2.6 Social And Cultural Developments In Germany 1924-28

Question 1

What was the conflict within the culture of German society?

Answer 1

Those who challenged traditional values in the name of modernity and those who resisted changes in an attempt to preserve the old German way of life

Question 2

What is a means test?

Answer 2

A check on the financial circumstances of a benefit claimant in order to see if they are eligible for support

Question 3

What were the the social welfare reforms

Answer 3

-1924 public assistance system(modernised)
-1925 state accident insurance system
-1927 national unemployment insurance system

Question 4

What was the public assistance system?

Answer 4

it Provided help to the poor and destitute and was modernised

Question 5

What was the state accident insurance system? 1925

Answer 5

Introduced by Bismarck to help those injured at work, extended to cover those differing from occupational diseases

Question 6

What was the national unemployment insurance system?1927

Answer 6

Introduced to provide benefits for the unemployed, financed by contributions from workers and employers

Question 7

Give evidence for the welfare system being expensive?

Answer 7

By 1926 the government was supporting
800,000 disabled war veterans
360,000 war widows
900,000 war orphans -old age pensioners (and after 1927 unemployment benefits)

Question 8

How did the government afford the social welfare reforms?

Answer 8

Raised taxes and means tests were tightened up

Question 9

Why were German workers able to improve maintain and improve living standards from 1924-28

Answer 9

Powerful trade unions negotiating wage increases

Question 10

Which groups of people benefited from the social changes and why?

Answer 10

The workers and their living stands improved

Businesses owners as there was an improved trading position of the German economy

Question 11

Which groups lost out during the cultural revolution?

Answer 11

-those who lost their savings in the 1923 hyperinflation crisis were unable to regain their previous lifestyles

-farmers suffered from poor trading conditions and low price (incomes of farmers falling)

Question 12

What did the ‘new women’ in Germany symbolise?

Answer 12

How women’s lives had changed after the war, they were depicted as free, independent and able to make their own decisions about their lives

Question 13

What had the Weimar government done to make women more equal to men?(3 asp)

Answer 13

-given them equal voting rights
-equal access to education
-right to equal pay

Question 14

What was the real reason the new women occurred?

Answer 14

Gender disequilibrium as 2 German million men died in WW1, some women can’t live the childbearing housewife life -they were also brought into employment to replace the gap in the labour market

Question 15

What hindered the extend of the ‘new women’

Answer 15

German civil code of 1896 remaining in force-said husband had right to decide on all matters concerning family life including wether his wife should undertake paid employment

Question 16

What evidence is there to suggest that not all German society including women supported the new women?

Answer 16

League of German women 900,000 members promoted traditional values and maternal responsibilities of women

Question 17

Evidence for women being equal in employment (3 asp)

Answer 17

-constitution gave women greater equality in employment rights
-by 1925 36% of German workforce were women
-by 1933 there were 100,00 women teachers and 3000 women doctors

Question 18

Evidence for women being not being equal in employment (4 asp)

Answer 18

-‘demobilisation laws’ after war required women to give up jobs to returning soldiers

-in many instances women forced to up employment when they were married

-gender pay gap for the same work

-married working women attacked for double earners and reasons for male unemployment

Question 19

Evidence for sexual freedom for women in Weimar Germany?

Answer 19

-birth control became more widely available and the birth rate declined
-increased divorce rates
-by 1930 1 million abortions a year

Question 20

Evidence for women not having sexual freedom in the Weimar Republic?

Answer 20

-abortion criminal affect carried out by unqualified people(1930 10,000-12,000 death a year)

-decline in birth rate was attacked by conservative press that threatened health of the nation

-catholic and Protestant churches were vigorously opposed to birth control, divorce and abortion

Question 21

Evidence for women not gaining equality in politics and public life?(5 asp)

Answer 21

-no women in reichstrat

-no women became a cabinet member in the Weimar Republic

only KPD offered equality but it was not appealing

-parties who gained the most from female vote(centre) did nothing to support feminist issues

Question 22

What is a gymnasium school?

