Economic and social issues in early Weimar

Question 1

How did the German government finance their war effort?

Answer 1

Borrowing

Question 2

How did the German government expect to pay off their wartime debts?

Answer 2

By imposing reparations on the countries they thought they would defeat

Question 3

Did the Germans impose massive reparations on Russia at Brest-Litovsk?

Answer 3

Yes

Question 4

What level of debt did the new Weimar government inherit in 1919?

Answer 4

1.44bn marks

Question 5

Had unemployment in Weimar Germany been massively reduced by 1921?

Answer 5

Yes (1.8%)

Question 6

How far did prices rise 1918-19?

Answer 6

They doubled

Question 7

By 1920 how many times higher were prices than 1913 levels?

Answer 7

14 times higher

Question 8

Which Chancellor allowed prices to rise?

Answer 8

Fehrenbach

Question 9

Why were prices allowed to rise?

Answer 9

It lessened the government’s debt and industrialists took out short term loans which were made cheaper by inflation

Question 10

What did unchecked inflation result in?

Answer 10

Hyperinflation in 1923

Question 11

What reparations figure did the Reparations Commission impose on Germany in 1921?

Answer 11

132 billion gold marks (£6.6bn)

Question 12

What was the policy of the new Weimar cabinet under Chancellor Wirth?

Answer 12

Fulfilment…and an aim of revision (changing) of Versailles

Question 13

Did Fehrenbach’s cabinet resign in protest at the level of reparations in 1921?

Answer 13

Yes

Question 14

How had the Treaty of Versailles hindered the Germans’ ability to pay?

Answer 14

Coal producing areas taken away, merchant ships confiscated

Question 15

How much of German GNP was £6.6bn?

Answer 15

2%

Question 16

When did 100,000 French and Belgian troops invade the Ruhr to force reparations to be paid?

Answer 16

January 1923

Question 17

What reaction to the Invasion of the Ruhr did Chancellor Cuno order?

Answer 17

Passive resistance

Question 18

By how much had production in the Ruhr fallen by May 1923?

Answer 18

80%

Question 19

The government continued to pay workers in the Ruhr but lost tax revenue. How did it respond?

Answer 19

Printed more money

Question 20

By November 15 how many marks were needed to buy one US dollar?

Answer 20

4,200,000,000,000

Question 21

Who was one of the winners during hyperinflation?

Answer 21

Businessman Hugo Stinnes ‘king of the Ruhr’

Question 22

High level of spending on what exacerbated hyperinflation?

Answer 22

Welfare

Question 23

Which groups of people were badly hit by hyperinflation?

Answer 23

Which groups of people were badly hit by hyperinflation? Pensioners, mittelstand, those who had lent money to the government, those with savings

Question 24

Which groups of people did well out of hyperinflation?

Answer 24

Those with debts, big businessmen with loans, black marketeers