Weimar Republic Timeline

(November 9, 1918 – January 30, 1933)

The Weimar Republic was Germany's democratic government from 1918 to 1933, established after World War I and the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Named after the city of Weimar where its constitution was drafted, it faced immense challenges including war reparations, hyperinflation, political extremism, and economic depression, ultimately collapsing when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party came to power in 1933. More Less

Go to: Timeline | Event List | Key Facts | Directory

Founding and Early Years

German Revolution begins

Nov 3, 1918 - Nov 11, 1918

Mutinies among sailors at Kiel sparked a nationwide revolution that toppled the German Empire. Workers' and soldiers' councils formed across Germany, Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated, and the path was opened for a democratic republic.

Image source: German Revolution of 1918–1919

Armistice ends World War I

Nov 11, 1918

Germany signed an armistice with the Allies in a railway carriage at Compiègne, ending fighting on the Western Front. The new government under Friedrich Ebert accepted harsh terms, and the 'stab-in-the-back' myth soon took hold among nationalists.

Image source: Armistice of 11 November 1918

Weimar National Assembly convenes

Feb 6, 1919

The newly elected constituent assembly met in Weimar, chosen partly because Berlin was too unstable. It drafted the constitution for the new German state that would bear the city's name.

Image source: Weimar National Assembly

Treaty of Versailles signed

Jun 28, 1919

Germany signed the peace treaty imposing territorial losses, military restrictions, war guilt clause, and heavy reparations. The treaty was deeply resented by Germans and became a lasting burden on the young republic's legitimacy.

Image source: Treaty of Versailles

Weimar Constitution adopted

Aug 11, 1919

The constitution established a federal parliamentary democracy with universal suffrage, proportional representation, and fundamental rights. Its Article 48 emergency powers would later be exploited to undermine democracy itself.

Image source: Weimar Constitution

Germany joins the League of Nations

Sep 8, 1926

Following the Locarno Treaties, Germany was admitted to the League of Nations with a permanent seat on the Council, marking its return to great-power diplomacy under Foreign Minister Stresemann.

Image source: League of Nations

Political Crises

Spartacist uprising in Berlin

Jan 5, 1919 - Jan 15, 1919

Communists led by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg attempted to overthrow the provisional government in Berlin. The revolt was crushed by the Freikorps, and both leaders were murdered, deepening divisions between the left and the republic.

Image source: Spartacist uprising

Kapp Putsch fails

Mar 13, 1920 - Mar 17, 1920

Right-wing militants and Freikorps units attempted to overthrow the government and install Wolfgang Kapp as chancellor. A general strike called by trade unions paralyzed the putschists, forcing their collapse within days.

Image source: Kapp Putsch

Assassination of Walther Rathenau

Jun 24, 1922

Foreign Minister Walther Rathenau, a Jewish industrialist who negotiated the Treaty of Rapallo, was assassinated by right-wing extremists. His murder shocked the nation and prompted laws protecting the republic.

Image source: Walther Rathenau

Friedrich Ebert dies; Hindenburg elected president

Apr 26, 1925

After President Friedrich Ebert's death, Paul von Hindenburg, a monarchist war hero, won the presidential election. His election signaled growing conservative influence over the republic.

Image source: 1925 German presidential election

Death of Gustav Stresemann

Oct 3, 1929

The death of Foreign Minister Stresemann removed the republic's most capable statesman and champion of reconciliation with the Western powers, weakening moderate politics just as crisis loomed.

Image source: Gustav Stresemann

Brüning governs by emergency decree

Mar 27, 1930 - May 30, 1932

Chancellor Heinrich Brüning relied increasingly on Article 48 emergency decrees to govern without parliamentary majorities, eroding democratic norms and setting a precedent for authoritarian rule.

Image source: Heinrich Brüning

Papen coup against Prussian government

Jul 20, 1932

Chancellor Franz von Papen deposed the elected Social Democratic government of Prussia by emergency decree, dismantling a key pillar of republican resistance to Nazism.

Image source: 1932 Prussian coup d'état

Culture and Society

Bauhaus school founded in Weimar

Apr 12, 1919

Walter Gropius founded the Bauhaus art and design school, which fused crafts and fine arts into a revolutionary modernist aesthetic. It became one of the most influential design movements of the twentieth century.

Image source: Bauhaus

Golden age of German cinema

1924 - 1929

Weimar cinema flourished with expressionist masterpieces like Metropolis and Nosferatu, and UFA studios made Berlin one of Europe's film capitals, showcasing the era's creative experimentation.

Image source: Cinema of Germany

Rise of Extremism and Collapse

Adolf Hitler becomes leader of the Nazi Party

Jul 29, 1921

Hitler assumed leadership of the fledgling National Socialist German Workers' Party, transforming it into a vehicle for his ultranationalist and antisemitic ideology and beginning its climb toward power.

