1.4 Political instability and extremism Flashcards
Party Issues: How did the strength of the pro-republic parties change?- SPD, DDP, & Z
- SPD, DDP, & Z
-In Jan 1919, had 329 seats, whereas in June 1920 had only 206.
Party Issues: How did the strength of the extreme left parties change?
-USPD, & KPD
-Had 22 seats in Jan 1919, and 87 in June 1920.
Party Issues: How did coalitions impact moderate parties?
-There was a lot of pressure on moderate parties, like SPD, DDP, and Z, to form stable coalitions with one another.
-Despite this, they faced many unprecedented issues that impeded their ability to govern, like the ToV and reparations.
Political Uprisings: Who were the Freikorps?
-German term for about 200 paramilitary groups, largely made up of demobilised soldiers (as a result of ToV)
-Many were right-wing, anti-republic, who wanted to defend Germany against the Communist threat.
-Helped the Gov forcibly put down rebellions, despite being hostile to the Weimar Gov.
-Many members would go onto join the SA.
Political Uprisings: What was the Spartacist Uprising?
-5th January 1919, Rosa Luxemburg & Karl Liebknecht’s Spartacus League stage an armed uprising to overthrow Ebert’s government.
-The Uprising was poorly planned, as they failed to get support from the working class people that they were rebelling for.
Political Uprisings: How did the Gov react to the Spartacist Uprising? What were its long term consequences?
-They relied on the army to put the uprising down, but Groener had very few reliable military units, so the Freikorps were sent in to put it dow.
-By the 13th January, it had been crushed after much street fighting, and Luxemburg & Liebknecht were executed by firing squad.
-The violence with which they were treated massively deepened divides, and led to further uprisings in March 1919 in Bavaria, April 1919, and March 1921.
Political Uprisings: What was the Kapp Putsch? How did it start?
-When the ToV came into action in January of 1920, the gov needed to reduce the size of the army.
-In Feb 1920, Gustav Noske (defence minister) ordered two Freikorps units (12,000 men total) to disband. Units were stationed 12 miles from Berlin.
-When General Luttwitz refused to disband them, his arrest was ordered. He decided to march his troops to Berlin in protest.
Political Uprisings: Who supported the Kapp Putsch? How was it stopped?
-Support was given from civil servants like Wolfgang Kapp. Von Seeckt and Ludendorff sympathised, but didn’t voice open support.
-Ebert’s gov withdrew to Dresden, and when he called on the army to crush the rebellion, they said “troops do not fire on troops.”
-Trade unions (encouraged by socialist members of gov) called for a workers strike, and within four days Berlin was at a standstill, and the putsch had collapsed. Luttwitz & Kapp fled.
Political Uprisings: What were some long term consequences & lessons from the Kapp Putsch?
-It became very clear that right vs left wing uprisings were dealt with very differently.
-Showed how unreliable the Freikorps, the army, and members of government, like the civil servants were.
-Demonstrated the power that the workers held.
Political Uprisings: What was the Munich Putsch? Early events of the rebellion.
-8th Nov 1923, Hitler and his stormtroopers interrupt a meeting by von Lossow and von Kahr, where they are forced to state their support for a march on Berlin to impose a new government, with Ludendorff as commander-in-chief.
-By 1922, the Nazis had around 20,000 members, they were a rising party!
Political Uprisings: Why did the Munich Putsch fail?
-Stormtroopers failed to gain control of the Munich Barracks, and Lossow & Kahr (under the guise of talking to their wives) alerted the army.
-By the 9th, it was clear that the putsch was going to fail, but Hitler continued with the march, and was shot & dislocated his shoulder.
Hitler fled and was captured the next day, whilst Ludendorff turned himself in.
Political Uprisings: What were the consequences of Munich Putsch?
-Hitler is sentenced for 5 years in prison, with possibility of parole after 9 months. Ludendorff is acquitted.
-Whilst on trial, Hitler essentially makes it a publicity opportunity.
-During his time in Landsberg Prison, Hitler writes ‘Mein Kampf’, and learned that he would have to take power through legal means- it was clear a putsch would not work.
Political Uprisings: In what ways was the Spartacist Uprising the most severe threat?
-They had the most severe aims, as they had wanted to overthrow the government AND lead a a communist revolution.
-They had large geographical scope, the initial uprising led to revolts in Bavaria, and Ruhr.
-Arguably the most violent threat, as there was lots of street fighting & the leaders were violently killed.
-Lasted the longest, 8 days overall.
Political Uprisings: In what ways was the Kapp Putsch the most severe threat?
-Had the largest level of public support, due to large numbers of troops and members of government.
-Government were forced to quickly withdraw to Dresden
-Was quite hard to put down, as the army refused to fire at them.
Political Uprisings: In what ways was the Munich Putsch the most severe threat?
-As a result of the Munich Putsch, the Nazis gained massive notoriety, and despite being banned as a party with their leader imprisoned, they were soon on the rise again.
-Had influential supporters like Ludendorff
-Hitler’s imprisonment allowed him to write ‘Mein Kampf’ which became the basis of the Nazi Ideology.
