Chancellor of the
Weimar Republic in
Germany from 1924-29. He was also
Foreign Minister. He aimed to regain Germany's standing in the
international community and revise the hated
Treaty of Versailles. Stresemann denounced
war as a means of settling disputes.
Stresemann's years were marked by success. He helped draft the
Treaty of Locarno, which revised the borders on the Western Front, as well as the Young Plan, which reduced
reparation payments. Under Stresemann, Germany entered the
League of Nations, the
Ruhr (occupied by the French) was evacuated and Inter-Allied Military Control Commission was dissolved.
A major feature of Stresemann's run was the acceptance of the Dawes Plan. This reorganised reparation payments, including a two-year
moratorium on payments. It also provided for the first of many international loans to Germany.
During the Stresemann years Germany was transformed. A rapid expansion of German
industry boosted the
economy and halted the
putsches.
Berlin became a social capital of
Europe -- urbane, classy and sophisticated -- and filled with
artists,
musicians and
scientists. Life in the city was identified as
New Age.
The
monarchist and war legend von Hindenburg was elected President in 1925 and Stresemann continued to run Germany during this time. He ended unemployment
benefits and introduced new currency to ease inflation: the rentenmark.
In October 1929, Stresemann died, and the
Great Depression began. By the end of the month the Reichstag was dissolved.