Chapter 6 (NOT FINAL) Flashcards
What social welfare reform happened in 1924?
The Public Assistance system was modernised, providing help to the poor and destitute.
When was the Public Assistance system modernised?
1924
What social welfare reform happened in 1927?
A national unemployment insurance system was introduced to provide benefits to the unemployed.
When was the national unemployment insurance system introduced?
1927
What were the two issues with the social welfare reforms made under the Weimar Republic?
- It was very expensive.
- It required a very large and expensive bureaucracy to administer it.
How many disabled war veterans was the state supporting by 1926?
800,000
Why did people on benefits feel humiliated and less inclined to support the Weimar Republic?
- Means testing was tightened.
- Snoopers were used to check that claimants were not cheating the system.
- There were delays in paying the benefits.
What happened to the living standards of millions of Germans between 1924-28?
They improved.
What was the ‘new woman’?
The symbol of the way women’s lives changed during the Weimar years.
What was the ‘new woman’ portrayed as?
- Free
- Independent
- Sexually liberated
- Visible in public life
What had the Weimar Constitution given women?
- Equal voting rights
- Equal access to education
- Equal pay
How had the First World War changed women’s position in society?
- Over 2 million German men had died, meaning women could not follow the traditional path of marriage.
- During the war many women had entered the workforce while the men were away fighting, and were not about to give those jobs up easily.
What law remained in force during Weimar which undermined women’s independence?
The Civil Code of 1896
What did the Civil Code of 1896 state?
That in a marriage, the husband had the right to decide on all matters concerning family life, including whether his wife should be in paid employment.
What was the most popular women’s group in the 1920s?
The League of German Women (BDF)
What is the BDF?
The League of German Women
How many members did the BDF have?
900,000
What did the BDF support?
Traditional family values - definitely not the ‘new woman’.
How much of the German workforce were women in 1925?
36%
How many women teachers were there by 1933?
100,000
How many women doctors were there by 1933?
3000
What were ‘demobilisation’ laws?
Laws after the war that required women to give up their jobs to ex-soldiers.
What were many women required to do once they married?
Leave their job.
What were women who continued to work after getting married called?
They were attacked as ‘double-earners’ and blamed for male unemployment.
What happened to the birth rate during the Weimar period?
It decline due to wider availability of birth control.
What happened to divorce rates during Weimar years?
They increased
How many abortions were there by 1930?
1 million a year
Although the abortion rate increased, why was this still part of the ‘myth’ of the new woman?
Because abortion remained illegal and was performed by unqualified people.
Who opposed birth control?
The Catholic and Protestant churches
How many women were elected to the Reichstag in 1919?
41
What did the Reichstag have a higher proportion of women than?
The House of Commons
How many women were in the Reichsrat?
None
How many women cabinet members were there?
None
Who was Clara Zetkin?
KPD member of the Reichstag from 1920 to 1933.
How were young people viewed in Weimar Germany?
As breaking free from the constraints of family, school, and religion, turning to a life of crime and anti-social behaviour.
What were children expected to do if they failed to get into a Gymnasium school?
Leave school at 14 and begin an apprenticeship or employment.
Why were those children that left school at 14 disadvantaged?
There were fewer apprenticeships and jobs to be had.
Who was disproportionately affected by the rise in unemployment after 1924?
Young people who were the most expendable.
What proportion of the unemployed were aged between 14-21 in 1925?
17%
With no education or work to pursue, where did young people turn?
Working-class youths living in cities joined gangs to find comradeship, support and adventure that was otherwise lacking.
Who were the Wandervogel?
A non-political youth group of mainly middle-class boys who hated industrialisation.
What activities did the Wandervogels do?
They wanted to get out of big cities and spent much time hiking in forests, swimming in lakes, and camping.
What was the goal of church youth groups?
Instil a respect for the church, family, and school.
When was the Social Democratic Youth movement established?
1925
What youth group had the most members during Weimar?
The Social Democratic Youth movement.
How many members did the Hitler Youth have by 1929?
13,000
How did German Jews see themselves?
As more German than Jewish and were intensely patriotic.
What proportion of private banks were owned by Jews?
50%
What proportion of the entire banking sector was Jewish owned in the 1920s?
18%
What proportion of lawyers were Jewish?
16%
What percentage of doctors were Jewish?
11%
What proportion of the total population were Jewish?
Just 1%
What had many Jews done?
Assimilated into German society, marrying non-Jewish spouses and even converting to Christianity.
What was Jewish Bolshevism?
The term used to imply that Jews and communists were closely linked and represented a danger.
What was there a fear of between 1918 and 1924 with regards to Jews?
Jewish Bolshevism
When was the Barmat scandal?
1925
What was the Barmat scandal?
A high-profile court case in which three Barmat brothers were found guilty of having bribed public officials to abstain loans from the Prussian State Bank.
What movement in German art dominated in Weimar?
Expressionism, which sought to express meaning and emotion rather than the traditional physical reality.
What sort of music did Arnold Schoenberg create?
He created classical music that was ‘atonal’, and sounded harsh and lacks harmony is the view of traditionalists.
When was the Bauhaus founded?
1919, by Walter Gropius
How was American Jazz music, that gained much popularity during the golden age, viewed by traditionalists?
As morally degenerate
