German history Key Dates Flashcards
When was Bismarck in power?
1871-1890
When was Wilhelm I in power?
1871-1888
When was Bismarck’s constitution?
1871
When was the Kulturkampf?
1871-78
When was Bismarck’s Tariff Act?
1879
When were the Kulturkampf ‘May laws’
1873
When did the SPD win 12 seats under Bismarck?
1877
When did Bismarck introduce state health insurance?
1883
What word describes Bismarck’s political style?
Realpolitik
What is the fancy word for describing factory workers?
The industrial proletariat
What is the fancy word for describing wealthy factory owners?
The industrial bourgeoisie
When was Kaiser Wilhelm II in power?
1888-1918
Who were the chancellors of Wilhelmine Germany?
- Caprivi
- Prince Choldwig Hohenloe
- Bulow
- Bethmann-Hollweg
When was Caprivi chancellor?
1890-94
When was Hohenloe chancellor?
1894-1900
When was Bulow chancellor?
1900-1909
When was Bethmann-Hollweg chancellor?
1909-1917
When did the SPD become the largest party in the Reichstag (Wilhelmine Germany)
1912
When were Caprivi’s tariff reform Acts?
1891-94
What are the dates of WW1?
1914-1918
When was the naval league established?
1898
When was the Daily telegraph affair?
1908
When was the Zabern Affair?
November 1913
When was the Eulenburg scandal?
1907
What were the two levels of culture in Wilhelmine Germany? What did they involve?
Avante-Garde culture = higher culture = expressionism
Pulp fiction culture = commoners culture
When was Bethmann-Hollweg banging around? What was his role?
1909-1917, German Chancellor
Who were the heads of the army in Weimar?
Hindenburg + Ludendorff
Who was the chancellor in 1918?
Prince Max Von Baden
When was the burgfreide? What was it?
1914 - a political truce between all parties to support the war
When was the Auxiliary service act? What was it?
December 1916 - conscription
When was the war raw materials department created? What was its role?
August 1914 - regulate key materials such as iron and ore
When was there a food and fuel crisis during WW1?
Winter of 1917-18
When was the Treaty of Versailles?
June 1919
When was the Weimar constitution created?
August 1919
When did the allied naval blockade begin?
1914
What were the 14 points?
The blueprint for peace negotiations following WW1, as outlined by Woodrow Wilson.
What terms were used against the government for settling for peace in WW1?
‘November criminals’
‘Stab in the back’
What was article 48?
A term in the Weimar constitution allowing the president to essentially rule as dictator in the case of an ‘emergency’ (undefined).
What was the guilt clause?
Article 231, made Germany take absolute responsibility for starting WW1. The basis for making Germany pay enormous reparations.
What was the ‘war of attrition’?
Germany being slowly worn down as they could not win the war in the short term.
When was streseman in power? (As chancellor then head of foreign affairs)
1923-1929
When was Hitler entering Bavarian politics?
1923
How many chancellors were there during the Weimar period?
12
Who were the Freikorps?
Paramilitary group
When was the Munich putsch? What was it?
November 1923 - Hitler and SA men try to seize power in Munich, but are arrested.
When did the French reclaim the ruhr?
January 1923
What were reparation set at after ww1? When?
1921 - 138 billion marks
When was the Ruhr unrest? What was it?
March 1920 - Communists form a ‘red army’ and try to seize the Ruhr, severely punished (unlike the right)
What and when was the Kapp Putsch?
March 1920 - Freikorps troops seize Berlin causing gov to flee, fails because of lack of support from army (although they did not stop it) + officials.
What was the policy of passive resistance?
The workers go on strike and the Weimar government pays their wages.
When was the Dawes plan? What was it?
1924 - made reparations over a longer period, French agree to leave Ruhr, Allied control over German banks + railways.
When as unemployment insurance introduced (Weimar)
1927
When was the Rentenmark introduced?
1923
When was the Young plan introduced? What was it? How did it benefit Hitler?
1929 - 2 million marks a year for 59 years, final plan for reparations, Germans regain control of banks + railways. Gave Hitler credibility in his campaign against it with the nationalists.
When was Hindenburg elected?
1925
When did Germany join the League of Nations?
1926
When was the Reichstag fire? What was it?
February 1933 - Lone Dutch communists (or perhaps the nazis!) sets the Reichstag building on fire - used by Hitler to get Hindenburg to grant him emergency powers and put out the ‘protection of people and state’ decree (suspending individual rights)
When was the Enabling Act? What was it?
March 1933 - Allowed Hitler to rule by decree for 4 years, basis for the one party state, all state assemblies dissolved (but Hitler could still be dismissed by Hindenburg)
When was Hitler appointed chancellor?
January 1933
When was the night of the long knives? What was it?
- June 1934
- Hitler order a purge of the SA (who were demanding revolution) by the SS, and leaders were arrested and murdered (some of Hitler’s friends!)
- Gained Hitler both Army and conservative support.
When was as the Great Depression? What was it?
- 1929
- Global economic downturn after stock market crash, meant America took back loans and Germany’s exports (which they had a lot of) flopped.