Answer 22

A school that provided classical education, children would remain here for 9 years before taking a university entrance examination (teaching methods were very authoritarian with cruel punishments)

Question 23

Statistic for youth unemployment in 1925-1926

Answer 23

17% or unemployment in 14-21 age category

Question 24

Evidence for women gaining equality in politics and public life?(3 asp)

Answer 24

-women gain equal voting rights and the right to be in the Reichstag
-1919 41 women elected to the Reichstag ( but number of women fell in subsequent elections)
-women active in local gov at state and city level

Question 25

What were youth cliques

Answer 25

Working class gangs in Lagrange German cities

Each had respective name, uniform and flag and displayed physical toughness and anti-social attitudes

Question 26

What was the Realschule?

Answer 26

Institution that provided 6 years of schooling for children who would go on to do apprenticeships

Question 27

Who went to the gymnasiums?

Answer 27

Middle and upper classes

Question 28

What did education reformers in the Weimar Republic aim to do?

Answer 28

Break down these divides and provide a comprehensive, non-sectarian education that would be free to all pupils

Question 29

Were the education reformers in the Weimar Republic successful?(good side)

Answer 29

Partially

Main aim was the introduction of elementary schools (everyone attends for 4 years)

Question 30

Were the education reformers in the Weimar Republic successful?(Bad side)

Answer 30

Did not succeed in removing the influences of the churches from schools

Question 31

What were the 3 types of youth groups in the Weimar Republic?

Answer 31

-Wandervogel
-church youth groups
-political youth groups

Question 32

What is the wandervogel?

Answer 32

‘Wondering birds’

Movement quickly spread and groups consisted of mainly middle class boys

-highly naturalistic and hated the big cities

Question 33

Church youth groups?

Answer 33

Both Catholic and Protestant churches had youth groups

Catholics: different groups aimed at different sections of young people

Protestant: not give youth workers a high priority and their groups had far fewer members

Question 34

Political youth groups?

Answer 34

-SPD youth movement founded in 1925(most members)
-KPD youth group founded in 1925
-DNVP founded in 1922 membership up to 42,000 in 1928
Hitler youth memberships of only 13,000 members by 1929

Question 35

How many Jews were living in the Weimar Republic and how many it cities?

Answer 35

500,000 Jews
400,000 in cities

Question 36

What % of the German population were Jews

Answer 36

1

Question 37

What were the names of the two Jewish newspapers?

Answer 37

Berliner tageblatt
Frankfurter Zeitung

Question 38

What percentage of Jewish banks did Jews own?

Answer 38

50% world wide
18% in Germany

Question 39

What percentage of lawyers did Jews make up?

Answer 39

16%

Question 40

What percentage of doctors did Jews make up?

Answer 40

11%(especially high in Berlin as it was over half)

Question 41

What is Jewish Bolshevism?

Answer 41

Term used by ani-semites to imply that Jews and communists were closely associated and represented a danger to German values

Question 42

Describe the Barmat scandal of 1925?

Answer 42

Jewish business men convicted of bribing public officials to obtain loans from the Prussian state bank

Sentenced to 11 months in jail

Question 43

What epitomised the greater personal freedom in the Weimar Republic?

Answer 43

Nightlife in Berlin in 1920s
Berlin nightclubs become renowned for strong nudity

Question 44

What was the predominant art movement in Germany during the Weimar Republic?

Answer 44

Expressionism
-express meaning of emotion rather than physical reality

Artists: George Grosz and Franz Marc

Question 45

Describe music in the Weimar Republic?

Answer 45

Convey powerful emotions without traditional forms of beauty,

Sounds hard and harsh and lacks key in comparison to traditionalists

Question 46

Describe architecture in the Weimar Republic?

Answer 46

Students encouraged to use new materials such as steel, concrete and glass with their designs

Question 47

Describe theatre in the Weimar Republic?

Answer 47

Sets replied on abstract symbolism to rely their message

Question 48

Describe film in the Weimar Republic?

Answer 48

Berlin became an important centre for world cinema developing modern techniques that would later be used for Nazi propaganda

Best known director: Sternberg