1. Early Years Of The Weimar Republic Flashcards

Question

How many members did the KPD have?

Answer 1

1917, by a breakaway minority group from the left of the SPD

Answer 2

Hugo Hasse

Answer 3

Wanted a republic with national Reichstag working with workers’ and soldiers’ councils, welfare improvements, nationalisation of industry, breaking up of large estates, reform of the army and creation of a national militia. Opposed to First World War.

Answer 4

Grew in strength during 1918 as war-weariness grew

Answer 5

1875, as a Marxist socialist party committed to revolution

Answer 6

Friedrich Ebert and Philip Scheidemann

Answer 7

Wanted moderate socialist republic with democratic elections and basic personal freedoms, welfare improvements and gradual nationalism of industry. Wanted continuity and order supported Germany’s entry into First World War

Answer 8

Appealed largely to working-class voters and, in 1912, became the largest party in the Reichstag

Answer 9

The highest class in certain societies, typically compromising people of Noble birth holding hereditary titles and offices

Answer 10

-Ebert’s efforts to contain the revolution were further threatened by pressure for more radical change from the left. He could not ignore the fact that the workers’ and solider’s councils, in which the USPD and the Spartacists had established a foothold, had made the running in the early stages of the revolution. -They were not about to allow Ebert’s government to take the key decisions without any reference to them. On 22nd November an agreement was reached between the new government and the Berlin workers’ and soldiers’ councils whereby the government accepted that it only exercised power in the USPD, whose leaders were part of Ebert’s government, saw the councils as the true expression of revolutionary will of the people and the means by which the revolution could be extended. -They believed that the autocratic system of government would not finally be abolished unless the aristocratic estates were broken up, the army, civil service and judiciary were democratised, and the key industries were nationalised under workers’ control

Answer 11

-The survival of Ebert’s government depended on the support of the army. Most army officers came from aristocratic backgrounds, had been loyal to the Kaiser and were vigorously opposed to democracy. They had no wish to see Germany become a republic. -In late 1918, however, the political situation in Germany was highly unstable and many officers believed that Germany faced the danger of a Bolshevik revolution, which would lead to civil war and possible occupation by allied forces. -Their first concern was therefore to prevent the revolution from going any further. -On 10th November, general groener telephoned Ebert to assure him that the army leadership would support the government. In return, Groener demanded that Ebert should resist the demands of the soldiers’ councils to democratise the army and defend Germany against communist revolution. -Ebert assured Groener that the government was determined to resist further revolution and to uphold the existing command structure in the army. This agreement became known as the Ebert Groener pact.

Answer 12

-For Ebert the pact was a necessary and unavoidable device to ensure an orderly transition to the New Republic. -For his critics on the left, however, it was an abject betrayal of the revolution. -Whilst Ebert and his cabinet made preparations for elections to a constituent assembly, to be held in January 1919, the struggle for power continued.

Answer 13

-On 6th December a spartacist demonstration in Berlin was fired on by soldiers, killing 16 -On 23-24 December a sailors’ revolt against the government in Berlin was put down by the army. In protest, the three USPD ministers in the government resigned -On 6 January, the spartacists launched an armed revolt against the government in what became known as the January revolution, or the spartacist uprising. After a week of heavy fighting in Berlin, the revolt was crushed.

Answer 14

He was a popular, long standing member of the SPD, having first joined in 1883. He became a Reichstag deputy in 1903. Although he supported Germany’s entry to war, he was in favour of a negotiated peace. On 9th November 1918, it was Scheidemann who announced the birth of the New republic even before the Kaiser had officially abdicated. He was chancellor of the first coalition government in the New republic from February to June 1919, when he resigned in protest against the harsh terms of the Versailles treaty.

Answer 15

-Women were allowed to vote for the first time. -The SPD secured the largest share of the vote and the largest number of seats in the assembly but they did not have an overall majority and would, therefore, have to compromise with other parties in order to establish a new constitution and govern the country.

