1.4 Changes in society

Question 1

Changes for workers: wages and work

Answer 1

• working hours reduced
• wages rose
• working conditions improved
• hyperinflation had made employment insecure
• the upper classes resented seeing workers benefiting

Question 2

Changes for workers: unemployment insurance

Answer 2

3% of workers’ earnings were deducted to be put towards insurance that would give them a basic amount of benefits if they became unemployed or sick

Question 3

Changes for workers: houses

Answer 3

• 15% rent tax was introduced to fund building companies
• 101, 000 houses built between 1925 and 1929
• There was still a housing shortage but things had improved

Question 4

Women at work

Answer 4

Positive:
- there was an increase in part-time work

• some professions like teaching and medicine offered new opportunities to women
• women were encouraged to go to university

negative:
- some of the gains in equality brought about by the war were quickly lost when men returned

• most women gave up work after they were married -> 75% in work in 1918 to 36% in 1925
• few women secured high status jobs

Question 5

women at leisure

Answer 5

• greater earning power led to more independence for younger, single women
• women were less interested in marriage and family and more interested in having a good time
• the behaviour of new women was not liked by some men and women who felt traditional values were being eroded

Question 6

women in politics

Answer 6

women earned the vote in 1918

90% turned out at elections

Article 109 of the constitution stated that women had equal rights with men and could enter professions on an equal basis

marriage became an equal partnership

Question 7

Cultural changes: Art

Answer 7

The New Objectivity movement was led by artists such as Otto Dix and George Grosz - their art rejected romanticism and idealism and instead embraced expressionism which aimed to portray the harsh realities of post-World War 1 Germany, including the suffering of veterans, poverty and social injustice.

These grotesque depictions were a stark contrast to the idealised art celebrated under the Kaiser, shocking conservative audiences.

Exposed the harsh realities of German society, forcing people to confront issues like inequality and the trauma of war, which many conservatives ignored.

Question 8

Cultural changes: cinema

Answer 8

Expressionism flourished in film-making, particularly in Weimar Germany due to fewer restrictions - these films often explored dark themes and challenged traditional narratives which conflicted with conservative Germans who viewed these works as overly decadent.

The development in cinema positioned Germany as a global leader in cultural innovation.

Question 9

Cultural changes: Architecture

Answer 9

The Bauhaus school was set up in Weimar, in 1919 - aimed to educate young people to be specialised in architecture - modern.

• The school attracted many talented designers and artists.
• The ideas challenged traditional styles that had been popular before the war - radical.

“bauhaus movement”

challenged nationalist and conservatice ideals rooted in history.

Question 10

Collectively, these cultural shifts demonstrated…

Answer 10

the vibrancy and openness of the Weimar Republic while also fuelling backlash from traditionalists, contributing to the polarisation that eventually undermined democracy.