"The Weimar Republic enjoyed a golden age of political stability in the years 1924-28" When the armistice was signed by Germany in 1918, Germany was in a state of complete disarray. A naval mutiny broke out in Kiel and Germany descended into revolution. Various groups fought for control of Germany. Eventually the Weimar Republic was formed, promising a democratic republic with equal rights to all its citizens. However, to say that the republic calmed tensions and ensured political stability after 1918 would be far from accurate. Hyperinflation and the harsh conditions of the Treaty of Versailles led to growing resentment among the German public towards the newly formed republic until the crisis year of 1923. However, historians have argued that between 1924 and 1928 Germany experienced a period of crisis. political stability, this is mainly attributed to the way Stresemann dealt with the hyperinflation crisis by introducing the Rentenmark, as well as the American loans and investments of the Dawes Plan supporting the German economy in recovering. However critics have argued that there is no “golden age” and that the Weimar Republic was still in a state of crisis. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Some historians argue that it would be impossible to describe the German period from 1924 to 1928 as "a golden age of political stability" because there was no stable government there during this period. In this period, 9 governments have followed one another over a period of 4 years, all coalition governments. The frequent change of leadership meant that there was no time for any significant impact to occur as the next government would cancel what the previous government had planned. Furthermore, some governments during the period were minority governments, leading to cases where governments were unable to pass legislation due to other parties grouping together to prevent its passage. The lack of a strong government during that period highlighted the weakness of German democracy and led to the German public becoming disenfranchised from the establishment. However, looking at the period before 1924, and comparing it with the years 1924-28, it is clear that after 1924 there was a period of increasing stability. Until 1923, inflation was increasing at an exponential rate and the government was printing more and more money to repay the enormous debts incurred following the Treaty of Versailles. The continued printing of money caused the German mark to become so worthless that many Germans instead opted for a primitive barter economy. Hyperinflation was further exacerbated by the Franco-Belgian invasion of the Ruhr. German workers in the Ruhr went on strike, which meant that reparations went unpaid; this led to a joint French and Belgian force occupying the Ruhr. The German government at the time opted for a policy of passive resistance; they paid German workers to continue striking, but did not actively confront the occupying forces. The effect of passive resistance was that it led to paying even more money than the annual reparation payments cost, which in turn exacerbated hyperinflation crises. When Stresemann became chancellor in 1923, he established a new currency, the Rentenmark, which helped stabilize the economy and effectively end the hyperinflation crisis. Therefore, the crisis period up to 1923 is in a very good period with the relatively calmer and more prosperous years from 1924 to 1928. During this “golden age” real wages for workers.