Early Weimar Germany 1919-1924

Question 1

Government structure of the Weimar Republic

Answer 1

The President was elected every 7 years, using Article 38 he could make laws without consulting the reichstag; the Chancellor was appointed by the President and he had to be supported by the majority of the Reichstag

Question 2

Reichstag structure of the Weimar Republic

Answer 2

The Reichstag was elected every 4 years, proportional representation meant that even small parties were represented in the reichstag, anyone over 21 could vote, there were 17 local governments

Question 3

When was the Communist uprising in Bavaria?

Answer 3

Early 1919

Question 4

What happened at the Communist uprising in Bavaria?

Answer 4

Bavaria was an independent socialist state run by Kurt Eisner, who was murdered in February 1919, so Communists declared a soviet republic. The Freikorps went in in May and 600 Communists were killed

Question 5

When did the Kaiser abdicate and where did he go?

Answer 5

9th November 1918 and escaped to the Netherlands

Question 6

Which party was Friedrich Ebert the leader of?

Answer 6

SDP (the largest party in the reichstag at the end of WW1)

Question 7

When was the Spartacist uprising and who was it led by?

Answer 7

January 1919 and Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknect

Question 8

What happened at the Spartacist uprising?

Answer 8

The Spartacists joined rebel soldiers and set up soviets in towns- they disagreed with Ebert’s plans for democracy/ The Freikorps went in and Luxemburg and Liebknect were killed

Question 9

What happened during the Communist uprising of 1920?

Answer 9

Police, army and Freikorps clashed with Communists, there were 2,000 casualties

Question 10

When was the Kapp Putsch?

Answer 10

March 1920

Question 11

What happened during the Kapp Putsch?

Answer 11

Wolfgang Kapp, supported by the army and the police, led the Freikorps and marched into Berlin to seize power. The government fled to Dresden, but the Berlin workers went on strike, resulting in failure for the putsch

Question 12

When were the ToV reparations announced?

Answer 12

April 1921

Question 13

When did Germany pay its first reparations installment, and how much was it?

Answer 13

April 1921, it was £50 million

Question 14

What happened about Germany’s second reparations installment?

Answer 14

It was not paid (1922), France insisted on the money

Question 15

What happened in January 1923?

Answer 15

French and Belgian soldiers entered the Ruhr and took money in the form of raw materials- this was legal under the ToV (80% of Germany’s coal was in the Ruhr)

Question 16

What did the workers do in response to the Invasion of the Ruhr?

Answer 16

They responded with passive resistance; the soldiers opened fire on them. The Government ordered a strike and printed off more money to pay off debts

Question 17

How many were killed in the Invasion of the Ruhr?

Answer 17

Over 100 workers

Question 18

What happened as a result of the government printing more money?

Answer 18

Hyperinflation- as more money was in circulation, people rose the prices of goods and wages; money became worthless, for example in 1918 a loaf of bread cost 0.6 marks and in November 1923 it cost 201,000 million marks

Question 19

When did Gustav Stresemann become Chancellor of Germany?

Answer 19

1923

Question 20

How did Stresemann solve hyperinflation?

Answer 20

1. He called off passive resistance in the Ruhr 2. He made everyone hand in their marks 3. He handed out a new currency (the Rentenmark) 4. He negotiated the Dawes Plan 5. He renegotiated the reparations

Question 21

How did the Weimar Republic manage to survive for so long?

Answer 21

1. There were still people willing to be Chancellor 2. People still supported ministers and MPs 3. People still wanted improvement, so supported the Reichstag 4. The government had the Freikorps as an ally 5. It was better than before 6. The government acted quickly and effectively against rebellions 7. Opponents were weak- Communists never got more than 15% in the Reichstag 8. New governments in Britain and France (1924) were sympathetic

Question 22

When was Gustav Stresemann the Foreign Minister?

Answer 22

1924-1929

Question 23

What was Stresemann’s aims as FM?

Answer 23

Fulfilment- making Germany look more powerful e.g. end allied control of the Ruhr and Rhineland, change terms of ToV

Question 24

What were the foreign policy aims 1924-1929?

Answer 24

1. Restore Germany’s prosperity 2. Avoid fighting with France and UK 3. Trade with France, UK and US 4. Change the ToV due to the countries seeing Germany as an economic asset

Question 25

What and when was the Dawes Plan?

Answer 25

It was agreed in 1924 and it helped spread the reparations payments out. The USA also loaned Germany 800 marks to help industry

Question 26

What did the Young Plan do?

Answer 26

It removed troops from the Rhineland