Establishment of the Weimar Republic Flashcards
When did Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicate?
9th November 1918
When was the armistice?
11th November 1918
Why was a partial democratisation of the German political system necessary?
By the end of September 1918 it was obvious that Germany was losing the war and General Ludendorff knew an armistice was necessary to avoid surrender. US President Wilson’s 14 points were a good basis for this but Germany’s autocratic style of government would prevent the Allies from considering a peace treaty.
What was President Wilson’s 14 Points?
They were a way to deal with the aftermath of the war e.g. one of the points was the establishment of the League of Nations to help prevent future wars.
What were the October Reforms?
The changes made by the Kaiser, after listening Lundendorff’s advice to end his autocratic rule and make Germany more democratic. These were: appointing Prince Max of Baden as Chancellor, establishing a new government based on the majority parties in the Riechstag and putting the armed forces under the control of the civil government. This was done to prevent a humiliating surrender and to save the Kaiser’s rule. It was not done because of a pressure for change from the public or parties in the Reichstag and it wasn’t expected that it would result in the establishment of a republic.
What and when was the Peace Note?
- 3rd October 1918
- Prince Max wrote to President Wilson asking for an armistice
- Wilson demanded that Germany evacuate all occupied territory, end submarine warfare and fully democratise its political system
- Ludendorff couldn’t accept these terms so tried for one last military effort which failed leading to his resignation
What the impact of the Peace Note on the German people?
- destroyed their morale as it admitted Germany had lost the war
- people lost their respect for the Kaiser and his government especially as he was refusing to abdicate
What happened on the 28th of October?
- German navy’s high command ordered ships to attack British ships in the English Channel as resistance to the peace terms
- crews of 2 ships staged a mutiny and refused to obey orders
What were the events of the November Revolution until the 8th of November?
- naval mutiny spread
- 3rd November: sailors at Kiel mutinied against their officers and took control of base
- 4th November: revolt spread to cities and workers’ and soldiers’ councils were established
- by 6th November, revolt had spread across Germany
- they wanted the Kaiser to abdicate and to form a German Republic
- 8th November: republic proclaimed in Bavaria
What happened on the 9th of November 1918?
- SPD called on workers in Berlin to join a general strike to force the Kaiser to abdicate and threatened to stop supporting Prince Max’s government if he didn’t
- Max knew he couldn’t govern without the SPD so he announced the Kaiser had abdicated although the Kaiser was still refusing to
- Max then resigned as Chancellor, handing the role to Friedrich Ebert (leader of the SPD)
- Phillip Scheidemann (another main figure in the SPD) announced the establishment of the German republic
- General Groener told the Kaiser the army wouldn’t fight for him meaning the Kaiser had no choice but to abdicate
What and when was the Ebert - Groener Pact?
- 10th November 1918
- Groener told Ebert that the army leaders would support his government
- in return, Groener demanded that Ebert resist the demands of the rebels and defend Germany from a communist revolution
- army leaders actually wanted a return to autocratic rule but knew if they didn’t support Ebert’s government, then Germany could fall to communism
Why was the Ebert - Groener Pact needed?
- Ebert’s authority didn’t extend much beyond Berlin
- there was disorder and violence across Germany
- parties on the left (Spartacists and USPD) wanted more radical change and so didn’t want Ebert’s government making decisions without them
- therefore, pact was needed to prevent the collapse of Ebert’s government and allow him to organise elections for the New Republic
Which socialist parties were there in 1918?
- SPD: founded in 1875 and were committed to revolution; led by Ebert and Scheidemann; wanted republic with democratic elections, welfare improvements etc; supported Germany’s entry in WW1; appealed largely to working class
- USPD: founded in 1917 and were a breakaway minority from left of SPD; led by Hugo Hasse; wanted Reichstag working with workers’ and soldiers’ councils, welfare improvements, breaking up of aristocratic estates, reform of army etc; opposed entry to WW1; support grew from low morale due to war
- Spartacist League: founded in 1916 and were a minority group from SPD; name changed to KPD (Communists) in 1919; led by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg; wanted republic govt controlled by workers’ and soldiers’ councils, welfare benefits, disbanding army, creation of workers’ militias etc; opposed to WW1; supported by workers
What is proportional representation?
A system where parties are allocated seats according to the proportion of votes they receive
What were the results of the elections for a Constituent Assembly and when did this take place?
- elections took place on the 19th of January 1919
- SPD gained the largest share of votes and seats in the Assembly but didn’t have an overall majority
- this meant they would have to compromise with other parties in order to establish a new constitution and govern Germany
- SPD formed a coalition with the Centre and German Democratic parties
- Assembly met in Weimar instead of Berlin due to the political instability in Berlin after the Spartacists Uprising
- Ebert elected as First President of the Republic
- Philip Scheidemann elected as Chancellor
- therefore the Weimar Government was established
