Ebert

Question 1

Spartacist Uprising

Answer 1

January 1919
Took over the government’s newspaper and telegraph bureau and tried to organise a general strike in Berlin
Government sent Freikorps to stop revolt
Spartacists leaders shot
Spartacists now called KPD disliked Ebert’s moderate approach and wanted power given to the workers councils (leaders Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg)
Problems began when Ebert fired USPD police chief and they took over SPD newspaper office in retaliation
Fighting broke out between Spartacists and Amy reinforced by Freikorps
Army brutally suppressed the uprising and killed leaders
By 15th January uprising had ended
Caused division in socialist party - USPD could not forgive SPD for allowing some of its members to be killed by Freikorps and men charged with murder of Spartacist leaders traded leniently due to right winged judge, one escaped unpunished and the other got 2 months in prison
Elections gave decisive win to Ebert
March 1919 another attempt to overthrow government crushed
Bavaria surrendered
Marxists suggest Germany came very close to a true revolution but others wonder whether the situation was really revolutionary

Question 2

Kapp Putsch

Answer 2

March 2020
Freikorps troops marched on Berlin because they feared unemployment
The Weimar Government fled
They ordered trade unions to go on strike
The kapp couldn’t rule and fled
The ministers returned
General Walter van Lütttwitz and journalist Wolfgang Kapp lead 12000 troops into Berlin and declared a new government
Weimar government forced to retreat to Dresden
Ebert called on the army but they refused saying ‘troops don not fire on troops’
Uncoordinated
Government called on workers to strike
Putsch collapsed within 4 days and government returned to the capital
Highlighted weakness of governments authority
Rebells treated leniently
This encouraged other strikes all over the country

Question 3

Treaty of Versailles

Answer 3

November 1918
First major decision taken by Ebert government
Treaty of Versailles became big burden for the country
‘November Criminals’
‘Stab in the back’

Question 4

Invasion of the Ruhr/Hyperinflation

Answer 4

Positives:
Farmers benefitted as they were paid more for food
Some people and businesses could pay off loans and mortgages
Fixed rents for rooms or shops became very cheap
Foreign visitors could buy more for their money

Negatives:
Some people could not afford essentials like bread
Wages rose but not as quickly as prices
Some people went bankrupt (rich people)
People with fixed or monthly income suffered most
Savings became worthless (affected middle class)
People blamed the Weimar government which made it more unpopular