Germany - 1.3.1 The Weimar Republic Flashcards
To set up the new republic away from the unrest in Britain, politicians moved to the small town of ________, where a new government was created
Weimar
What is ‘Weimar Germany’?
“Weimar Germany” or the “Weimar Republic” refers to the period after the First World War in 1918 - when Germany underwent a revolution and shifted from being a Monarchy to being a Republic
When did Weimar Germany end?
It ended when Adolf Hitler ascended through the Reichstag, became Chancellor and ultimately in 1934, became the deaf to leader and dictator (“Fuhrer”) ending this period and usher ing in “Nazi Germany” - Germany under Hitler’s rule
Who was at the head of the Republic?
The President
Describe the role of the President (3)
- Elected by the people every 7 years
- The President had the power to choose key ministers, such as the Chancellor
- Using Article 48, the President could overrule his government and make laws by decree
Who was beneath the President in the structure of the Weimar Republic?
The government
Who was the Government made up of?
- The Cabinet: made political decisions
- The Chancellor: led the Cabinet
Describe the role of the Chancellor (2)
- Head of the government
- Chose all government ministers
What was beneath the Government in the structure of the Weimar Republic?
Parliament
What was Parliament formed from?
- The Reichstag
- The Reichsrat
What was the role of the Reichstag? (3)
- The more powerful of the 2 houses
- Controlled taxation
- Directly elected by the people at least one every 4 years
What was the role of the Reichsrat? (3)
- Elected every 4 years
- Represented the regions of Germany
- Each region sent a certain number of representatives depending on its size
In parliament, parties were given ‘proportional representation’. What does this mean?
This meant that the party’s seats reflected the number of votes it recieved
What was beneath the parliament?
The Electorate
Who did the electorate consist of?
All men and women over 20 were eligible
How often was a President elected in the Weimar Republic?
Every 7 years
Who was the new constitution drawn up by?
A jewish man named Hugo Preuss
What were the strengths of the Weimar Constitution? (7)
- Proportional representation make sure small parties had a fair share of seats
- Women able to vote as well as men
- Voting age reduced from 25 to 21
- No group or person could have too much power
- There was an election for president every 7 years
- Central government was more powerful than before, but local government still retained power in the regions
- The Reichsrat could regulate the power of the Reichstag by delaying new laws
What were the weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution? (4)
- Proportional representation led to coalition governments that were unstable, or found it difficult to have strong policies and often fell apart
- Lack of strong government led to weakness in a crisis that ended up with the president passing laws without the prior consent of the Reichstag. Article 48 of the constitution enabled the President to do this
- The Constitution was weak because strong German states, such as Prussia, still held power through the Reichsrat
- Not the choice of the people so was not that popular
Who were the Spartacists? (3)
- A Communist group supported by the Soviet Union, led by Rosa Luxembourg and Karl Liebknecht
- Jan 1919: Spartacists staged a revolt (rebellion) in Berlin and hoped to lead a general strike. The ultimate aim was to overthrow the Weimar Republic
- Ebert used a right-wing (conservative) group of former soldiers, called the Freikorps, to stop the uprising. He recognised the need to use political extremist groups against one another
What was Kapp Putsch? (4)
- In March 1920, Freikorps troops, fearing unemployment, decided to mark on Berlin.
- Ebert asked the head of the army to resist the Freikorps but he refused.
- A nationalist politician, Dr Wolfgang Kapp, was put in charge but the rebels and the Weimar government fled Berlin.
- In order to stop the rebels, or Kapp Putsch as it became known, the government organised a national strike of trade unions. This caused such chaos that Kapp could not rule Germany and was forced to flee. The weimar ministers returned
Describe the events of the Munich Putsch (3)
- 8 November 1923: Hitler, with 600 SA, entered a beer hall in Munich where the Bavarian government was meeting. At gunpoint, Hitler forced government leaders to support him. Rohm took over local police and army headquarters. Ludendorff, behind Hitler’s back, let the government leaders go
- 9 November 1923: Hitler, 1000 SA and 2000 volunteer supporters marched on Munich town centre to declare Hitler President of Germany. They were met by state police. Someone opened fire and there was chaos. Ludendorff, Rohm and Streicher were arrested
- 11 November 1923: Hitler was found hiding at a friend’s house and was arrested
What were the positive effects of the failed Munich Putsch for Hitler and the Nazi Party? (3)
- Hitler used his trial to publicise his views. He was only given a short prison term and released after 9 months
- While in prison he wrote Mein Kampf (‘My Struggle’), a book outlining his political and racial ideas that became a bestsellers: the need to destroy democracy, the need for Lebensraum and the inferiority of the Jews
- Hitler realised he needed to reorganise the Nazi party to gain success
What was the key challenge from the left in the Weimar era?
The Spartacist Uprising
Why did the Kapp Putsch fail?
German workers went on strike
How big was Germany’s debt in 1918?
150 billion marks
Why did the Kapp Putsch fail?
German workers went on strike
