End of WW1 - 1919 Flashcards
What were some of the economic terms of the treaty of Versailles?
-£6.6 billion reperations
- Saarland coal mines to the Allies
- lost 75% iron, 68% zinc, 26% coal
- 13% of territory lost
- lost 15% of arable land
What were some Military terms of the treaty of Versailles?
- Army limited to 100,000
- No tanks
- 6 Battleships
- Navy could only have 15,000 men
- No poison gas, submarines, armoured cars
What were some of the territorial terms of the Treaty Of Versailles?
- Left bank of the Rhine and 50km strip on right bank demilitarised
- 70 000km^2 gone
- Austria forbidden to unite with Germany
- Lost Memel to Lithuania
- Land reduced by 12% - had ethnic germans
- Lost Upper Silesia to Poland
What was the war guilt clause in the Treaty Of Versailles?
- Article 231
- Kaiser and Germany went on trial for war crimes
What are some ways the Treaty of Versailles can be justified?
- Could’ve been worse if Clemenceau had more control, he would ensure Germany wouldn’t become a threat.
- Germany wasn’t punished as severely as Germany punished Russia in the treaty of Brest-Litovsk in March 1918 ; only USPD voted against this
What happened on the 3rd of November 1918?
Sailors Mutiny, which spread to the city and workers/soldiers councils
What happened on the 8th November 1918?
Republic proclaimed in Bavaria
What happened on the 9th November 1918?
SPD called on workers in Berlin to join General Strike to force Kaiser to abdicate, and when he resigned, Friedrich Ebert became chancellor (leader of spd)
Later, General Groener told the Kaiser that the army wouldnt fight for him anymore, kaiser lost control and had no choice
What was the Ebert-Groener pact?
Ebert’s Motiv: wanted to protect government from communists to keep peace
Ebert’s outcome: The army protected him
General Groener’s motiv: Wanted to keep his position and for the army to keep their power
General Groener’s Outcome: Kept his position.
Who was Hindenburg? What did he do?
- Born 1847 and died 1934
- Served in Austro-Prussian war 1866 and the Franco German war 1870-71
- Ludendorff drove Russian invasion force from East Prussia - Hindenburg received nations applause
- Got promoted to field marshal
- The duo starved Britain with unrestricted submarine warfare
- They drew US into war and let Ludendorff take blame
- After republican Government, he directed the withdrawal of forces from France
- Suppressed Left Radical risings
Who was Ludendorff and what did he do?
- Responsible for defeat of Russian forces in WW1
- Responsible for Germany’s Military policy and strategy
- Was nationalist and right wing
- Ran against Hindenburg in 1925 for president
- Was a Nazi member from 1924 to 1928
Who was Ebert?
- Central, part of SPD
- Not revolutionary
- Trade Union background
- Not an elite
- Not a landowner
- SPD was left wing - closer towards it
- SPD had more in common with communism and they both had worse backgrounds
- DMVPs and Nationalists were a bigger threat
What are some political challenges that Ebert faced?
- Opposition and unenthusiastic reactions as people believed Ebert caused the defeat of the war
- Communists wanted revolution and argued against Ebert’s plan (Spartacists)
- In Bavaria, Kurt Eisner was murdered and the Soviet Republic was declared
- 600 communists killed which created bitterness
- Violent opposition from the right wing and assassinations were frequent
What were the social challenges that Ebert faced?
- People believed he “stabbed germany in the back”
- He took the blame for the Treaty and Weimar Republic
- People disliked socialists
What were some of the economic challenges that Ebert faced?
- Reparations were 2% of annual output
- 1923 Ruhr Invasion
- Hyperinflation
What was the impact of War when Ebert was in control?
- No air force
- Reduced army
- Lost 10% land
- lost overseas colonies
-16% of coal and 48% of iron industry lost - Kaiser left
List the problems that Ebert faced
- His government lacked legitimacy and they had to establish a new consitution
- His authority didn’t reach further than Berlin
- People rebelled and used violence
- Constant strikes and unhappy soldiers
- Hunger and flu and epidemics
Why would burgfrieden give more stability? And did everyone support it?
- It would mean less arguments over politics and laws would be passed quickly
- No, Karl Liebknecht was against it and was arrested, However in the minority
What was Parliamentary Democracy?
A system whereby parliament decides what happens and parliament is elected by the people
What happened towards the end of September 1918?