When did Hindenburg die? What did Hitler do with this?
August 1934 - Hitler becomes head of army and state (president and chancellor combined)
When was conscription age made 16?
1945
When did the Euthanasia programme begin?
1939
When was Kristallnacht? What was it?
November 1938 - wave of anti-Semitic violence, German shops broken into (‘night of broken glass’)
When did the Nazis do book burning ceremonies?
1933
When was the four year plan? Who led it?
1936 - Goering
What was the ‘Hitler myth’ ?
Created by Goebbels, strong until about 1942-3 when war began to turn, gave Hitler credibility to rule as authoritarian leader by presenting Hitler as the heroic defender of Germany, the antithesis of the corrupt politicians before.
What was the ‘cult of personality’?
People viewing Hitler as a superhuman figure
What was the term for putting the community before self in Nazi Germany?
Volkgemeinschaft
What was the ‘cult of motherhood’ in Nazi Germany?
Promotion of women fulfilling typical gender roles, following Aryan ideology that Aryan women should produce as many children as possible through propaganda and even having a ‘cross of honour’ for women who had four or more children.
What was the idea of Eugenics in Nazi germany?
Racial purity - aimed for racial purity of the Aryan race through forced sterilisation and Euthanasia.
What was the term for Germany having a self-sufficient economy?
Autarky
What is the term for how people turned to Nazi ideology?
‘Cumulative radicalisation’
When did the Nazis sign a concordat with the Catholic Church? What was it?
1933 - an agreement that Catholics not involve themselves in politics, and so retain some privileges under the Nazis.
What was the term for the immediate aftermath of the Second World War in Germany?
‘Stande Null’ - Zero hour
What were the dates of WW2?
1939 - September 1945
Approximately how many Germans were killed in WW2?
6.5 million
What was the average daily ration for Germans in the American zone in 1945?
860 calories
What were the main bartering currencies in Germany following WW2?
Cigarettes and sex
How many women were raped in Berlin following WW2?
90,000
When was the Yalta conference? What was it?
February 1945 - a discussion of post war organisation of Germany between the Allies.
What were the four Ds?
Demilitarisation, Denazification, Decentralisation, Democratisation.
When was the Potsdam conference? What was it?
July/August 1945 - second (and final) meeting of the Allies to discuss how to handle Germany.
When were the Nuremberg trials? What were they?
12 between 1945-49 - trials for Nazi war criminals
When was the most famous Nuremberg trial? Who was it for?
November 1945 - 21 major Nazis such as Goering.
What was the Fregebogen?
A questionnaire with 131 Qs designed to test how Nazi citizens were - pootled out, never applied in Soviet zone.
When was the GDR created?
October 1949
What was the term for the political model the Soviets used?
Marxist-Leninism
When did the KPD + SPD merge in East Germany (under pressure from government)? What was the name of this new party?
- April 1946
- The SED (socialist unity party)
How many people died in the Soviet camp no.1?
At least 12,000.
When did Bizonia formally come into existence?
1st January 1947
When was the Truman doctrine? What was it?
- March 1947
- Truman’s official statement against communism, stating America would support resistance to it.
When was the Marshall plan? What was it?
- 1948
- Package of 13 billion aid over four years offered to all European nations, but rejected by communist ones.
When was currency reform in the West? What was it?
- June 1947 to June 1948.
- Replaced the Reichsmark with the Deutschmark.
When did the French formally make Bizonia Trizonia?
- 17th June 1948
When was the Berlin Blockade?
1948-1949
When was NATO established?
1949
When was the FRG officially founded?
May 1949
What was Adenauers constitution called? When was it made?
- The Basic Law
- May 1949
When was Adenauer chancellor?
1949-1963
When was the Spiegal affair?
1962
When was Erhard in power?
1963-66
When was Kiesinger and his grand coalition in power?
1966-69
When was the Socialist worker’s party founded?
1875
When was the Reichsbank founded?
1876
When was there an assassination attempt on the Kaiser?
1878
When were the Anti-Socialist laws passed?
1878
When were Protectionist laws passed under Bismarck?
1879
When was Bismarck’s Sickness Insurance Law?
1883
When did the SPD become the single most popular party in the Reichstag?
1890
When was the Naval League founded + first Naval law?
1898
When was the Kiel mutiny and Worker’s revolt?
1918
When was the Kapp Putsch?
1920
When were the communist risings in the Ruhr? (Weimar)
1920
When was the Dawes Plan? When was the Young plan?
1924 - 1929
When did Hindenburg become president?
1925
When were the Locarno Treaties?
1925
When did Germany join the League of Nations?
1926
How many were unemployed in 1932?
6 million
When do the Nazis become the largest Reichstag party?
July 1932
When was the Reichstag fire?
February 1933
When was the Enabling Act?
March 1933
When did the Nazis do a boycott of Jewish shops?
1933
What did the Nazis do with trade unions, political parties, the Catholic Church, and the League of Nations in 1933?
1) Banned trade unions and political parties
2) Concordat with Catholic Church
3) Left the League of Nations
When were the Neuremburg laws?