Answer 16

The assembly met in the small town of Weimar rather than Berlin, as the political situation in the capital was still unstable in the aftermath of the January revolution. This was how the new political order came to receive it’s name- the Weimar Republic.

Answer 17

-Ebert was elected by the assembly as the first president of the Republic and a new government, led by Philipp Scheidemann, was formed by the SPD in coalition with the centre and German Democratic parties. -The workers’ and soldiers’ councils handed over their powers to the constituent assembly, which could then concentrate on the business of drawing up a new constitution. -Representatives agreed it should represent a break in the autocratic constitution written up by Bismarck in 1871. -It, therefore, began with the clear declaration that ‘political authority derived from the people’, and the constitution was designed to enshrine and guarantee the rights and powers of the people

Answer 18

-Centre party -German Democratic Party (DDP) -German national people’s party (DNVP) -German people’s party (DVP)

Answer 19

-Formed in 1870 to protect catholic interests in the mainly protestant German Reich -Had strong support in the main Catholic areas of Bavaria and the Rhineland -Supported a Democratic constitution

Answer 20

-A left leaning liberal party, based on the old progressive party -Most support came from intellectuals and middle class -Supported a Democratic constitution

Answer 21

-A nationalist party,based on the old Conservative party -Most support came from landowners and some small business owners

Answer 22

-A right leaning liberal party, based on the old national liberal party -Most support came from upper-middle class and business interests -Opposed to new republic but willing to participate in it’s governments

Answer 23

-It provided a wider right to vote than in countries such as Great Britain and France. Women were able to vote on the same terms as men and they were allowed to become deputies in the Reichstag and state parliaments. -The system of proportional representation enabled even the smaller parties to win seats in the Reichstag and influence government decisions. The country was divided into 35 electoral districts, each with about 1 million voters. -There was full democracy in local government as well as central government. Unlike in the second Empire, the largest state, Prussia, was not in a position to dominate the rest of Germany. -The constitution also set out clearly the rights of the individual. The ‘Fundamental rights and duties of German citizens were guaranteed in the second part of the constitution. Statements included: ‘all Germans are equal before the law’; ‘personal liberty in inviolable’: ‘censorship is forbidden’; ‘the right of property is guaranteed’; and ‘all inhabitants enjoy full religous freedom’. It gave illegitimate children the same rights as legitimate ones and promised ‘economic freedom for the individual’. -Referendums could be called for by the president, the Reichsrat, or by people’s request if a tenth of the electorate applied for one

Answer 24

-Proportional representation

Answer 25

It was designed to ensure that all shades of political opinion were represented in the Reichstag, since parties were allocated seats in proportion to the percentage of votes that they received in an election. This was a very clear system but it had 2 clear consequences.

Answer 26

-The proliferation of small parties -Coalition governments

Answer 27

Smaller parties could gain representation in the Reichstag-something that does not usually happen in a system of elections based on the first past the post principle. This enabled smaller parties-many of which were anti republican- to exploit the parliamentary system to gain publicity. Proportional representation did not, in itself, create the fragmented party system. This was due to the deep divisions in German society and the lack of national consensus.

Answer 28

Because of the proliferation of small parties, none of the larger parties could gain an overall majority in the Reichstag, all governments in the Weimar Republic were coalitions, many of which were very short lived.

Answer 29

A system of government in which power is concentrated in the hands of one person

Answer 30

-He was a career soldier who had been put in charge of the German forces in East Prussia at the end of the war. -He was a member of the German delegation to Versailles and was appointed head of the truppernamt (‘troop office’), which replaced the forbidden army general staff -He became commander of the Reichswehr (army) from 1920. He was instrumental in disbanding the Freikorps units. -Under his command from 1920 to 1926, the army became a privileged elite beyond accountability

