CREATION OF A REPUBLIC - The Council of People's Representatives Flashcards
When was the CoPR set up?
10 November 1918
What was CoPR?
new gov led by the socialist groups that held power in the Reichstag
Most significant parties in the CoPR?
Social Democrats (SPD) led by Friedrich Ebert
Independent Social Democrats (USPD) led by Hugo Haase
Who became chancellor of the CoPR?
Ebert became chancellor with a cabinet of SPD and USPD member
What did the new gov do about its inherited problems?
Ebert was forced to make the Ebert-Groener Pact with the amy
What was the Ebert-Groener Pact?
Army would support Ebert’s gov as long as the gov opposed the more left-wing ideas of parties in the Reichstag
What did the SPD and USPD want to do when they came to power?
they didn’t agree
SPD - Ebert wanted to hold general elections asap + leave signif changes to the newly elected National Assembly that would write the new constitution
USPD - Haase wanted social + econ reforms asap and wanted nothing to do with army until it was reformed
What steps did the new gov actually take?
First, stopped the war
- 11 November armistice signed by Matthias Erzberger of the German delegation
When the armistice was signed what did the Allies tell the Germans?
The Allies told the Germans they couldn’t take part in treaty negotiations - humiliating for G
What happened during humiliation?
Parties began to form + re-form
+
Gov made social reforms
- 8 hour working days
- independent trade unions
- help for ex-soldier to find work
- unemployment benefits
When were the elections?
19 January 1919
What happened to relations between SPD and USPD?
rift between SPD and USPD over how radical their policies should be became so great that its council members resigned
What party did many ex-USPD members join?
German Communist Party - KPD
