chapter 4 - political instability and extremism 1919-24

Question 1

political assassinations
hugo haase

Answer 1

uspd member
member of council of peoples commissars
shot infront of the reichstag in october 1919
died of his wounds a month later

Question 2

political assassinations

Answer 2

violence continued as right wing nationalists organised themselves into leagues
often formed out of old freikorps units
very powerful
supported by members of the army

Question 3

political assassinations
erzberger

Answer 3

former finance minister
assassinated in the black forest
led delegation for signing of the armistice
signed tov
after he was buried —> widow received abusive letters

Question 4

number of political assassinations between 1919-23

Answer 4

376
22 - left
354 - right

Question 5

political assassinations
rathenau

Answer 5

24 june 1922
4 assassins from organisation consul shot and threw a grenade at him
crimes - to be a jew and leading minister in republican government
participated in signing of tov and negotiated with allies to try improve the tov
next day - 700,000 protestors lines streets of berlin

Question 6

challenge from the left
spartacist uprising

Answer 6

5th jan 1919
leaders - karl liebknecht and rose luxemburg
in berlin to overthrow eberts government and set up communist regime
poorly supported
ebert relied on army to put down the revolt
groener used new freikorps

13 jan - uprising had been crushed after brutal street fighting
liebknecht and luxemburg executed

Question 7

challenge from the right
kapp putsch

Answer 7

1920
gov had to put terms of tov into effect
jan 1920 - reduce size of army and disband freikorps
gustvav noske - ordered 2 freikorps units (12,000 men ) to disband
General Walther von Lüttwitz refused to disband one the gov ordered his arrest
decided to march troops to berlin in protest
supported by wolfgang kapp who intended on organising a putsch
ebert called army to crush the putch
seeckt told ebert ‘tropps dont fire on troops’
berlin brought to a standstill
trade unions encouraged by socialist members of eberts government called a general strike
berlin brought to a standstill
putsch collapsed within 4 days
kapp and lüttwitz forced to flee
eberts gov returned

Question 8

what did the kapp putsch show

Answer 8

army not to be trusted
civil servants could be disloyal
workers as a group could show their power
weimar government was weak

Question 9

number of coalitions between feb 1919 and nov 1923

Answer 9

no less than 10

Question 10

beer hall putsch

Answer 10

munich
nov 1923 - hitler made bid to seize power
secured support of ludendorff and set out to win support of gustav ritter von kahr and otto von lossow, local army commander

8th november - burst into a beer hall in munich
addressing a meeting of 2000
surrounded it by SA
announced revolution had begun
kahr and von lossow persuaded to agree to plan to march on berlin and install ludendorff as commander in chief
support evaporated overnight

9th november - clear hitlers plan had failed
still went ahead with march on munich
gun battle with police
hitler fell and dislocated his shoulder
fled but was captured the next day
ludendorff walked straight up to the police and allowed himself to be arrested