Image source: Adolf Hitler's rise to power

Beer Hall Putsch in Munich

Nov 8, 1923 - Nov 9, 1923

Hitler and the Nazi Party attempted to seize power in Bavaria. The coup collapsed after a shootout with police, and Hitler was imprisoned, during which he wrote Mein Kampf.

Image source: Beer Hall Putsch

Nazi Party achieves electoral breakthrough

Sep 14, 1930

In the Reichstag election, the Nazis surged from 12 to 107 seats, becoming the second-largest party as voters punished the mainstream parties for the Depression.

Image source: 1930 German federal election

Nazi Party becomes largest in the Reichstag

Jul 31, 1932

The Nazis won 230 seats and 37 percent of the vote, becoming the largest party in the Reichstag, though still short of a majority.

Image source: July 1932 German federal election

Nazi Party becomes largest in the Reichstag

Hitler appointed Chancellor of Germany

Jan 30, 1933

President Hindenburg appointed Adolf Hitler chancellor in a coalition government, believing he could be controlled. Within weeks, Hitler began dismantling the democratic state.

Image source: Hitler cabinet

Reichstag fire

Feb 27, 1933

A fire destroyed the Reichstag building, which the Nazis blamed on communists. Hitler used the ensuing panic to push through the Reichstag Fire Decree suspending civil liberties.

Image source: Reichstag fire

First concentration camp opens at Dachau

Mar 22, 1933

The Nazi regime established Dachau near Munich to imprison political opponents, marking the beginning of the concentration camp system that would become central to Nazi terror.

Image source: Dachau concentration camp

First concentration camp opens at Dachau

Enabling Act passed

Mar 23, 1933

The Reichstag passed the Enabling Act, allowing Hitler's government to enact laws without parliamentary consent, effectively granting him dictatorial powers and ending parliamentary democracy.

Image source: Enabling Act of 1933

Trade unions abolished

May 2, 1933

Stormtroopers seized union offices across Germany and arrested labor leaders, replacing independent unions with the Nazi-controlled German Labour Front and crushing workers' organizations.

Image source: German Labour Front

Night of the Long Knives

Jun 30, 1934 - Jul 2, 1934

Hitler purged the SA leadership and other political rivals in a wave of extrajudicial killings, consolidating his power and winning the loyalty of the army.

Image source: Night of the Long Knives

Death of Hindenburg; Hitler becomes Führer

Aug 2, 1934

Upon President Hindenburg's death, Hitler merged the offices of president and chancellor, assuming absolute power as Führer and formally ending the Weimar Republic.

Image source: Paul von Hindenburg

Economy

Hyperinflation peaks in Germany

Nov 15, 1923

The German mark became virtually worthless, wiping out savings and destabilizing society. Prices doubled within hours at the peak before the introduction of the Rentenmark stabilized the currency.

Image source: Hyperinflation in the Weimar Republic

Introduction of the Rentenmark

Nov 20, 1923

Currency reform under Gustav Stresemann and Hjalmar Schacht replaced the worthless mark, ending hyperinflation and restoring confidence in the German economy.

Image source: Rentenmark

Dawes Plan adopted

Aug 30, 1924

An international agreement restructured German reparations payments and provided American loans, fueling economic recovery and ushering in the 'Golden Twenties.'

Young Plan renegotiates reparations

Aug 31, 1929

The Young Plan reduced Germany's total reparations burden and set a final payment schedule. Right-wing parties campaigned against it, gaining momentum even as it eased financial pressure.

Image source: Young Plan

Wall Street Crash triggers German depression

Oct 29, 1929

The American stock market collapse cut off loans to Germany, triggering mass unemployment, bank failures, and economic despair that radicalized millions of voters.

Image source: Great Depression

Wall Street Crash triggers German depression

Key Facts

The Weimar Republic was proclaimed on November 9, 1918, following Germany's defeat in World War I and the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II.
Its constitution, drafted in Weimar in 1919, introduced proportional representation, women's suffrage, and fundamental civil rights.
The Treaty of Versailles (1919) imposed heavy reparations on Germany, fueling resentment that extremists exploited to undermine the republic.
In 1923, hyperinflation reached catastrophic levels, with the German mark becoming nearly worthless before stabilization through the Rentenmark and the Dawes Plan.
The period from 1924 to 1929 saw a cultural 'Golden Age' with flourishing art, cinema, and science, but the Great Depression led to the republic's collapse when Hitler was appointed Chancellor on January 30, 1933.

Source

This Weimar Republic timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

We work hard to keep these timelines accurate, but mistakes do get through. If you spot one, email us at [email protected] and we'll fix it for future visitors.

Want a timeline like this one?

Generate yours with AI or build it from scratch, for free.

Try It for Free