Ethnic Minorities in the Weimar Republic Flashcards
What did the treatment of ethnic minorities in Weimar depend on?
- In Weimar it depended upon where they lived and who they were
- They often received lower wages than the German man and were not employed if a German was available
- Elite Conservatives, landowners and army were less welcoming
- City based liberals were more welcoming
What was Article 113?
Those who spoke different languages could not be legally stopped from preserving their personal identity
Despite Article 113 what allowed for the poor treatment of ethnic minorities?
- The Länder could instate laws against ethnic minorities
How much of the population was Jewish in 1918 and where did they predominantly live?
- Less than 1% of the population was Jewish
- 67% lived in cities
- Anti-semites called it ‘Jew Berlin’
What caused the government to ban many anti-semitic organisations in the Republic?
Assassination of Jewish Foreign Minister Walther Rathenau in 1922
What was the anti-semitic group ‘German peoples offensive and defensive alliance’? How many members did they have when they disbanded?
- A group who believed that the Jews conspired with the allies and lost Germany the war
- Disbanded in 1923 with 170,000 members
- Many joined the Nazis after
How did Judges treat Jews?
- Lots of Conservative judges were anti-semitic and made racist remarks in their decisions
- They treated Jews much like they did the communists with decisions often going against them
How did the depression affect the treatment of Jews in Germany?
- People wanted someone to blame, led to the blaming of Jews and Communists
- This move towards extremism is signified by the election results after the depression, more people moved towards extremist parties
- NOTE, 1930 107, 1932 230 —> 196
What was the ‘Reich Federation of Jewish Front Soldiers’?
- An organisations set up to battle anti-semitism
- Showed that 85,000 Jews fought and 12,000 had died
Why were Gypsies discriminated against in the Republic?
- Due to them moving around a lot, not contributing to the country by working, paying taxes or integrating
There was no federal legislation against Gypsies, what did Länder’s attempt to do? (Bavaria)
- Bavaria’s Länder passed laws against Gypsies
- Aimed to get their children into schools and adults into work (Hesse also adopted these)
- 1927 all Gypsies were made to carry identity cards
What was the result of Poles and the TofV?
- The border between Poland and Germany was redrawn
- Caused for people to be left on either side in a new country
How many Polish Speakers were in Germany in 1925? How many left due to hostility?
- 200,000 Polish speakers in Germany, and 500,000 who spoke both languages (more integrated)
- 30,000 left between 1925 and 1933 due to the hostility of having fought against Germany in the war
Why was there hostility towards black people?
- In 1923 Occupation of the Ruhr the French had sent a unit of black soldiers from their colonies
- As a result the 500 mixed race children born were denounced as ‘Germanys shame’
- Black people in Germany found that some areas became hostile
What black people were accepted and where?
Musicians and writers were accepted in the cities
