CHAPTER 6- SOCIAL AND CULTURAL DEVELOPMENTS

Question 1

What did the Weimar Constitution give the Germans?

Answer 1

Rights
Freedom
Opportunities
Greater equality.

Question 2

What were the reactions to the change in social and cultural developments in the Weimar Period?

Answer 2

Conflict between those who challenged traditional values because they wanted modernity vs the traditional people who resisted these changes in an attempt of preserve traditional values and social stability.

Question 3

What were the 3 social welfare reforms in the Weimar Period?

Answer 3

1924- Public Assistance system- help for poor and destitute modernised.
1925- State Accident Insurance System- to help those injure at work and extended to cover suffering from occupational diseases.
1927- National Unemployment Insurance System- provided benefits for unemployed financed from workers and employers contributions.

Question 4

Was the 3 social welfare reforms successful?

Answer 4

No, it promised more than it dlivered.

Question 5

Why were the SWR very expensive?

Answer 5

1926- state was supporting 800k disabled war veterans, 360k war widows and over 900k war orphans.
1927- Old age pensions.
1927- Unemployment benefits
WS needed a large and an expensive bureaucracy to administer it.

Question 6

What was done to try and reduce the cost of the SWRs?

Answer 6

1924- Taxes increased, however there was a limit as to how much the upper class paid taxes.

Question 7

What are Means tests?

Answer 7

A check on financial circumstances of a benefit claimant to confirm their eligibility.

Question 8

How did people feel about the Means Test? What did it lead to?

Answer 8

Humiliated and insulted hence undermined their trust in the Weimar GOVT.

Question 9

For the majority, did living standards improve?

Answer 9

Yes.

Question 10

For which groups did living standards improve and why?

Answer 10

Powerful trade unions- able to increase wages.

Business Owners and employees- improved trading system.

Question 11

For which groups did living standards not improve and why?

Answer 11

Those dependant on welfare benefits were less well off however were prevented from abject poverty.
Those who had lost their savings during the hyperinflation of 1923.
Farmers had poor trading conditions and low prices hence income fell.
Those living outside of Berlin.

Question 12

What was the ‘new woman’ portrayed as?

Answer 12

Free, independent, sexually liberated and increasingly visible in public life.

Question 13

What did the Weimar GOVT offer women?

Answer 13

Equal voting rights- age 20 for both men and women
Access to education.
Equal opportunities in civil service.
Equal rights to pay.
More job due to WWI.

Question 14

What was the extent of change for the position of women in Germany?

Answer 14

Position changed to a very small extent.

Question 15

What code was still enforced about women? What did it state?

Answer 15

Civil Code of 1896- Husband would decide whether their wife should undertake paid employment and they also decided on all family life matters.

Question 16

What was the most popular women’s group in the 1920’s? How many members did it have? What did they believe?

Answer 16

BDF- 900k members

Promoted traditional family values and maternal responsibilities.

Question 17

Where did the BDF echo their values from?

Answer 17

Conservative political parties.

Churches.

Question 18

In terms of employment for women what were the myths?

Answer 18

Constitution gave them greater equality in employment rights.
By 1925- 36% of the workforce were women.
By 1933- 100k women teachers and 3000 doctors.

Question 19

In terms of sexual freedom for women what were the myths?

Answer 19

Birth control became more widely available.
Birth rate declined.
Divorce rated increased.
Rise in abortions- by 1930- 1M a year

Question 20

In terms of politics and public life what were the myths?

Answer 20

Women gained equal voting rights.
Women had the right to become Reichstag deputies.
1919- 41 women elected to the Reichstag.
German Reichstag had a higher proportion of female deputies than the British HOC.
Women were very active in local GOVT.

Question 21

What was the reality of employment for women?

Answer 21

Demobilisation laws- forced to leave jobs after the war so ex soldiers could get their jobs back.
Required to give up their job if married.
Paid much less than men doing equivalent work.
Married women who had jobs were attacked- ‘double earners’ and blamed for male unemployment.
Campaigns enforced by conservative parties for their dismissal^^.

Question 22

What was the reality of the sexual freedom for women?

Answer 22

Abortion was a criminal offence- often performed by unqualified.
In 1930- 10-12k deaths from it each year.
Decline in birth rate attacked by conservative press- ‘threatened health of nation and existence of the race’.
Church highly against abortion, divorce and contraception.
Many were members of the church congregations.

Question 23

What was the reality of politics and public life for women?

Answer 23

No female reps in the Reichsrat.
No woman became a cabinet member.
No political party had a female leader.
Only the KPD made gender equality a key element in its values but it was the least appealing party.
CCC gained the most from female suffrage.
In Protestant areas most female voters voted for the DNVP and the DVP (no feminist support/conservative)

Question 24

Who was Clara Zetkin?

Answer 24

KPD member.
Lead campaigner for women’s rights.
Organised the first IWD in 1911.
Blamed capitalism for reduction the status of women.

Question 25

Who was Marianne Weber?

Answer 25

1919- Joined the DDP and was the first woman to be elected to state legislature in Baden.

Question 26

Who was Marie Juchacz?

Answer 26

The first woman to make a speech in any legislative body in Germany.
Served as Reichstag deputy from 1919-1933.
1908- joined the SPD and became the first female party members.

Question 27

Overall how true was the idea of the new woman?

Answer 27

De juro had more rights.
De facto most women did not affect from the new rights only the middle class did.