Gustav Stresemann - Weimar Foreign Policy essays

Gustav Stresemann - Weimar Foreign Policy essays Gustav Stresemann - - Weimar Foreign Policy When Gustav Stresemann became the foreign minister of the Weimar republic in 1923 it was after two years as chancellor of the Weimar republic. During this time he was able to see, firsthand, the effects of the economic and political isolation upon Germany and the harm it was doing to the country. It was during this time of chancellorship (which is external to the topic yet important) that Stresemann was able to set the tone for the type of brinkmanship that would dominate his career as foreign minister. It is essential to know about the man himself to understand the moves he would later make. Stresemann's character comes into question when it comes to determining the cause for his actions first as chancellor in 1923 and then as foreign minister until his death in 1929. Fiercely nationalistic and monarchist Stresemann did not differ from the main of the German population. He was however educated and incredibly intelligent and it was these qualities which set him apart when he joined the DVP (German People's Party) where he quickly became the Reichstag spokesman for Ludendorff and Hindenburg during World War I. How Stresemann became a staunch supporter of the Weimar republic would make interesting reading in its own right. In short Stresemann saw the realities of the armistice imposed by the Allies and the treaty of Versailles and realized that the only avenue to rebuild the once-great Germany lay on the survival of the fledging Weimar republic. Stresemann came into power as chancellor during the hard times of hyperinflation. Despite the overwhelming nationalistic disapproval he decided to press ahead with his call for the abandonment of the passive resistance scheme. Passive resistance did see the reduction of reparations to France drop to almost negligible levels but also saw the complete and utter destruction of the German economy. Even after the abortive attempt to guarantee...