Chapter 1 ; Germany and the growth of the democracy Flashcards
Prior to unification, which state was the most powerful?
Prussia
When did Germany become unified?
1871
When did Germany become unified?
1871
Who became Kaiser?
Wilhelm II
Where was Wilhelm king before Germany?
state of Prussia
How was Wilhelm related to Queen Victoria?
her grandson
How was Wilhelm related to King George V?
cousins
Define militarism
country having strong armed forces
Why did Wilhelm believe in militarism?
Was important to state of Prussia
What was the Chancellor?
chief minister to Kasier
What was the Bundesrat?
representatives from each German state
What was the Bundesrat dominated by?
Prussians
What was the Reichstag?
parliament
Who elected those in the Reichstag?
men 25+
What was the problem with the parliamentary government?
Kaiser could ignore advice and make decisions on his own
What did the Reichstag do?
debate and vote laws
What did the Kaiser make decisions on alone?
military policies
foreign policies
When were the naval laws made?
1898-1912
What was the role of Alfred von Tirpitz?
Secretary of State of the German Imperial Naval Office
What was the naval law of 1898?
have 7 battleships
What was the naval law of 1900?
have 38 battleships
What was the naval law of 1906?
6 more battleships
dreadnoughts
What was Wilhelm’s ‘Weltpolitik’?
having an empire to rival Britain’s
What does weltpolitik mean?
world policy
Why did the naval laws cause debt?
borrowed money to grow army and build navy
How much debt was Germany in as a result of the naval laws in 1913?
490 billion marks
How many workers were in trade unions in 1913?
3 million
Why did workers join trade unions?
poor working conditions
low wages
How many Germans voted for the Social Democratic Power?
1/3 of population
What did the SPD believe in?
socialism
rebel + revolution
Define socialism
power + wealth shared equally
How many Germans had fought in WWI?
11 million
How many German troops died in WWI?
2 million
How much did Germany’s debt increase by between 1914 and 1918?
trebled
50 million -> 150 million
How many Germans died of food shortages in WWI?
750,000
Why did Wilhelm abdicate?
had lost control
When was the Kiel mutiny?
28th October 1918
When did Kaiser abdicate?
9th November 1918
What was the Kiel mutiny?
soldiers refused orders
shot each other
Who took over when the Kaiser abdicated?
Ebert, leader of SPD
When was the Armistice signed?
11th November 1918
Who signed the armistice?
new Weimar Republic
In what year was Germany producing more steel and iron than Britain?
1913
In what year was Germany producing equal amounts of coal?
1913
Who were attracted by the industrialisation in Germany?
eastern european immigrants
What industries did Germany dominate Europe in?
chemicals
electrical goods
How many people were living in towns and cities by 1910?
60%
What problems did the navy laws cause?
raised taxes
increased debt
army generals jealous
SPD opposed
Why did the government make social reforms between 1891 and 1903?
prevent increased popularity in SPD
What was made illegal in 1891 in social reforms?
children U13 to work
women to work 11+ hours
work on a sunday
What was made law in 1900 in social reforms?
time off after accident
What was made in 1901 in social reforms?
industrial courts
What was the purpose of industrial courts?
settle disputes between employers and employees
Where were industrial courts compulsory?
200,000 + people
What was done in 1903 in social reforms?
health insurance expanded
Who were the November Criminals?
politicians who signed ToV
What did the temporary leader Ebert announce that Germany was?
democratic republic
When did the Spartacists take control of Berlin?
6th January 1919
Who fought the Spartacists when they took Berlin?
Freikorps
What were the key points of the Weimar constitution?
- freedom of speech and religion
- equality under the law
- everyone over 20 could vote
- elected president and Reichstag
What is a constitution?
rules setting out how a government should work
When was the Weimar Constitution complete?
August 1919
What were the weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution?
- november criminals made
- proportional representation
- disliked
- article 48
Why was the proportional representation in the Weimar Constitution a weakness?
lots of parties
no majority
law making v slow
Why was the involvement of the November Criminals in the Weimar Constitution a weakness?
linked to surrender in WWI
Why was the disliking of the Weimar Constitution a weakness?
powerful people disliked it
Who disliked the Weimar Constitution?
army generals
upper class
judges
factory owners
What were the three key impacts of war on Germany?
bankruptcy
divided society
political instability
Why was Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution a weakness?
president had too much power
What was article 48?
in national emergency, president could make any law without going through Reichstag
How often was the President of the Weimar elected?
