Book 1 - Weimar Period 1919-1929 Flashcards
How long did the Weimar Republic last?
1919-1933
How did voting work in the Weimar Republic?
by Proportional Representation
What is Article 48?
- During time’s of crisis the President could use it to declare a ‘state of emergency’ and rule by presidential decree
- laws could be passed without approval of Reichstag
How frequent was there a change in government during the Weimar republic?
- nine elections
- two in each year of 1923 and 1932
When was the treaty of Versailles signed
28 June 1919
What did the German people see the treaty of Versailles as?
‘Dolchstoss’ - stabbed in the back
What did leading politicians describe the Treaty of Versailles as?
‘Gewaltfrieden’ - an enforced peace
How much did Germany need to pay in reparations?
6600 million pounds
What were the sanctions on the army for the Treaty of Versailles?
- reduce army to 100,000 men
- only 6 battleships
- not allowed to build tanks, aeroplanes and submarines
What land did Germany lose in the treaty of Versailles?
- German colonies were given away
- Alsace-Lorraine back to France
- forbidden to unite with Austria
- demilitarise the Rhineland
- lost Polish corridor
What were the November Criminals?
nickname given to politicians who signed the Treaty of Versailles
What was the Spartacist Uprising?
- January 1919 in Berlin
- Renamed communist party
- Aim to bring communist revolution
- Crushed easily by Reichswehr (army)
- Spartacist leader Rosa luxembourg died
What happened in the Kapp Putsch?
- on March 1920
- right wing groups
- because government planned to reduced Reichswehr (army) in size
- collapsed as trade unions declared a General Strike
- Led by Wolfgang Kapp
Who was the leader of the Freikorps?
Ehrhardt
When did HYPERINFLATION start in Germany?
early 1923
Why and when did Belgium and France decided to send troops to the Ruhr?
- in January 1923
- as Germany failed to pay it’s reparations instalment
How did the Weimar Republic react to the occupation?
Passive resistance
When did Gustav Stressemann became chancellor and what did he do?
Summer of 1932, introduced anew currency
When was the Dawes plan accepted then came into effect?
August 1924 and September 1924
What did the Dawe’s plan consist of?
- USA would give loans to Germany
- payment were made more sensible and manageable
- The Ruhr area was to be evacuated by Allied occupation
What was the new currency Stressemann introduced and when?
- Rentenmark (based on property values rather than gold reserves)
- November 1923
What is the Young Plan and when?
- 1929
- reparations were lowered from 6600 million to 1850 million
What is the Lacarno Pact and when?
- signed with Britain, France, Belgium and Italy
- keep existing borders between Germany, France, Belgium
- Germany signed voluntarily
When did Germany come into the league of nations and why?
- so the Locarno pact can come into operation
- September 1926
What is the Kellog- Briand pact and when?
- 1928
- keep armies for ‘self defence’ and solve all disputes peacefully
