2.6 Social And Cultural Developments In Germany 1924-28 Flashcards
What was the conflict within the culture of German society?
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
What is a means test?
A check on the financial circumstances of a benefit claimant in order to see if they are eligible for support
What were the the social welfare reforms
-1924 public assistance system(modernised)
-1925 state accident insurance system
-1927 national unemployment insurance system
What was the public assistance system?
it Provided help to the poor and destitute and was modernised
What was the state accident insurance system? 1925
Introduced by Bismarck to help those injured at work, extended to cover those differing from occupational diseases
What was the national unemployment insurance system?1927
Introduced to provide benefits for the unemployed, financed by contributions from workers and employers
Give evidence for the welfare system being expensive?
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)
How did the government afford the social welfare reforms?
Raised taxes and means tests were tightened up
Why were German workers able to improve maintain and improve living standards from 1924-28
Powerful trade unions negotiating wage increases
Which groups of people benefited from the social changes and why?
The workers and their living stands improved
Businesses owners as there was an improved trading position of the German economy
Which groups lost out during the cultural revolution?
-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)
What did the ‘new women’ in Germany symbolise?
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
What had the Weimar government done to make women more equal to men?(3 asp)
-given them equal voting rights
-equal access to education
-right to equal pay
What was the real reason the new women occurred?
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
What hindered the extend of the ‘new women’
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
What evidence is there to suggest that not all German society including women supported the new women?
League of German women 900,000 members promoted traditional values and maternal responsibilities of women
Evidence for women being equal in employment (3 asp)
-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
Evidence for women being not being equal in employment (4 asp)
-‘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
Evidence for sexual freedom for women in Weimar Germany?
-birth control became more widely available and the birth rate declined
-increased divorce rates
-by 1930 1 million abortions a year
Evidence for women not having sexual freedom in the Weimar Republic?
-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
Evidence for women not gaining equality in politics and public life?(5 asp)
-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
What is a gymnasium school?
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)
Statistic for youth unemployment in 1925-1926
17% or unemployment in 14-21 age category
Evidence for women gaining equality in politics and public life?(3 asp)
-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
What were youth cliques
Working class gangs in Lagrange German cities
Each had respective name, uniform and flag and displayed physical toughness and anti-social attitudes
What was the Realschule?
Institution that provided 6 years of schooling for children who would go on to do apprenticeships
Who went to the gymnasiums?
Middle and upper classes
What did education reformers in the Weimar Republic aim to do?
Break down these divides and provide a comprehensive, non-sectarian education that would be free to all pupils
Were the education reformers in the Weimar Republic successful?(good side)
Partially
Main aim was the introduction of elementary schools (everyone attends for 4 years)
Were the education reformers in the Weimar Republic successful?(Bad side)
Did not succeed in removing the influences of the churches from schools
What were the 3 types of youth groups in the Weimar Republic?
-Wandervogel
-church youth groups
-political youth groups
What is the wandervogel?
‘Wondering birds’
Movement quickly spread and groups consisted of mainly middle class boys
-highly naturalistic and hated the big cities
Church youth groups?
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
Political youth groups?
-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
How many Jews were living in the Weimar Republic and how many it cities?
500,000 Jews
400,000 in cities
What % of the German population were Jews
1
What were the names of the two Jewish newspapers?
Berliner tageblatt
Frankfurter Zeitung
What percentage of Jewish banks did Jews own?
50% world wide
18% in Germany
What percentage of lawyers did Jews make up?
16%
What percentage of doctors did Jews make up?
11%(especially high in Berlin as it was over half)
What is Jewish Bolshevism?
Term used by ani-semites to imply that Jews and communists were closely associated and represented a danger to German values
Describe the Barmat scandal of 1925?
Jewish business men convicted of bribing public officials to obtain loans from the Prussian state bank
Sentenced to 11 months in jail
What epitomised the greater personal freedom in the Weimar Republic?
Nightlife in Berlin in 1920s
Berlin nightclubs become renowned for strong nudity
What was the predominant art movement in Germany during the Weimar Republic?
Expressionism
-express meaning of emotion rather than physical reality
Artists: George Grosz and Franz Marc
Describe music in the Weimar Republic?
Convey powerful emotions without traditional forms of beauty,
Sounds hard and harsh and lacks key in comparison to traditionalists
Describe architecture in the Weimar Republic?
Students encouraged to use new materials such as steel, concrete and glass with their designs
Describe theatre in the Weimar Republic?
Sets replied on abstract symbolism to rely their message
Describe film in the Weimar Republic?
Berlin became an important centre for world cinema developing modern techniques that would later be used for Nazi propaganda
Best known director: Sternberg