7 years
What does proportional representation mean?
percentage of national vote = percentage of seats in parliament
What were the strengths of the Weimar Constitution?
most advanced democracy in Europe
Reichstag elected by proportional representation
right of free speech and religion
clear balanced system
Why is the clear balanced system in the Weimar a strength?
no group or person had too much power
president ; chancellor, reichstag
electorate ; president
Why did the Treaty of Versailles create challenges to the Weimar?
reparations
military restrictions
land taken
war guilt clause
What does diktat mean?
enforced peace
What does dolchstoss mean?
stab in the back
Who supported the Communists?
working class
Who supported the social democratic party?
working class
Who supported the democratic party?
middle class
Who supported Zentrum party?
catholics
Who supported the people’s party?
middle class
Who supported the National people’s party?
upper class
middle class
ex-soldiers
Who supported the nazis?
unemployed
ex-soldiers
middle class
upper class
How many political murders happened between 1919-1923?
350+
What was the purpose for the assassinations between 1919 and 1923?
eliminate those responsible for ToV
When was the Kapp Putsch?
March 1920
When was the Red Rising in the Ruhr?
March 1920
When was the Munich Putsch?
8-9 November 1923
How many right wing assassins were convicted?
none
Why were no right wing assassins convicted?
judges undermined Weimar
were sympathetic
How many left wing assassins were convicted?
10
When was Matthias Erzberger assassinated?
august 1921
How was Matthias Erzberger assassinated?
shot by right wing group
Why was Matthias Erzberger assassinated?
signed armistice
Who was involved in the Kapp Putsch?
Wolfgang Kapp
Freikorps
How many Freikorps took Berlin during the Kapp Putsch?
5000
Why did Kapp Putsch happen?
right wing
wanted land back from ToV
Why did the Kapp Putsch fail?
workers did not support right wing group
no gas, elec, trains or water
Why did Kapp fled after the Kapp Putsch?
it failed
Who was involved in the Red Rising in the Ruhr?
left wing workers
What happened during the Red Rising in the Ruhr?
left wing workers striked
took over towns
Why did the Red Rising in the Ruhr fail?
government sent freikorps
Who was involved in the Munich Putsch?
2000 nazis
How many stormtroopers were involved in the Munich Putsch?
600
What happened in the Munich Putsch?
short gun battle
What was the aim of the Munich Putsch?
overturn ToV
destroy communism
restore national glory
Why did the Munich Putsch fail?
Hitler and Lundendorff arrested
When did the French and Belgian troops invade the Ruhr?
January 1923
How many French and Belgian troops invaded the Ruhr?
6000
Why did the French and Belgian troops invade the Ruhr?
Germany late with instalment of reparations
How did the invasion of the Ruhr lead to hyperinflation?
passive resistance but continue to pay
print more money
workers spend
shopkeepers increase price
print more money
hyperinflation
Who benefited from hyperinflation?
people in debt
fixed rents
Who did not benefit from hyperinflation?
fixed pensions
savings
unaffordable
How much did a loaf of bread cost in 1918?
0.6 marks
How much did a loaf of bread cost in 1923?
201 billion marks
How much did an egg cost in 1914?
0.9 marks
How much did an egg cost in 1923?
320 billion marks
Who became Chancellor and foreign minister in august 1923?
Gustav Stressemann
When did Stressemann resign as Chancellor?
november 1923
What was the retenmark?
new currency
What were the strengths of the Rentenmark?
had a real value
ended hyperinflation
recovered German business
improved employment
What were the weaknesses of the Rentenmark?
people had lost lots of money
did not trust Weimar
What was the Dawes Plan?
US banks agreed to loan money
reparation reduced to 50 million a year
When was the Dawes plan?
1924
How much money did US banks loan Germany between 1924 and 1930?
25 billion dollars
What were the strengths of the Dawes plan?
reassured allies they would get money
French left Ruhr
industrial output doubled
What happened to industrial output as a result of the Dawes plan?
doubled
What did the allies feel about the Dawes plan?
reassured they would get money
What did the French do as a result of the Dawes plan?
left the Ruhr
What were the weaknesses of the Dawes plan?
fragile economy relying on US loans
extreme parties furious - Germany had agreed to pay at all
What was the Young Plan?
reduction of reparations
How much were reparations reduced by in the Young Plan?
from 6.6 billion to 2 billion
How much time did Germany get to pay reparations as a result of the Young Plan?
extra 59 years
When was the Young Plan?
