Establishment And Early Years Of The Weimar Republic

Question 1

When did the Kaiser abdicate

Answer 1

9th November 1918

Question 2

What is an armistice

Answer 2

An agreement to suspend fighting in order to allow a peace treaty to be negotiated

Question 3

What were Woodrow Wilson’s 14 points

Answer 3

Wilson devised 14 points as a means of dealing fairly with the aftermath of war

Question 4

What are some of the points in the fourteen points

Answer 4

There were some specific to Germany such as the return of Alcase Lorraine to the French
However there were some general ones such as the establishment of the League of Nations

Question 5

What were the ‘October reforms’

Answer 5

A series of reforms by the Kaiser to end his autocratic rule

Question 6

What were the features of the October reforms

Answer 6

-Prince max of Baden appointed as chancellor
-Chancellor responsible for Reichstag and established new goverment based on majority parties in the Reichstag
-Armed forces put under the control of the civil goverment

Question 7

What did the October reforms lead to

Answer 7

They were a major constitutional change,However led to a ‘revolution from above’ where the German Goverment was restructured to make the Kaiser and Chancellor accountable to the Reichstag

Question 8

What was the ‘peace note’

Answer 8

A letter from Prince Max to president Wilson asking for an armistice

Question 9

What was the allies response to the ‘peace note’

Answer 9

They demanded that for an armistice to happen Germany must evacuate all occupied territory,end submarine warfare and fully democratise its political system

Question 10

After the allies demands after the peace note what did Ludendorff do

Answer 10

Due to these demands essentially demanding a German surrender and the Kaiser Abdication,Ludendorff attempted to gather a last ditch millitary effort to resist but it didn’t work and he fled to Sweden

Question 11

What was the impact of the peace note on the German people

Answer 11

The news that the Germans had asked for an armistice was a shattering blow to the people who had been told throughout the war that they were winning.Undermining their respect for the Kaiser and political leaders

Question 12

What started the November revolution of 1918

Answer 12

Unrest in the navy led to a revolt in the naval base of Kiel,The next day this spread to the city and many workers and soldiers councils were created.This continued in many cities

Question 13

What was the ‘decisive moment in the German revolution’

Answer 13

A republic being claimed in bavaria and the Bavarian monarchy being deposed successfuly

Question 14

What did the SPD do in the November revolution in Berlin

Answer 14

They called on workers in Berlin to strike in order to force the Kaiser to abdicate and threatened to not support Prince Max’s new goverment if the Kaiser didn’t abdicate

Question 15

When the Kaiser failed to abdicate after the strike in Berlin what did Prince Max do

Answer 15

He took matters into his own hands announcing the Kaiser had abdicated despite him having not and he also stepped down as chancellor,handing it over to Ebert

Question 16

What happened after Prince Max announced the fake abdication of the Kaiser

Answer 16

General Groener told the Kaiser the army woulden’t fight for him and Phillip Scheidemann a leading figure of the SPD announced that the German Republic was now in existence.The Kaiser having lost all control was forced to abdicate

Question 17

Why did the new Weimar Republic goverment lack legitimacy

Answer 17

He had come to power through the November revolution

Question 18

What was the problem after the armistice before the creation of a new constitution

Answer 18

Ebert urged Germans to keep essential services running however his authority didn’t extend much past Berlin,This meant there were many demonstrations,strikes and armed clashes in particular by ex soldiers who had been in the war

Question 19

What were the socialist groups and parties in 1918

Answer 19

Sparticist League (Later KPD/Communists)
USPD
SPD

Question 20

What agreement was reached between Berlin’s workers and soldiers councils in the early years of the Weimar republic and when

Answer 20

On 22nd November 1918 the goverment agreed that it only exercised power in the names of the councils

Question 21

Why were many army soldiers against democracy

Answer 21

Many came from aristocratic backgrounds and had been fiercely loyal to the 2nd Reich and the Kaiser in the first world war

Question 22

What was the Ebert Groener pact and when was it

Answer 22

10th November 1918,It was an agreement between the army and government where the army would support the goverment so long as the army wasn’t democratised

Question 23

How was the struggle for power shown after the Ebert Groener pact

Answer 23

6th December-Sparticist demonstration put down in Berlin by army killing 16
23-24th December-Sailors revolt against goverment put down in Berlin,Three ministers in goverment resign in protest
6th January-Sparticist uprising leads armed revolt against goverment,Revolt crushed after a week of heavy fighting in Berlin

Question 24

What was significant about the first election

Answer 24

Women allowed to vote for the first time

Question 25

What happened in the first Weimar Republic election

Answer 25

SPD secured largest share of the vote however was unable to gain a majority and so would have to compromise with other parties in order to get laws passed and establish a new constitution

Question 26

How was the first Weimar republic’s leaders decided

Answer 26

It was decided by the SPD in coalition with the Centre and German Democratic parties,With Ebert as president and Phillip Schidemann as Chancellor

Question 27

What were the strengths of the Weimar Constitution

Answer 27

-It provided a wider right to vote as women were able to vote on the same terms as men and they were allowed to become deputies in the Reichstag and state parliaments
-System of proportional representation enabled smaller parties to win seats in the Reichstag and influence goverment decisions
-There was a full democracy in local and central goverment
-Constitution clearly set out the rights of an individual
-Referendums could be called for by the president,Reichstrat or by people’s request

Question 28

What were the weaknesses of the Weimar constitution

Answer 28

The proliferation of small parties-Smaller parties could gain representation meaning many who were anti republic could exploit the parliamentary system to gain publicity
Coalition Goverments-Due to none of the larger parties being able to gain a majority due to the proliferation of smaller parties,This meant goverments had to compromise and come together in order to pass laws

Question 29

What is the Reichstrat and what could they do

Answer 29

The second chamber of the German parliament made up of 67 representatives from the seperate 17 states
Each state was represented in proportion to its population
They could provide advice on laws but could be overridden by Reichstag

Question 30

What was article 48

Answer 30

The power of the president to rule by decree in an emergency without the Reichstag’s consent

Question 31

What undemocratic institutions still survived

Answer 31

The army,the civil service,the judiciary

Question 32

How did the army survive as being undemocratic

Answer 32

Through the Ebert-Groener pact the previous army system from the second Reich was allowed to stay and was loyal to the timeless Reich instead of the republic

Question 33

How did the civil service remain undemocratic under the Weimar constitution

Answer 33

Under the Weimar constitution civil servants were given a guarentee of their rights and were allowed their own political opinions and expressions

Question 34

How did the judiciary keep being undemocratic

Answer 34

Through article 102 that allowed independence of the judges