Stresemann free essay sample

As a chancellor Stresemann also called off the ‘passive resistance’ in the Ruhr. He saw that the conflict would only result in degraded dealings with the French. This decision upset the Right, who saw it as giving in to the French, however more importantly it showed that Stresemann was prepared to take difficult political decision and resulted in positive economic integration between Germany and the Allies. Evaluate his role as foreign minister. Stresemann, unlike many German nationalists, recognized the real causes to the collapse of the economy. The Dawes Plan which was agreed in April 1924 was a great success as it did everything Stresemann set out to do – it encouraged co-operation and peace between Germany and the Western powers and it even improved relations between Germany and France since reparations were regularly being paid. This was in Germany’s interest because it was the key to restoring the nation as a great power economically. We will write a custom essay sample on Stresemann or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In addition Germany received a lot of capital from abroad (USA) and the economy was in no way weakened. The Dawes Plan did perhaps make Germany too dangerously dependant on USA and its economic power and stability, however for the time it was the correct thing for Stresemann to do – he could not have foreseen the depression in 1929. How successful was he – do you agree with his appraisal of his own achievements by 1929? Although Stresemann did not reverse Versailles fundamentally and never managed to generate real domestic support, he did improve relations with both the East and the West. The Treaty of Berlin in 1926 reduced fears from the USSR and the Locarno Pact was vital because Germany was freed from its isolation by the Allies and was once again treated as equal supported by Germany’s invitation to join the League of Nations, since they were originally banned. This is crucial in studying Stresemann’s methods of success because in this particular aspect he achieved exactly what he set out to in the way he wanted to – the Treaty of Versailles was reversed as a result of peaceful co-operation by Germany and improved relations with the Allies. Do you think Stresemann brought stability to Germany in the period 1924-1929? Although no party won an overall majority the Social Democrats always won the most votes during this period. Furthermore there was a fall in support for extremist parties. Stresemann therefore did improve conditions in Germany during his time as a foreign minister and chancellor with enhanced external co-operation, resulting in a, what seemed like, more prosperous economy and support for the Republic. The economic recovery was however built on unstable foundations that created an illusion of wealth which was temporal. Government was still lacking harmony and the Constitution was not built upon or improved into a more mature system. Compared to the war period before and the crisis after, the years from 1924 to 29 were stable and Stresemann’s decisions effective. The problems inherited from the war, however, were not fully resolved.