Answer 31

-Article 48 of the constitution gave the president the power to rule by decree in exceptional circumstances. The granting of such powers was not remarkable in itself- indeed, all democratic constituons allow for an executive authority to use exceptional powers in a time of national emergency. -Ebert, the first president, used article 48 powers on 136 occasions. Some of these could be deemed to be genuine exceptional circumstances but Ebert also used his powers in non-emergency situations where he simply wanted to override opposition in the Reichstag. -There were no effective safeguards since a president could threaten to dissolve the Reichstag and call new elections if it refused to agree to a presidential decree

Answer 32

-In the second Empire, the army, the civil service and the judiciary were key pillars of the regime. Army officers, senior civil servants and judges were recruited from the aristocracy, supported the autocracy and looked with disdain on democratic politicians -They would not, therefore, fit easily into the New Democratic republic. An opportunity existed for the architects of the new constitution to reform these institutions but, because they placed the need for stability above the desire for a thoroughly democratic system of government , they did not do so

Answer 33

-It had been largely free from political control in the second Empire and it’s leaders were determined to preserve as much independence as they could in the Weimar Republic -The officer corps of the army in the second empire was allowed to continue intact into the new republic with the result that the army was far from being politically neutral. -The full force of military power would be used against left-wing revolts whilst conspirators from the right were often supported by elements within the army. -General Hans Von Seeckt, who was appointed commander in chief of the army in 1920, believed that the army owed loyalty not to the Republic, which he regarded as merely temporary, but to a timeless Reich that was the true expression of German nationhood. -Although he would not allow his officers to meddle in politics on their own initiative, he nevertheless believed that the army as a whole, and under his command, could intervene in politics whenever he saw fit

Answer 34

-Under the Weimar constitution, civil servants were given a guarantee of their ‘well earned rights’ and of their freedom of political opinion and expression as long as this didn’t conflict with their duty loyalty to the state. -This meant that government administration in the new republic was left in the hands of those who were anti-democratic in their outlook. -Senior civil servants, especially in the German foreign office, were still recruited overwhelmingly from the aristocracy. -Top civil servants could wield enormous power, especially when ministers in coalition governments were frequently changing.

Answer 35

-Article 102 of the constitution guaranteed the independence of the judges. This would be a basic requirement in any democratic constitution but in Weimar Germany the judges who had served the second empire remained in their posts -These men were staunchly monarchist and anti-democratic and showed their bias in their legal judgements. -The penal code of the republic stipulated that anyone attempting to overthrow the constitution by force should be sentenced to life imprisonment. -Members of left-wing groups who were brought before the courts were punished with great severity. -Right-wing conspirators, on the other hand, were treated very leniently.

Answer 36

An order or decree imposed by someone in power without popular consent

Answer 37

11th November 1918- Armistice agreement to end the fighting on Western front 18th January 1919- Peace conference convened at palace of Versailles 7th May 1919- German delegates given document containing first draft terms of the treaty 16th June- Germans given 7 days to sign the treaty 20th June- Coalition cabinet collapsed because of divisions over signing treaty 22nd June- Reichstag voted to accept the treaty 28th June- German delegates signed the treaty of versailles

Answer 38

-The war had ended with the armistice agreement on 11th November 1918. Although Germany was on the brink of defeat, the armistice was not a surrender. It was an agreement to stop fighting and withdraw German forces from occupied territory, pending a full peace settlement. -A conference to settle the peace terms between the allied powers and Germany met at the palace of Versailles, outside Paris, in January 1919. -The Germans were not invited to attend or allowed to see the terms until May 7th -The German government suggested changes to the treaty but the allies agreed to very few and, on 16th June, gave the German government 7 days to accept the treaty.

