Challenges from the left and right Flashcards
What groups opposed the Weimar Republic government?
Groups from both the left and right wings, including the Spartacists and the Freikorps.
The opposition came from inside and outside the Reichstag.
Who led the Spartacists?
Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht.
The Spartacists were a left-wing group from the Independent Socialist Party.
What was the primary support for the Spartacists?
Hard backing from the Soviet Union.
They were based in Berlin.
What was the composition of the Freikorps?
Made up of ex-soldiers who had kept their weapons.
They had 250,000 men in March 1919, organized by the regular Army.
What was the Spartacist Revolt?
An attempt by the Spartacists to take over the government’s newspaper and Telegraph Bureau and organize a general strike in Berlin in January 1919.
The Weimar government sent Freikorps units to suppress the revolt.
What triggered the Kapp Putsch?
Freikorps troops, fearing unemployment, marched on Berlin in March 1920.
Ebert asked the head of the army to resist, but he refused.
Who was put in charge by the rebels during the Kapp Putsch?
Dr. Wolfgang Kapp.
The Weimar government fled Berlin seeking safety.
How did the Weimar government respond to the Kapp Putsch?
Organized trade unions to go on strike.
The national strike caused chaos that prevented Kapp from ruling Germany.
What was the result of the national strike organized by the Weimar government?
Kapp was forced to flee, allowing the Weimar ministers to return.
This was a direct response to the Kapp Putsch.
What political challenges did the Weimar Republic face?
Political attacks from right-wing and left-wing parties, the Kapp Putsch, the Spartacist Revolt, right-wing bias in the courts, political assassinations, and political armies.
These challenges came from both the Reichstag and external pressures.
How many political assassinations occurred in the Weimar Republic from 1919 to 1923?
376 political assassinations.
Some right-wing extremists used these murders to weaken the New Republic.
