Aspects of life in Germany and West Germany, 1918-32 Flashcards
What was the Weimar government’s general attitude to women?
Very liberal in theory but far more traditional in practice.
What did the emergency government do on 12 November 1918?
They gave women the right to vote.
What did Article 109 say?
It said that ‘in principle’ women had equal rights, marriage should be an equal union and women should be able to enter the professions.
How was the Reichstag split on the matter?
Some people, mostly SPD members, supported equality and women’s rights. However others thought women should return to being wives and mothers.
Who were the ‘new women’?
Women were changing, especially young, educated, unmarried women. They wanted independence and many who found work, chose to abandon traditional female behaviour. They behaved with the freedom of a man.
How did the post-war temporary government change the education system?
Introduced a new, fairer, education system of state schools with a mixed, not confessional, intake and no religious education. It set up compulsory Grundschule for all children aged 6 to 10. It stopped clerical inspections of schools and said parents could remove their children from RE.
What was the problem with the education system beyond the age of ten?
Education beyond the age of ten had to be paid for. Students went to a Hauptschule, a realschule or a gymnasium. This meant that a child’s career was decided at the age of 10.
What were the Bauhaus and Neue Sachlichkeit movements?
Bauhaus: A design school set up by Walter Gropius in 1919. It saw beauty in technology, simple design and careful craftsmanship.
Neue Sachlichkeit: The new objectivity movement grew out of the modern and expressionist movements that had developed just before WWI. It meant a matter-of-fact representation of life.
Describe Weimar culture.
Culture in the Weimar Republic is often portrayed as vibrant, experiment and, especially in cities, decadent.
Describe three types of culture that were prevalent in the Weimar Republic.
1) Art elite culture: Artists, intellectuals, writers and those who supported them formed this group. They were the most experimental.
2) Government-subsidised culture: The government subsidised theatres, orchestras, museums and libraries- bringing culture to even very small towns. However subsidies were small and social welfare projects took priority.
3) Popular culture: This was widely enjoyed and largely non-subsidised. It was also the most diverse. Some people, especially the young in urban areas, were heavily influenced by US trends such as consumer culture, advertising and jazz.
Why was experimentation criticised?
Many right-wing people worried about Weimar culture on several levels. They were worried about the decadence, the increasing number of influential Jewish writers, artists and musicians and the increasing Americanisation of the culture.
What was the general attitude to minorities during the Weimar years?
Life for ethnic minorities varied widely, depending on where they lived and who they were. In broad terms, ethnic minorities were mostly accepted. There was low-level discrimination of the kind faced by women. They received lower wages and were less likely to be hired than a German man.
What did Article 113 say?
That groups that spoke a different language could not be legally stopped from using this language or preserving their national identity.
What did anti-Semites refer to Berlin as?
Jew Berlin
Who was Walther Rathenau?
Foreign minister in 1922. He was Jewish.