Answer 39

-It provoked a political crisis in Berlin and led to the formation of a new coalition government. -Finally, on 28th June 1919, the Versailles treaty was signed by all powers, -It imposed much harsher conditions on Germany than most Germans had expected or were prepared to accept. -Moreover, because Germany had not been allowed to participate in the conference or to negotiate over the terms, the treaty was regarded by Germans of all political viewpoints as a Diktat. -Hatred of the treaty, and of the politicians who had signed it, would continue to cause political divisions throughout the life of Weimar Republic

Answer 40

-Territorial losses -Disarmament of Germany -War guilt -The Rhineland -The Saarland -Other

Answer 41

-The treaty removed over 70,000km^2 (13%) of German territory and all Germany’s overseas colonies. -Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France; Eupen and Malmedy were given to Belgium; Northern Schleswig-Holstein was given to Denmark; most of Posen, West Prussia and part of Pomerania were given to Poland; Danzig, a city with a majority German population, became a free state under League of nation protection; Memel was taken by Lithuania; Eastern Silesia was given to Poland, although Western Silesia voted to remain part of Germany -This all meant that Germany lost 75% of it’s iron ore, 68% of it’s zinc ore, 26% of it’s coal and 15% of it’s arable land -All of Germany’s overseas colonies in Africa and the Far East were placed under league of nation’s control (in practice, divided by the allies)

Answer 42

-Germany had to surrender all heavy weapons and dismantle fortifications in the Rhineland and on the island of Heligoland. Conscription to the German armed forces was forbidden and the German army was limited to 15,000 men -The navy was allowed a maximum of 6 battleships but no submarines and a small number of coastal defence vessels. Germany was forbidden from having an air force

Answer 43

-Under article 231 of the treaty, Germany had to accept responsibility for starting the war. This ‘war guilt clause’ made Germany liable to pay reparations to the allies to cover the costs of damage suffered in the war. -The final amount of reparations was fixed by a commission in 1921 at £6.6 billion;Germany also had to hand over to the allies most of its merchant shipping fleet, railway locomotives and rolling stock, patents and overseas investments

Answer 44

-The left bank of the Rhine (western side) and a 50km strip on the right bank (eastern side) was permanently demilitarised. -An allied army of occupation was based in the Rhineland to ensure Germany fulfilled it’s treaty obligations

Answer 45

-This area of South-Western Germany, which contained rich reserves of coal, was separated from Germany and placed under League of nation’s control for 15 years, so Germany would supply France, Belgium and Italy with free coal as part of the reparations agreement. France was allowed to exploit coal mines in the area

Answer 46

-Austria was forbidden from uniting with Germany; Germany was not allowed to join the new League of Nations; the Kaiser and other Germans were to be put on trial for war crimes

Answer 47

Nations being able to decide whether they govern themselves, independent of larger empires or groupings of nations

Answer 48

-The terms of the treaty, and the decision by the government to sign it, was greeted with horror and disbelief by the majority of Germans -Until 1914, Germany had been one of the greatest military powers in Europe. For much of the war, and especially in the early months of 1918, victory in the war seemed to be only a matter of time. This, at least was the way Germany’s war effort was portrayed in official propaganda, even after the allies began to force the German army to retreat, after halting it’s advance in France in the spring of 1918. -Neither ordinary soldiers nor the civilian population were told how desperate Germany’s military situation on the Western front had become by the autumn of 1918. -Despite the hardship caused by the allied blockade, support for the war effort was still very strong -The abdication of the Kaiser and subsequent signing of the armistice, therefore, came as a profound shock to millions of Germans -When followed by the signing of a humiliating and ‘dictated’ peace treaty, there was almost universal resentment at the harsh terms and few Germans would accept moral responsibility for fulfilling the terms of the treaty

Answer 49

-Wilson’s fourteen points -The ‘war guilt clause’ -Reparations -Allied occupation -Disarming of Germany

Answer 50

-Whilst it stressed the importance of the right of national self-determination as a basis for a just peace, this right was denied to the Germans themselves. -Millions of people who spoke German and considered themselves to be German were now living in Non-German states such as Czechoslovakia and Poland. -The separation of East Prussia from the rest of Germany by the so-called Polish corridor was a major source of resentment

Answer 51

-It was seen as an unjust national humiliation since Germans believed that they had been forced into a just war against the allies, who had attempted to encircle Germany

