Germany 1: Weimar Repbublic

Question 1

Abdication of Kaiser

Answer 1

• 9th November 1918
• Prince Max of Baden announced the abdication
• 11th November armisitice signed

Question 2

Reasons for abdication

Answer 2

Revolution from above - Ludendorff conviced the Kaiser to hand pver power to a government
Revolution from below - Various Mutinies and unions made it seem a revolution was likely unless Kaiser abdicated

Question 3

Stab in the back

Answer 3

• Idea that Germany was winning the war and was betrayed by weak Weimar politicians
• Dolchstoss

Question 4

Weimar Government features

Answer 4

• 19th Januay 1919 election 82% voted
• Freedom of speech, religion and equality
• Head of Government was president, elected every 7 years
• Split into 18 states each with individual power

Question 5

Weimar Strengths

Answer 5

• Democracy
• Proportional representation
• Strong president
• Chancellors appointment democratic
• Federal system

Question 6

Weimar Weaknesses

Answer 6

• Democracy was different and unpopular
• Very hard to get a majority
• Article 48 was open to abuse, overided Germans rights
• Federal states could rebel against central government

Question 7

ToV Blame

Answer 7

Clause 231 said the war was exclusively Germanies Fault

Question 8

ToV Reperations

Answer 8

Germany had to pay £6.6 billion to Allies

Question 9

ToV Army

Answer 9

• Limited to 100,000 soldiers
• No conscription
• No tanks, air force or submarines
• Six battleships only
• Demilitarised the Rhineland

Question 10

ToV Territory

Answer 10

Germany lost land in East Europe (polish corridor, estonia)
Lost all of its colonies

Question 11

ToV Overrall

Answer 11

Germany lost:
* 13% of its land
* 12.5% of its population
* 50% of iron and steel industry

Question 12

Sparticist uprising

Answer 12

• 5th January 1919
• Communist groups
• Government were too weak to handle it
• Created the Freikorps to handle the Spartcists

Question 13

Kapp Putsch

Answer 13

• March 1920
• Freikorp led by Kapp marched on Berlin to overthrow government
• Army refused to help government
• Left wing organised a strike that crippled the Putsch
• Weimar once again too weak

Question 14

French Occupation of Ruhr

Answer 14

• Germany paid £50 Million in 1922 but could not pay more
• French occupied Ruhr to take the wealth themselves
• German workers strike
• Government prints money to pay striking workers

Question 15

Hyperinflation

Answer 15

• 1919-1923 German income was 1/4 of what it needed to be
• Middle classes, savers, poor, pensioners hit hard
• Farmers, debters, bussinessmen did well