Initially Weimar Germany was characterised by clashing of political ideals, violence and economic difficulty. Following the early struggles of Weimar Germany, the years of 1924 to 1927, encapsulated a period of economic, cultural, and diplomatic stability; known as the "The Years of Stability". This paradigm of success for the nation of Germany can be contributed to the German foreign minister of the time Gustav Stresemann, who promoted economic prosperity and foreign policy through a number of initiatives. The complete stability of this period cannot be completely justified as it was built upon weak foundations. .
The foundation of success for the years of 1924-27 sprouted from 'The Dawes Plan', an attempt by Stresemann to manage the difficult task of reparations. Following the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was required to pay the cost of war, with the final reparation figure totalling 132 000 million gold marks ($US 32 Billion). The crippled Germany economy was lacking the capacity to meet reparation costs and the Reparations Commission set up a committee, led by the American Banker Charles G. Dawes, to investigate ways of assisting the German economy. Wright (2002), states, "As foreign minister/ he [Stresemann] accepted the recommendations of the Dawes Committee for an interim settlement of reparations underpinned by American loans" (pg. 54). Under the Dawes Plan, announced in April 1924, Germany was still required to pay reparations, starting with a payment of 1000 million marks. After this initial contribution, payment would be adjusted to Germany's capacity to pay. As part of the plan, Germany was to receive an immediate loan and the French occupation of the Ruhr ceased. The acceptance of the Dawes plan along with French agreement to leave the industrial heartland of Germany marked the beginning of a period of economic growth and success.
The reduction in the burden of reparations along with the new loans Germany was able to secure, gave the nation a new level of economic prosperity.
