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 wo

How Stresemann would be shown to differ from the nationalists in his region was his attitude to the reparation scheme. Stresemann believed that only through adhering as much as possible to reparation would German be able to rebuild itself as the premier nation in Europe. In reality although his plan took a lot of battering in the public arena as foreign minister he was able to realize the dreams of freedom by living up to limitations set by the Treaty of Versailles rather than blatantly disregarding them.

What Stresemann saw in the plan a source of the capital that was to support the German economy in the times to come ; foreign loans. The money flowing in was diverted to all sectors ; especially those of welfare and public service. As a result the living standards in Germany began to rise as the German economy, still supported by its massive industrial base, started to take on the status of preeminence that it had enjoyed prior to the war.

The other achievement of Stresemann was the acceptance of the Young Plan in 1929. This was due to the Dawes Plan only having precedence until 1928. Another American, Owen Young, with a committee came up with a new plan that would nurse the fragile German economy while it still stood a chance of collapsing. The Young Plan involved the payment of about 2000000000 marks per year for the next 59 years or a total of 118000000000 marks. This repayment system was to be overseen by the Bank for International Settlement.

uld 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.

Taylor, A.J.P., The Origins of The Second World War, Penguin Books, Harmondsworth, 1964

Jones, Barry, Dictionary Of World Biography, Information Australia, 1998

Under the Dawes plan Germany was required to pay reparations according to a strict guideline governed by the Dawes Plan ; starting with 1000000000 marks in 1925, and increasing over the next five years to 2500000000 marks. After that, Germany's reparations would be adjusted to German capacity to pay. A major selling point of the Dawes Plan to Stresemann was the last qualifiers ; as part of the plan Germany was to receive an immediate loan and France end its period of occupation in the Ruhr.

It was for his efforts at Larcano that Stresemann would receive his Nobel Peace Prize in conjunction with Briand of France. It was recognized that the treaties signed and discussed at Larcano were a major step towards the establishment of a lasting peace in Europe. The feelings established in Larcano even found a new turn of phrase - 'Spirit of Larcano' which referred to the willingness to c

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Approximate Word count = 1876
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)