1.1 Impact Of War The Poltical Crisis Of November 1918, And The Establishment Of The Wiemar Constitution Flashcards
What happened on the 29th September 1918
Ludendorff calls for an armistice
30th September 1918?
Kaiser promised political reform
1st October 1918?
Price max of Baden forms new government
3rd October 1918?
Price max’s letter to President Wilson asking for an armistice
24 October 1918?
Wilson responds to Prince Max’s request
26 October 1918?
Ludendorff resigns and flees to Sweden
28th October 1918?
Kaiser introduces further reforms making the chancellor accountable to the Riechstag
30th October 1918?
Naval mutiny at Wilhelmshaven
3rd November 1918?
Naval mutiny spreads to Kiel
8th November?
Revolt in Bavaria led to declaration of Bavarian socialist republic and declaration of German republic of Berlin and the Kaiser abdicates
10 th November 1918?
Ebert-Groener pact
What is a republic?
System of government where head of state (president) is elected
What is an armistice?
Agreement to suspend fighting to allow a peace treaty to be negotiated
What were president Wilson’s 14 points?
Devised a means of dealing fairly with the aftermath of the war e.g Alsace Lorraine returned to France and the establishment of a League of Nations
What were the October reforms that essentially ended the Kaisers autocratic rule?(3)
-price max of Baden appointed as chancellor
-chancellor to be responsible to Reichstag and a new to government based on the majority of parties in the Riechstag
-armed forces put under control of civil government-amounted to a revolution
What was a s shattering blow to Germany’s armed forces and people?
The news prince Max’s government was asking for an armistice(admission Germany has lost he war)
-first time German people has learned the truth about the hopeless military situation
(Kaiser became an obstacle to leaving)
What is a mutiny?
A revolt by soldiers and Sao,Wes against their officers
What happened on 3rd November 1918?
German naval base or Kiel soldiers mutinied against officers and took control of the base
What happened on the 28th October 1918?
Germans order ships from Wihelmshaven to attack British ships in channel but the crews of the two cruises refuse to obey orders
What happened on the 4th November 1918?
Revolt spread to the city’s and workers and soldiers councils were established
What did the members of these councils want?
They were not socialists they wanted the Kaiser to abdicate and a democratic republic to be set up
What happened on 8th November?
Republic proclaimed in Bavaria and Bavarian monarchy disposed
What happened on the 9th of November?
SPD called on workers in Berlin to join General Strike to force Kaiser to abdicate (also threatened to withdraw support for price max government in 24 hrs)-max knew he needed the SPD
-Max realises a statement claiming Kaiser had abdicated (max resigns on the same day) and is replaced by Ebert
General Groemer tells Kaiser forces will no longer fight for him Kaiser forced to abdicate although he signs after it is announced
Who is Friedrich Ebert?
Elected to Reichstag in 1912 SPD
Becomes president in 1913
First chancellor of Weimar in 1918
First president of Weimar in 1919
When did General Groemer replace Ludendorff?
In October 1918 after he fled to Sweden
He becomes quartermaster general and deputy chief of general staff
What did Ebert believe in?
Evolutionary change through winning a majority in parliamentary elections and introducing reforms-he organised a general assembly on 11 November for a constituent assembly
What is a constituent assembly?
Elected body with a specific task of drawing up a new constitution
Aims of the SPD party and membership in 1918? And support base
Membership: 1 million
Support base: working class voters
Aims: wanted moderate socialist republic with democratic elections and basic personal freedoms, welfare improvements and nationalisation of industry (supported Germanys entry to WW1
Aims of the SPD party and membership in 1918? And support base?
Aims: wanted socialist republic with democratic election and basic personal freedoms,welfare improvement and gradual nationalisation in industry
Support: working class voters
Aims of USPD part and membership in 1918?
Aims: wanted a republic with national Reichstag workers and solders councils, welfare improvements,nationalisation of industry, braking up large estates
Support: grew in strength during 1918 as war weariness grew
KPD aims and support base?
Aims: wanted a republican government controlled by workers and soldiers council. Welfare benefits, nationalisation and workers control of major industries
Support: left wing voters
What were the pressure from the left?
Efforts to contain the revolution was threatened by pressure for more radical change from the left
-he could not ignore the fact workers and soldiers in which the USPD and Sparcacist had established a foothold, had made the running of the early stages of the revolution
22nd November: agreement reached between the government and Berlin workers and soldiers councils whereby the government accepted that it only exercised power in the name of these councils
What was the pressure from the army and the Ebert-Groener pact?
Despite many army officers being opposed to the Weimar Republic they became concerned about the danger of a Bolshevik revolution which would lead to a civil war and possible occupation by allied forces
10 November -General Groener phones Ebert and assures him the army leadership would support the government in return Ebert agreed to resist the demands of the soldiers council to democratise the German army
When was the first election of the Weimar Republic and when did this happen?
19th Jan 1919
No overall majority and parties would need to compromise with other parties in order to establish a new constitution-Ebert elected as the first president and a government was formed by an SPD coalition with centre party and German democratic parties
Centre party profile
-formed in 1870 to protect catholic interests
-strong support in catholic areas of the Rhineland and Bavaria
-supported a democratic constitution
DNVP profile
-rejected democracy
-support form landowners and small businesses owners
-nationalist party based on the old Conservative Party
DDP profile
-supported democracy
-support from intellectuals and middle class
-left leaning party
DVP profile
-opposed new republic but willing to participate in it’s governments
-support from upper middle class and business interests
-right leaning party
What were the strengths of the Weimar constitution (5 asp)
-good voter representation
-proportional representation
-full democracy in local govs as well as central gov
-set out clear rights for individuals (all Germans equal before the law, censorship forbidden)
-referendums could be called by the president, Riechstrat or by people’s request if 1/10 of the electorate applied for one
What were the weaknesses of the Weimar constitution?(2 asp)
-coalition govs:short lived and unstable
-the proliferation of small parties (extremist parties could gain representation in the Reichstag-exploit parliamentary system and gain publicity)
How often was a the president elected?
Every 7 years
What was the role of the president in the Weimar Republic?
-supreme commander of the armed forces
-reserve powers through article 48
-appointed and dismissed ministers (could also dissolve the Reichstag and call elections)
What was the role of the chancellor?
Propose new laws to the Reichstag
What was the role of the reichstrat?
-67 representatives from 17 state (Länder)
-provide advice on laws but could be overridden by the Reichstag
How often was the Reichstag supposed to be elected?
Every 4 years
What was the role of the Reichstag?
Vote on budgets and new laws needed a majority of Reichstag deputies to be passes
How many times did Ebert use Article 48?
136 occasions
What is autocracy?
A system of government in which power is concentrated in the hands of one person
Who was Hans Von Seeckt?
Solider who had been placed in charge of German forces in East Prussia at the end of the war commander of army from 1920 where it became privileged and elitist up to 1926
What 3 undemocratic ins survived in the Weimar Republic
Army
Civil service
Judiciary
Why were the Judges independent for the Weimar Republic
Because article 102 guaranteed the independence of judges
-left wing groups punished much more servilely than right wing groups
