Germany appeared to be making a recovery during the 1920s.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2025). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1] He ended passive resistance in the Ruhr and sent striking workers back to work.
2. [1] He called in the worthless marks and burned them.
3. [1] He introduced a new currency, the Rentenmark.
4. [1] The Rentenmark was temporary and tied to the price of gold.
5. [1] He restarted payment of reparations.
6. [1] He persuaded the Allies to consider reforming the reparations scheme.
7. [1] He reformed the Reichsbank.
8. [1] He curbed government spending.
9. [6] Level 4: Explains two reasons.
10. [4-5] Level 3: Explains one reason.
11. [5] The Kapp Putsch was carried out by right-wingers who resented the Treaty of Versailles. They regarded this as humiliating for Germany, especially when they believed that the German army had not been defeated. They especially resented the restrictions on the size of Germany's armed forces.
12. [2-3] Level 2: Identifies or describes valid reason(s); addresses the question but does not explain.
13. [1] Hatred of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.
14. [1] Concern about the restrictions on the size of the German army.
15. [1] Dislike of the Weimar Republic.
16. [1] They wanted the Kaiser to return.
17. [1] The government had announced the Freikorps would be disbanded.
18. [1] They were militant ex-soldiers and out of work.
19. [1] Level 1: Writes about the topic but does not address the question.
20. [1] It took place then because that was a very difficult time for Germany and there was lots of trouble.
21. [10] Level 5: Explains both sides and supports a valid judgement on 'how far'.
22. [10] The stability of the Weimar Republic in this period was enjoyed by many people in Germany. But it was not built on firm foundations. Its economy was built on US loans and if these were withdrawn, Germany would be in trouble. This was clear when the Depression hit and Germany was in terrible trouble.
23. [7-9] Level 4: Explains both sides.
24. [4-6] Level 3: Explains one side.
25. [6] The improvement in the economy depended on US loans which could be withdrawn at any time. There were groups who were not doing well such as small businesses and peasant farmers. There were plenty of problems just below the surface such as the reorganisation of the Nazi Party.
26. [6] OR The Weimar Republic was stable in this period. There were no more uprisings like the Kapp Putsch or the Munich Putsch, and extremist parties found it difficult to find much support. It seemed that people had accepted the Republic. Hyperinflation was defeated and the economy prospered. People had jobs and their standard of living went up.
27. [2-3] Level 2: Identifies or describes valid points; addresses the question but does not explain.
28. [1] US loans could be called in at short notice.
29. [1] Unemployment began to rise.
30. [1] Peasant farmers were overproducing.
31. [1] Small businesses were threatened by large department stores.
32. [1] Some saw the cultural advances as signs of moral decline.
33. [1] Nationalists were opposed to joining the League of Nations and signing the Locarno Pact.
34. [1] The Nazis and the communists were building up their party organisations.
35. [1] There were no revolutions.
36. [1] Economic prosperity grew.
37. [1] The standard of living increased.
38. [1] There was international acceptance.
39. [1] Extremist parties lacked support.
40. [1] There was a cultural revival.
41. [1] Level 1: Writes about the topic but does not address the question.
42. [1] The Weimar Republic was the government that Germany had after the First World War. It had some difficult times but also some successes.