1935
When did the four year plan start? Who led it?
1936 - Goring
What was Himmler in charge of?
The SS, the SD and Gestapo
When did the Hitler Youth movement become official?
1936
When did Hitler purge the Army leadership?
1938
When did membership fo the Hitler Youth become compulsory?
1939
When did the SS establish extermination camps?
1942
When was the Stauffenburg bomb plot against Hitler?
1944
When was there currency reform in the Western Zones of Germany?
1948
When was Adenauers co-determination law?
1951
When was the Berlin Wall built?
1961
When were the student protests + what student died?
- Student protests 1968 and shooting of Rudi Dutschke + assassination of Benno Ohensorg
When did WIlly Brandt come to power?
1969
When was the Basic Treaty between the FRG and GDR signed?
1972
When was the global oil crisis?
1973
When does Schmidt become chancellor?
1974
When were Baader-Meinhof active?
1977
When was the Mogadishu incident?
1977
When did Kohl become FRG chancellor?
1982
When does the Berlin Wall open?
1989
When do the FRG and GDR reunite?
October 1990
Where was the government transferred to in 1991?
Berlin
When was the Anti-Socialist law under Bismarck?
1878
When was the Press Law and Septannates?
1874
When was the General Federation of trade unions founded? Who by?
1890 - Carl Liegen
How many people were there in trade unions in 1913?
Over 3 million
When was the voting age lowered to 18? Who was this under?
1974 - Willy Brandt
What were Willy Brandt’s slogans?
‘dare more democracy’ ‘Chancellor of domestic reform’
What was the policy of Ostpolitik? Who did it earn a Nobel prize?
‘Eastern policy’ - Willy Brandt - a series of treaties from 1970 - 1973 estblishing cooperation
What was the name of the women who slapped Kiesinger? What year did this happen?
Beate Klarsfeld - 1968
What was the Gunter Guillaume scandal?
Brandt resigns after learning that his close advisor Gunter Guillaume was actually an East German spy - 1974
When was the policy of weltpolitik initiated?
1897
When was the Locarno conference?
1925
When was Adenauer’s collective bargaining law?
1949
When was Adenauer’s construction law?
1950
When is an emergency law passed by the Bundestag? (FRG)
1968
When is the formation of the Green Party?
1980
When were there student sit-ins in Germany?
1966
What was the annual GDP growth in the 1950s? In the 1960?
- 8.2%
- 4.6%
How much did GNP grow in the first 35 years of the FRG?
4x
What was unemployment in the 1950s?
0.5%
What percentage of the German workforce were Gasterbeiter in the 1970s?
10%
What was the stabilisation law in the 60s? When was this?
- Implemented by the grand coalition to raise loans and build funds for investment
- 1967
When was the Ebert-Groener pact? What was it?
1918 (November) - agreement between leader Ebert and General Groener that the government would maintain the authority of the army if the army would supress lingering revolutionary activity
What were two elements of the revolution from below in 1918?
- November Kiel (naval) mutiny
- Workers councils established in several cities
What were two elements of the revolution from above in 1918?
- Baden approaches Wilson for armistice (based on 14 points)
- Germany is changed to a parliamentary democracy to meet Wilsons demands
When and what was the Stinnes-Liegen agreement?
- Ebert held talks with Stinnes and Liegen (as they were the major industrialists) and got them to agree to recognise trade unions and stay with an 8 hour day.
- November 1918
When and what was the sparticist uprising?
- January 1919
- The sparticist, led by Liebknicht and Luxembourg try and overthrow the SPD government.
- Crushed with severity using bands of Friekorps - L and L killed.
When was the Treaty of Versailles? What were three key features?
- June 1919
- War guilt clause
- disarmament
- polish corridor cutting Germany in two
How many left and right-wing political assassinations were there in the beginning of Weimar? Who are three examples of right-wing victims?
- Left: 22
- Right: 354 e.g. Hugo Hasse, Erzberger, Rathenau
How many years did Hitler serve for the Munich Putsch?
Sentenced to 5, of which he served only 9 months.
When and what was the Kellogg-Briand pact?
- 1928
- international agreement, signed by Germany, condemning war as dispute resolution
When was the Reichsbanner created? What was it?
1924 - a republic defence force sworn to defend the constitution
What and when was the equalisation of burdens act?
- Compensation for victims of the Nazis and bombings
- 1953
How many West Germans thought Hitler would have been greatest statesman if not for war in 1955? In 1967?
- 48%
- 32%
When were the Munich Olympic Games? What happened?
1972 - massacre of Jewish athletes by PLO
What aired in January 1979 which brought attention back to the Nazi legacy? How many viewed it?
A television series on the Holocaust - 20 million viewers
How many members of extreme right wing groups were there in 1989?
18,000
How much did the average income of a west German household increase by from 1950-1970?
400%
How many children viewed their parents as role models in 1955? How many in 1984?
- 16%
- 3%
What were 3 of Brandt’s educational measures?
Brandt introduced educational measures like: 5x education provision, grants to poorer students, abolition of fees for higher education.