- Ludendorff persuades Kaiser to hand over power to civilian government based on Reichstag
- Germany becomes virtual parliamentary democracy , constitutional monarchy
What happened on the 3rd October?
Prince Max of Baden becomes chancellor
What did Ludendorff aim to do after the war ended?
- Secure peace terms with Allies
- Blame for end of the war to be on government
- Government who signed armistice but not army for their mistakes during fighting
Why might the creation of democracy reach better peace terms?
Woodrow wilson keen on spreading democracy
Allies disliked military style rule in Germany
Why might the creation of democracy reach better peace terms?
Woodrow wilson keen on spreading democracy
Allies disliked military style rule in Germany
How did politicians feel about the New republic?
Disliked + felt ‘stabbed in the back’
Why was the new government restricted?
Army, judiciary ( rule of law), civil service maintained their place in society
What happened in March 1920?
Kapp Putsch -> right wing Freikorps marched into Berlin, took control of key buildings and stopped by general strike
What date did the Kaiser abdicate?
9th Nov 1918
What date was the Armistice signed?
11th Nov 1918
What date was the Ebert-Groener pact signed?
10th Nov 1918
How did the left wing feel about the Ebert Groener agreement?
Betrayed; hoped to abolish influence of aristocratic elites, break up army, civil service, judiciary, and nationalise key industries
What events did the Peace Note trigger?
Strikes and mutinies e.g. Kiel mutiny 3rd Nov 1918
How could the proclamation of socialist republic in Bavaria be seen as turning point in German revolution?
Convinced Prince Max of Baden that he lost control of government + should pass it to Ebert to control
What is Constituent Assembly?
Elected body with specific task of drawing up new constitution
What happened on the 6th December 1918?
A Spartacist demonstration in Berlin- fired on by soldiers killing 16 people
What happened on the 8th Nov 1918?
A republic declared in Bavaria and Bavarian monarchy was deposed
What happened on the 10th nov 1918?
Kaiser Wilhelm leaves Germany + heads for Holland
What happened in October 1918?
Series of reforms introduced by government
Gave Reichstag more power
Put army under control of government not Kaiser
Reforms used to keep Kaiser in place
What happened on 3rd Oct?
Prince max wrote to Wilson asking for armistice
Wilson demanded Germany evacuate all occupied territory, call end to submarine warfare + fully democratise their political system
Shows Germany lost war + shocks people
What happened on the 22nd Nov 1918?
Strike in Friedrichshafen, workers shouted ‘The Kaiser is a scoundrel’ and ‘Up with the
German Republic.’’
What happened on the 28th Oct 1918?
Naval mutiny at Wilhemshaven , where the crew refused to obey orders to attack British ships in the English Channel.
What happened 9th Nov 1918?
- Kaiser abdicates
- Prince max releases statement about this
- Resigned as Chancellor
- Phillip Scheidemann declared that a
German Republic now existed.
What happened 8th November 1918
Major riots in
Cologne, Dortmund, Essen, Berlin,
Stuttgart, Dresden, Leipzig.
What happened 4th Nov 1918
Cities revolt and set up soldiers councils.
By 6th November, workers councils were springing up allover Germany. It seemed to many that Germany was on the verge of a
communist revolution.
What deal was made between the industrialists and trade union representatives?
The ‘Central working association’. This set up workers committees to campaign for more rights, an eight hour day and arbitration- a neutral observer to settle industrial disputes.
Why were the Industrialists willing to make this deal?
worried about losing money due to increasing workers unrest
worried about communist revolution
Describe how the new caretaker government was organised:
- 3 members SPD and USPD
- vote that called for constituent assembly rather than use of workers councils to make constitution
Evidence to support the new government had support of Workers and soldiers councils:
They supported the caretaker government
Why was the legacy of the First World War a problem and the impacts?
- Growth in government debt + inflation
- Unexpected defeat
- Myth of Stab in the Back
- Treaty Of Versailles
impacts: - Weimar regime printed too much money
- Groups on fixed income = discontented
- Weimar associated with national humiliation
- November criminals blamed
Why was the Nature of the German Revolution a problem and the impacts?
- SPD governments suppression of communist uprising Jan 1919
- Ebert and Groener deal
- Un revolutionary revolution
impacts: - Two main left wing parties divided
- Influential social groups/institutions hostile to democracy not removed from positions of power
What happened 3rd November 1918?
- November revolution
Kiel, 3rd of november sailors took control of bazes