Answer 52

They were a major cause of anger, partly because Germans felt that the level was too high and would cripple the German economy, and they did not accept the ‘war guilt clause’, which justified the reparations

Answer 53

It led to continuing friction. German nationalists were outraged by the outlawing of nationalist groups and banning of German patriotic songs and festivals in areas under French control

Answer 54

The disarming of Germany and it’s exclusion from the league of nation’s were seen as unjust discrimination against a once proud and once-powerful nation

Answer 55

It is possible to sympathise with the German reaction, but in some ways it was based on unrealistic expectations: -Wilson’s 14 points and the armistice agreement had made it clear that Alsace-Lorraine would have to be returned to France, that a new state of Poland with access to the sea would be created, that Germany would be expected to hand over some of her assets and that considerable German disarmament would be expected. -The treaty was not as severe as it might have been. Had Clemenceau had his way, he would have extended the French border to the Rhine, or annexed the Saar Coalfields and created an independent Rhineland. The French wanted to ensure that Germany could not threaten them again, but the other Allies resisted this as they wanted Germany to remain strong enough to withstand the spread of communism from Russia. -The treaty did not punish Germany as severely as the Germans had punished Russia in the treaty of Brest-Litovsk in March 1918. Then, Germany had broken up the Western part of the Russian Empire and annexed large swathes of territory. In the Reichstag debate on that treaty, only the USPD had voted against this action -Germany’s war aims of 1914 had included the annexation of territory from it’s enemies, the expansion of Germany’s colonial empire and a very severe reparations bill to be paid by the defeated allies. In other words, if Germany had won the war, the peace settlement would have been very harsh on the defeated allies -The reparations bill was much lower than demanded by the French although reparations were a continuing source of friction between Germany and the allies during the life of the Weimar Republic, it was not behind Germany’s capacity to pay

Answer 56

-When the harsh terms of the treaty were revealed to the German government in May 1919, ministers from all parties shared Chancellor Scheidemann’s view that accepting it would be incompatible with German honour. At this stage, however, it seemed possible to negotiate some amendments to the treaty. -In the event, the rejection of German requests for extensive changes and the demand for acceptance of the treaty within Seven days caused a political crisis in Germany. Scheidemann and some of his ministers wanted to reject the treaty, whereas the majority of the cabinet and of the SPD members of the Reichstag believed that Germany had no other choice but to sign the treaty. -Scheidemann resigned and a new coalition cabinet, led by Gustav Bauer, was formed. -Meanwhile, some high-ranking officers in the German army, with the tacit support of Field Marshal Paul Avon Hindenburg, were discussing the possibility of resisting the signing of the treaty through renewed military action. -President Ebert told General Groener that he would support rejection of the treaty if there was any chance that military action could be successful. -Groener was a realist. He informed Ebert that military resistance would be futile and Germany had no alternative but to accept the treaty. The Bauer cabinet bowed to the inevitable and signed the treaty

Answer 57

-The divisions over the signing of the Versailles treaty continued to dominate German political life throughout the years of the Weimar Republic. -The SPD and it’s allies in government in 1919 were well aware that signing it would rebound upon them. Indeed, they were well so concerned that they asked their main opponents in the DNVP, DVP and DDP to state that those who had voted for the treaty were not being unpatriotic. They also took the view that the most sensible course of action in the coming years was to outwardly comply with the terms of the treaty whilst negotiating modifications to it. This became known as the policy of fulfilment -Even more importantly, however, the treaty turned some against the Weimar Republic. It’s real damage was in alienating moderates who had been happy to accept the new constitution and its promises of a ‘better’ Germany, but who couldn’t stomach politicians who appeared to have betrayed an unbeaten country -The treaty caused political demoralisation at the very centre of the government, associating the Republic once again with weakness and failure. -The politicians who agreed to it were forced to become defensive. To the public at large, the gains of the revolution seemed unimpressive