1929
What were the strengths of the Young Plan?
lower reparations
lower taxes
French left Rhineland
increased confidence in WEIMAR
How did the Young Plan improve German industry?
lower taxes
public spending power
boosted German industry
+ more jobs
What were the weaknesses of the Young Plan?
extremist parties resented additional time
payments were still a lot
Why did extremist parties dislike the Young Plan?
pressure on Germany to pay reparations for a long time
Who signed the Locarno Pact?
France
Belgium
Germany
Italy
Britain
What did the Locarno Pact agree to?
Germany accepted new border with France
Rhineland permanently demilitarised
What were the strengths of the Locarno Pact?
made war less likely
Germany treated as equal
What did Stressemann receive as a result of the Locarno Pact?
nobel peace prize
What were the weaknesses of the Locarno Pact?
extremist parties hated that ToV borders had been accepted and confirmed
When did Germany join the LON?
1926
What were the strengths of Germany joining the LON?
given place on council - important
boosted confidence in Weimar
What were the weaknesses of Germany joining the LON?
league was a symbol of ToV which Germany wanted nothing to do with
Who signed the Kellogg-Briand Pact?
Germany and 61 countries
When was the Kellogg-Briand Pact signed?
1928
What were the strengths of the Kellogg Briand Pact?
germany included not dictated to
Weimar = stable
boosted confidence in Weimar
What were the weaknesses of the Kellogg Briand Pact?
did nothing to remove hatred terms of ToV
What was the aim of the Kellogg Briand Pact?
not to use war to achieve foreign policy aims
How much of the total possible workforce was unemployed in 1924?
4%
How many people were unemployed in 1926?
2 million
How many people were unemployed in 1928?
1.3 million
When was the Unemployment Insurance act?
1927
What did the unemployment insurance act do?
took 3% of wages from 16.4 million workers and provided 60 marks per week in unemployment and sickness benefits
What percentage of wages was taken in the unemployment insurance act?
3%
How many workers benefited from the unemployment insurance act?
16.4 million
How much did the workers receive per week from the unemployment insurance act?
60 marks
How much was the work week shortened by between 1925 and 1927?
50 hours->46 hours
How much did wages rise by between 1925 and 1928?
25%
When was rent tax introduced to fund building associations?
1925
What was the rent tax introduced to fund building associations?
15%
How many homes were built between 1925 and 1929 by private building companies?
37,000
How many houses were built between 1925 and 1929 by building associations?
64,000
When was the Reich Pension Law introduced?
1920
Who benefited from the Reich Pension Law?
war veterans
war widows
parents of dead servicemen
How many people were in education in 1928 compared with 1914?
70,000 in 1914
110,000 in 1928
How many women were working in 1918 compared to in 1925?
1918 - 75%
1925 - 36%
What happened to part time work for women between 1924 and 1929?
increased
What did teaching and medicine offer to women?
new opportunities
What were women encouraged to do between 1924 and 1929?
go to university
What did greater earning power mean for women between 1924 and 1929?
more independence
Who disliked the social change in women’s lives?
men and some women who felt tradition was eroding
How did some women feel about new opportunities and freedoms between 1924 and 1929?
daunting
challenging
How did conservatives and traditionalists feel about new opportunities and freedoms between 1924 and 1929?
should concentrate on being wives and motherhood
What did some people blame on the new opportunities and freedoms between 1924 and 1929?
economic instability
What caused energy towards art and culture in the 1920s?
imperial regime removed
weimar was democratic - freedom
economic recovery created wealth
What was new objectivism?
idea that art should show realistic view including poverty
What was modernism?
idea that art should
embrace future and change
What was expressionism?
idea that art should reflect thoughts and feelings
What was the Bauhaus movement?
style that stressed beauty in technology, simple line and craftsmanship
Who as the head of the bauhas design college?
Walter Gropius
How did government support lead to spread of art and culture?
gave grants to support art galleries, theatres, orchestras, museums and libraries
Give examples of art during the Golden age
avant garde
Otto Dix
George Grosz
What does avant garde mean?
critical of current events
Give examples of literature in the Golden Age
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Remarque
