Culture and society - Were the years 1924-1929 a period of social change?

Question 0

What was written in the constitution about welfare?

Answer 0

o The family lay at the centre of German life. It was up to the adults to looks after their young children.
o Religious freedom was guaranteed.
o Economic life was mentioned and included respect for private property, building new housing and employee protection.

Question 1

The constitution and a welfare state:

Answer 1

• The proposed welfare provision was to be paid for via increased taxation.
• Some of the aims were not achieved because they lacked funds.
• The need for a welfare state was increased due to the impact of the war.
• The Reich relief law and serious disability laws passed in 1920.

Question 2

Housing and public health:

Answer 2

• Public spending on housing grew rapidly in the 20s.
• By 1929 the state was spending 33x more on housing than in 1913. Between 1927 and 1930 300,000 new houses had been built.
• Better health insurance meant better medical provisions and reduction of death from certain diseases.

Question 3

Women

Answer 3

• Amount of women who worked out of the home roughly stayed the same as before 1914, they also did similar jobs.
• There was a growing change in new areas of employment such as the civil service and teaching.
• There was also an increase in the number of workers on the assembly line.
• Attitudes towards women working remained conservative. Most the women who were doing ‘mens jobs’ during the war gave it up after.

Question 4

Doppelverdiener?

Answer 4

• Condemnation of the so called Doppelverdiener (second earners) increased after 1914 when rationalisation saw some off.

Question 5

1932 law about women and the civil service

Answer 5

• 1932 – Law governing the legal status of female civil servants was passed. This made possible the dismissed of women working in the civil service who were second earners.

Question 6

The Youth:

Answer 6

• Weimar state intervened in an attempt to improve the upbringing of the nation’s children.
• Reich Youth Law of 1922 claimed the right of all children to a decent upbringing
• Such a claim was difficult to fulfil – youth crime and rehabilitation of young offenders was covered by the Reich Youth law and the Reich Juvenile Court law of 1923.

Question 7

The development of ‘Modern Weimar culture’

Answer 7

• The years 1924-1929 saw development of a style which was unique to the Weimar; that of Neue Sachlichkiet.
• Architecture and other art forms were dominated by the Bauchaus Movement.
• Theatre and cinema in the mid 20s were dominated by plays that reflected social issues.
• Alienation of the Weimar was a common feature of writing from both the left and right.