Answer 58

-Right wing resentment of the Republic was intensified by the signing of the Versailles treaty. German nationalists could not accept the fact of Germany’s military defeat, nor the establishment of the new republic -The signing of the peace settlement was the final straw and led many to join groups committed to overthrowing the Republic. -In the eyes of extreme nationalists, the politicians who now governed Germany lacked any legitimacy because they had betrayed the ‘Fatherland’ several times- in the dethroning of the Kaiser, the signing of the armistice and the acceptance of the Versailles treaty -These politicians were labelled as the ‘November criminals’ and their actions of ‘betrayal’ were referred to as ‘the stab in the back’. -The German army bore no responsibility for the defeat of 1918 -The fact that Ludendorff had advised the Kaiser in late September 1918 that the army was on the verge of defeat was conveniently forgotten. Indeed, Ludendorff had advised the Kaiser to appoint a new civilian led government in the hope that better peace terms would be secured and that the high command would avoid responsibility for the defeat and signing of the armistice. -It was Ludendorff, and his superior Avon Hindenburg, who actively promoted the ‘stab in the back’ myth. This myth was the justification for continued nationalist attacks on the Republic, it’s political supporters and on the treaty. -It was particularly appealing to ex-soldiers who had suffered in fighting for what they regarded as a noble cause and had then experienced insults and humiliation when they returned to a Germany in the throes of revolution

Answer 59

-When prime minister Lloyd George returned to London after the signing of the treaty, he was given a rapturous reception from a large crowd. -On the whole, British public opinion was satisfied that Germany had lost it’s overseas empire, along with it’s large fleet, and would be unable to threaten European peace for a generation -Privately, however, Lloyd George believed that Germany should not be so weak that it would be unable to resist the expansion, of the USSR westwards, and he wanted Germany to become a strong trading partner with Britain again -Many in Britain saw the French as being greedy and vindicative and there was a growing feeling in Britain that Germany had been unfairly treated at Versailles. -One influential view was put forward by the economist, John Maynard Keynes, who argued that the level of reparations was too high -He believed that the level of reparations ‘was one of the most serious acts of political un wisdom for which our statesmen have ever been responsible’

Answer 60

-The French felt they had suffered the most out of all the combatant nations and they were determined to seek revenge at Versailles. -The recovery of Alsace-Lorraine, the demilitarisation of the Rhineland and the payment of reparations were key French demands which had been met. -Despite this, there were many in France who regarded the treaty as being too lenient on Germany, and Prime minister Clemenceau, who was blamed for making too many concessions, was defeated at the next election in 1920. -Marshal Foch, the wartime military commander, expressed a widely held view in France when he said, ‘this is not peace. It is an armistice for twenty years’

Answer 61

-Reactions to the treaty in America were generally negative. There was a widespread opinion that the treaty had been unfair on Germany and that Britain and France had used the treaty to enrich themselves at Germany’s expense -The republicans in the American congress opposed the treaty and Wilson failed to win the congressional vote to ratify the treaty, leaving the USA to make a separate peace with Germany in 1921 -The USA refused to join the League of Nations and, in the 1920’s, retreated from involvement in European affairs

Answer 62

• Reparations made repayment of the huge government debt from the war even more difficult • Germany’s gold reserves were inadequate for the scale of reparations that had to be made in gold. •Germany had lost a large part of its coal reserves due to territory loss - and yet a percentage of the reparations had to be paid in coal • Manufactured goods were an option for payment but the allies refused to accept them because it could potentially hurt their businesses • The allies confiscated Germany’s export fleet, and imposed tariffs on German goods.

Answer 63

-Economic impact of war (1914-18) -TOG (June 1919) -Weimar government response -The French invasion of the Ruhr (Jan. 1923) -Weimar government response

Answer 64

Germany financed much of the cost of WWI by printing more money. This led the currency to decline in value (inflation) After the war, Weimar government spending remained high as they had to support war widows, injured veterans and demobilised soldiers. By 1924, about 10% of the Germany population were receiving federal welfare payments. More were on regional poor relief. The new Weimar Constitution made social security a constitutional right so the government had to support the unemployed.

