History of Europe

What was the reichswehr?

The Reichswehr (Imperial Defense) were the armed forces of the German Weimar Republic from 1919 until 1935, when they were re-established as the Wehrmacht. The main purpose of the Reichswehr was to protect Germany from external threats and to maintain internal security, but the small force was tightly controlled by the Weimar government and was not allowed to engage in military operations abroad without special permission from the government. The Reichswehr also had a paramilitary organization called the Freikorps, which was mainly composed of former soldiers from the Imperial German Army and was heavily involved in political violence during the early years of the Weimar Republic.