Germany Flashcards
when was Germany unified
1871
The Reichstag
members pass or reject legislation handed down by the Bundesrat
members elected by public every 3 years
cant put forward own legislations
have no say in who becomes chancellor
The Bundesrat
members are representatives from each state in empire. Consent needed for all legislations but can b overruled by the Kaiser. More powerful than Reichstag
The Chancellor
doesn’t need support from Bundesrat or Reichstag
runs government and proposes new legislations
more powerful than Reichstag and Bundesrat
The Kaiser
inherits position and rules like a king personal control of army appoints and dismisses the chancellor can dissolve the Reichstag at any time has ultimate power
Kaiser Wilhelm II
energetic with a strong and outgoing personality. charming but also incredibly rude.
replaced his father as Kaiser.
grandson of Queen Victoria
aspired to build up Germany’s industry
when did Germany overtake Britain’s iron, steel and coal
1913
economic and social changes
Economy expanded massively between 1890 and 1914. Due to industrialisation, new jobs were created and population in cities grew. The working class expanded, however working conditions were poor.
what contributed to a rise in socialism
poor working conditions. the working class had a growing sense of identity and wanted better representation.
what is socialism
a political ideology promoting equality and public ownership of industry. Led to a growth in support for the the SPD
Kaiser’s views towards socialism
the German aristocracy and Kaiser feared for the growth of socialism. he worried that they wanted a revolution to overthrow the monarchy
German politics became unstable
upper class feared the SPD (who were growing in popularity) as well as other extremist nationalist groups. this made it harder for the Kaiser. he was under pressure to introduce socialist reforms.
diverting attention away from socialism
the Kaiser reduced discontent by introducing limited social reforms. e.g. 1897 Workers’ protection act - introduced to improve safety in the workplaces
the navy laws
1898 - the first navy law was passed. the eventual aim was to build up Germany’s navy to rival Britain’s. it increased their fleet to 19 battleships. 1900, another navy law was passed - adding a 17 year programme
when was the Weimer Republic
1918 - 1933
when did the Kaiser abdicate
9th November 1918, fleeing to Holland and leaving Germany in the hands of the social democrats
when was the cease-fire called
11th November 1918, the leader of the social democrats, Ebert, was horrified at how bad the situation was and called an end to the war
stab-in-the-back theory
some people believed the war could have been continued and they could have won due to the misleading propaganda. the people became known as the November criminals
where was Hitler in 1918
he had been gassed October and spent the last weeks of the war in hospital recovering. he didn’t understand why the war had ender and came to believe in the Jewish conspiracy
when was the treaty of Versailles signed
28th June 1919
conditions of the treaty of Versailles
Germany lost 10% of their land. colonies were taken away and given to winning countries. army was reduced to 100,000 men, navy reduced to 6 ships. Rhineland demilitarized. Germany to accept blame for the war. pay £6.6 billion reparations.
why was the treaty unpopular in Germany
the German people had not been told about the war and so thought they were winning. this meant the terms were a huge surprise and were very severe, serving as a punishment for years to come.
nature of the Weimer Constitution
based upon proportional representation, therefore it was difficult for one party to gain control of the Reichstag. meant that no decisions could be made.
nature of the Weimer Constitution #2
everyone over 20 had the right to vote, freedom of speech and freedom of religion. the chancellor had to be voted in by Reichstag and the president was elected every 7 years.
proportional representation
gave numbers of delegates in the Reichstag in proportion to the number of votes cast for their party in elections.
Problems the Weimer Republic caused
prevented good government because of of split control between parties. being labelled ‘November criminals’. political murders. communist revolutions - caused disorder and street violence.
the Spartacists
January 1919, led by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxembourg. tried to seize power in Berlin. both were shot by the Frei Korps when the government was unable to defeat them
when was the German Workers party set up
1919 by Anton Drexler. it was set up as an extremist party set up as a result of the communist revolutions and the resulting street violence
Hitler in 1919
he got a job to spy for the German army. he was ordered to join the German Worker’s party.
Hitler and the German Worker’s party
he was appointed in charge of propaganda. 1921 he became leader. he changed the name of the party to the national socialists German Workers party. soon nick-named Nazis by opponents.
Nazis in 1920’s
just another extremist fringe party. still unknown in parts of Germany. main appeal was Hitler’s speeches. Hitler set up own private army (SA) led by an ex-soldier Ernst Rohm - used to attack opponents.
occupation of the Ruhr
the German government stopped paying reparations to the allied forces. as a result, the French invaded the Ruhr to force the Germans to hand over the coal and iron they were owed.
what happened when the French were in the Ruhr
the German government ordered a passive resistance - workers stop producing materials and still get paid.
hyperinflation
January 1923. due to passive resistance, more money had to be printed to pay the workers. this meant prices increased, more money was printed and soon it lost value - rising in value 400% each day
