforce, tanking economy, and civil unrest(1) how can you do anything to help the people? We support your ideals (1). Democracy and the freedom it brings would be wonderful for Germany(1),but how much longer can we support a government that lets us starve? If things arn't turned around soon revolt will be the least of your worries,because all of your people will have starved (class notes. So count this as a warning. We support you, but if you dont find a way to follow through on the promises you've made then revolution will be the only way.
A Concerned Citizen
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Kyle,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your thoughts about the Weimar Republic and the War. I think that you bring up a very good point when you talk about how it's great to get out of the war but at the same time hardly any benefits came out of it because the country is still starving and the economy is devastated. I think that the Weimar getting out of the war was just a way to show the people that they have good ideals (like you said). Also, I think your strongest point is when you said, "Why would you accept a treaty that punishes a government that is no longer in power?" I did not even think about that. A new government was punished for the decisions made by the previous one. When I think about it, I don't know why the Allies didn't work with the Weimar Republic in not making the treaty so harsh because the Weimar wanted to share the same ideals as the allies. Anyways I just thought that it was a very interesting point.
Brad
First of all, I love your title!
ReplyDeleteSecond, I agree with your post. Most of what you said I had not even considered. Yes, the Weimar Government wanted to help but how does anyone help with no resources and no support? I think the T.O.V. could have been discussed further before siging but with the pressure of getting out of the war, there wasn't awhole lot of time. I feel that the newly fomed Weimar Government is so new they haven;t had time to learn from their mistakes. It just sucks that they have to learn the hardest way possible in the earliest stages. With no hope in the first place, Gremany does need someone who can atleast say they will be there for them, the Weimar Government just has not learned how to be there for the citizens yet.
I really like your post..it really made me think!!
Kyle,
ReplyDeleteI really like your point about how the new government was punished for the old governments actions. Like Brad i hadn't thought of this until reading your post. Not only should the allies have worked with the new government. but why did the new government not fight harder to gain better terms to the treaty. I like how talk about peace being impossible due to the conditions german is forced to obey in the treaty of versailles. I think this is a strong point because the treaty of versailles is what would eventually lead to germany wanting revenge for the harsh treatment they are receiving.
I agree that any continuation with the Treaty of Versailles would not be benefitial to Germany. The treaty has left Germany in a worse state than during war times. They were left in a huge debt and left no power in which to fix the debt. Then they had to result in getting help in the form of loans from the United States and when the Great Depression hit, the loans stopped and then the deprssion spread around the world. It finally reached Germany and left it in a worse state than any other country. The government was powerless to do anything. With all of this caos, many people began to become split in their opinions on what would be the best solution so democratic means of governing would be insuffient in pleases a wide variety of opinions.
ReplyDeleteAlso, i would like to add on to what Brad said about the Allies not helping the Weimar government. The allies were just trying to punish Germany for what they did, not the Weimar government. However, the United States did help them out and remember they were the ones that didnt agree with punishing Germany and were very reluctant to support the Treaty of Versailles.