Answer 65

The Treaty of Versailles committed Germany to pay £6,600 in reparations, starting in 1921. Reparations had to be paid for in gold which held its value against the declining Germany currency (mark). As the value of the mark became weaker, paying for reparations became ever more expensive.

Answer 66

The German government tried to pay the reparations by borrowing and printing more money. This made inflation even worse and the value of the mark declined further. In 1922, the German government sought to pause their reparation payments but were refused permission. By early 1923, the German government failed to pay its reparations.

Answer 67

French and Belgian governments responded to German failure to pay reparations by ordering an invasion of the Ruhr, a key German industrial region. Their armies seized raw materials and goods to the value of the reparations.

Answer 68

The German government stopped all reparation payments to France and ordered all German workers and business owners to follow a policy of passive resistance (e.g. working slowly, strikes, sabotage). The Weimar government paid the wages of workers who went on strike and compensated owners for lost revenue. They also had to import necessary stocks of fuel which added to their debt. To meet spending obligations, the government printed more and more money.

Answer 69

The problem of inflation in Germany ran out of control after the Ruhr crisis as confidence in the German currency collapsed: the mark now became worthless. By autumn 1923, it cost more to print a bank note than the note was worse. Germany had to resort to the black market and barter (exchanging goods). Who was affected? Pensioners and those on fixed income: Income lost value. Debtors: Benefitted from the boom as they could pay their debt off. People with savings: Savings lost value.

Answer 70

-Spartacist uprising -Red rising -Political assassinations

Answer 71

-Kapp Putsch -Munich Putsch -Political assassinations

Answer 72

January 1919

Answer 73

• The Spartacists founded the KPD at the end of 1918. • After his dismissal, Eichorn called for a demonstration to take place in Berlin. The USPD, KPD and local union officials took up Eichorn's call. • On January 6, 1919, thousands of armed workers poured into the centre of Berlin to demonstrate. Important buildings and offices were taken over, such as train stations and important newspaper offices. • The leaders of the KPD and USPD called for a general strike, which around half a million workers responded to.

Answer 74

• The uprising was a result of the power struggle between the KPD and SPD. The only way for the KPD to meet its aims of a workers’ revolution was to rise up against the new government. • On January 4, 1919, the Weimar government dismissed a popular police chief in Berlin (Emil Eichorn), who was a radical USPD member. This brought the government into open conflict with the workers’ councils and unions, and triggered the Spartacist Uprising.

Answer 75

• The Weimar government hired the Freikorps to put down the rebellion. They quickly re-conquered the blocked streets and buildings and many of the rebels surrendered. 156 civilians and 17 Freikorps soldiers died during the fighting. The Spartacist’s leaders, Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, were found on January 15 and executed.

Answer 76

March 1920

Answer 77

• This was an attempt to overthrow the Weimar government by Wolfgana Kapp and Freikorps leaders. The putsch had the support of Eric Ludendorff, who had been a military general during the First World War. • They took over Berlin on March 12, 1920, causing the Weimar government to flee. The leaders proclaimed themselves the new government and said the Weimar Constitution was no longer in force.

Answer 78

• Kapp and the paramilitary groups aimed to restore the empire and overturn the Treaty of Versailles. They wanted a strong, authoritative government that would return Germany to its old imperial system.

Answer 79

On November 15, 1918, Friedrich Ebert agreed the Stinnes- Legien Agreement with the leader of Germany’s trade unions. For the unions support, Ebert offered legislation (laws) on hours of work and union representation in the workplace. The majority of soldiers in the German army did not join in on Kapp’s putsch attempt. However, they would not fight the right-wing rebels. Kapp’s opposition movement failed after the trade unions called a general strike, demanding an end to the putsch attempt and a government under the leadership of the SPD. The general strike was widespread and brought Berlin to a standstill. After four days of strike action, the Kapp government fell.

Answer 80

• In the early years of Weimar rule, communist governments were set up in Bavaria (January 1919), the Ruhr (March 1920) and in Saxony and Thuringia (1921 and 1922), in attempts to takeover the regions.

Answer 81

• The government was opposed by extremist groups on the left and right for a number of reasons, including its involvement in the Treaty of Versailles, the liberal and democratic principles it stood for, and its failure to produce a strong and decisive government and leader. • The Organisation Consul was formed by members of a Freikorps unit which was disbanded (broken up) after its members participated in the Kapp Putsch to overthrow the German Weimar Republic.

Answer 82

• In all cases, the communist governments did not have enough popular support and were put down by the Reichswehr (the German army) using a system of Reichsexekution. On November 10, 1918, Friedrich Ebert agreed the Ebert-Groener Pact with the leader of the army. The army agreed to support the government as long as it opposed left-wing ideas of parties in the Reichstag.

Answer 83

• Altogether, there were a total of 376 political assassinations in Germany between January 1919 and June 1922, carried out by anti-Weimar paramilitary groups. Right-wing extremist organisations, such as the group Organisation Consul, carried out 354 political assassinations during this time. This included the murder of prominent politicians, such as foreign minister Walther Rathenau.

Answer 84

• Those involved in the assassinations o political figures were trialled under the judicial system of the Weimar Republic. • Of the 354 murders committed by sympathisers of the right, 326 went unpunished. One life sentence and a total of 90 years imprisonment were handed out to those involved in political assassinations. • Of the 22 murders committed by sympathisers of the left, four went unpunished. Ten death sentences, three life sentences and a total of 250 years in prison were handed out.

Answer 85

November 1923

Answer 86

• Hitler and the NSDAP (the Nazis) believed they could gain the support of local politicians and citizens in Munich, and launched a takeover of Germany. • On 8 November the SA (also known as Stormtroopers or Brown Shirts, this was the paramilitary group of the Nazi Party) surrounded a large beer cellar in Munich where Gustav von Kahr and other officials were in a meeting. Here, Hitler announced the government of Bavaria had been overthrown and he and Ludendorff were forming a new government. He locked von Karr and his officials in a room.

Answer 87

• The NSDAP took advantage of the rising unpopularity of the Weimar government, and its weakness and vulnerability (e.g. the invasion of the Ruhr and the hyperinflation crisis). The government had had to proclaim a State of Emergency in September 1923 following disturbances in the Rhineland (which declared independence) and Berlin. • With Ludendorff on his side, Hitler was confident the army would follow him in a rebellion. • The membership of the Nazi Party had grown considerably in 1923 from 6,000 to 55,000 members. • In 1922, Mussolini had seized control of the government of Italy by marching on Rome. Hitler hoped to copy his example.

Answer 88

• Hitler’s political prisoners escaped and organised resistance to the putsch. The Nazis were defeated and captured by the police as they marched through Munich on November 9. Hitler was trialled for treason and received a sentence of five years imprisonment. The NSDAP was disbanded until 1925. Hitler was was released 9 months later.

Answer 89

-Helped stabilise WR while they faced lots of problems

Answer 90

-Papering over cracks, no long term solution

Answer 91

-Forced into accepting TOV as it was only way forward for the wr

Answer 92

Many of German public outraged and thought Ebert was a traitor

Answer 93

Critical factor in wr survival, deterred left wing radicalisas and moved towards democracy

Answer 94

Many on the LW called him a traitor and didn’t have full support

Answer 95

-Committed to democracy, fought off opposition parties and guided wr through ‘golden years’

Answer 96

Didn’t have full support of the Reichstag so there were potential uprisings

Answer 97

Chaired the assembly that formulated Weimar system-helped Germany survive post war

Answer 98

-Not all agreed with Ebert -If it failed could fall back on him

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1. Early Years Of The Weimar Republic Flashcards

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