Germany Flashcards
How did industrialisation change Germany up to 1914?
- Germany became the largest industrial econmoy in Europe
- By 1914, Germany was producing twice as much steel as Britain
- The population of Berlin had doubled, 60% of Germans lived in towns and cities for work oppurtunities
- However, the cities had been overcrowded with poor living conditions.
- This led to Germans joined trade unions and supported the left-wing SPD party.
How did the growth of socialism change Germany up to 1914?
- By 1914, the SPD was the largest party in the Reichstag.
- Workers wanted wealth and power to be shared with the people. However, this went against the Kaiser’s right-wing views.
- The SPD forced the Kaiser to bring in social reforms that would help people. such as old age pensions and insurance schemes that would protect 14 million Germans.
What did the Kaiser do to achieve his aims of maintaing his power and making Germany strong?
- The Kaiser had control of the army and picked out the chancellor, so the Kaiser still had the most power in the German political system.
- To achieve his world power, also known as ‘Weltpolitik’, the Kaiser had to build up an empire- he said that the ‘Germans desrved their place in the sun’.
- The Kaiser managed to build an empire in East Africa.
- To protect his empire and make Germany strong, the Kaiser had to build up his Navy using the Naval Laws.
- The first Naval Law entitled Germany to a total of 19 battleships
- The second Naval Law doubled he amount of battleships to 38
- The Kaiser was obsessed with building the new, more powerful Dreadnought ships.
How did WW1 impact Germany?
- The economic impact of the war was devastating- many men had died leading to a shortage of workers. This lead to production falling by 1/3 compared to what it was before the war.
- There was also 2 million children without fathers, so the German government had to support these families.
- The social impact of the war was also devastating- The British navy blockaded German ports, stopping any supplies from getting in.
- This led to the ‘Turnip Winter’ where 750,00 people died of starvation
- The political impact of the war resulted in a great change in the German governement- there was a mutiny against the Kaiser in Kiel, which spread. This led to the Kaiser losing control of the country.
- The Kaiser is forced to abdicate and Friedrich Ebert (head of the SPD) takes charge. The Kaiser surrenders.
What were the terms of the Treaty of Versailles?
BLAME- Article 231 (The war guilt clause) declared that Germany was responsible for the war and all the damage caused by it. As a result, Germany was not allowed to join the Leauge of Nations.
REPERATIONS- Germany were required to pay reperations of £6.6 billion (Article 232), mostly to France and Belgium.
ARMY- The German army was restricted to only 100,000 men. They were not allowed to have tanks, an airforce or any submarines.
TERRITORY- Germany lost huge amounts of their land, including all the overseas colonies which were given to Britain and France. The land of Alsace-Lorraine was also given to France.
Why was the structure and popularity of the new Weimar government a problem for Germany?
- The weimar government used a system of proprtional representation. This meant that if a party got 10% of the votes, they would get exactly 10% of the seats in the Reichstag.
- For a political party to rule alone, they needed a majority of the votes (50%), which was difficult for any party to get. During the whole Weimar period, no party ever got a majority.
- As a result, political parties had to work together to govern Germany. They often disagreed, leading to instability and slow decision making.
Ho did political rebellions cause a problem for the new Weimar government?
Both the Spartacist Uprising and the Kapp Putsch was designed to overthrow the Weimar government.
The Sparcasit Uprising:
- An uprising designed to overthrow the Weimar govenment and replace it with a left-wing communist government.
- Over 100,000 workers came out onto the streets of Berlin and seized the newspapers and telegraph offices.
- The Weimar government was only able to defeat the Sparcacists by asking Freikorps (ex-slodiers) for help.
The Kapp Putsch:
- This was designed to to overthrow the Weimar government and bring back the right-wing Kaiser.
- 5,000 armed Freikorps marched to Berlin and took control of the city. Tthe Weimar government wwas forced to run away.
- The Weimar government asked the workers to go on strike; gas, water and electricity were shut down. Kapp could not govern the city like this, so he was forced to run away, ending the Putsch.
How did the Munich Putsch have posiitve ooutcomes for Hitler?
- The Munich Putsch was designed to overthrow the Weimar government and replace it with one strong leader- Hitler.
- Hitler and 600 SA members burst into a political meeting in Beer Hall, in Munich and eventually , Hitler was able to win over both the local political leaderws and the crowd in Beer Hall with a powerful speech.
- However, he used his trial to give poweful speeches and win people over. Sentenced to 5 year and 9 months. In prison he worte the best-selling book ‘Mein Kampf’.
Hoow dod the Munich Putsch have negative outcomes for Hitler?
- Next day, Hitler and SA marched into Munich to take power, they wwere met by the army and the police. 16 members of the SA were killed and Hiter was arrested 12 days later.
- The Nazi party was temporarily banned, for the rest of the 1920’s they had very little support
- When Hitler left Beer Hall, the other political leaders turned against him and reported him to the police.
How did Germany end up suffering from hyperinflation?
- Germany could not afford to make the reparations payment demanded by the TOV.
- In 1922, they announced that they could not afford to pay anymore.
- France and Belgium had no sympathy with the Germans so decides to invade the Ruhr; an important industrial area full of coal and factories
- The brutal invaion of the Ruhr lead led to he death of 132 Germans and 150,000 were expelled from their homes.
- The Weimar government ordered the workers in the Ruhr to go on a strike and refuse to help, however, the Weimar government had no money to pay them.
- They printed lots of extra money and it became worthless.
How did hyperinflation impact German people?
- Between July and November 1923, prices became over a **million times higher. **
- 1kg of butter cost 6 trillion marks.
- Small businesses could not keep up with the changing prices
- Howvever, farmers coped as food was in high demand.
Why was Stresseman known as the saviuor of Germany?
- Stresseman fixed the German economy. He brough 2 new currencies; the Rentenmark and the Reichsmark.
- He used the Rentenmark to end hyperinflation and the Reichsmark which was a stable currency forr 25 years.
- Stresseman negotiated the Dawes plan- the USA loaned Germany money to build up their businesses and pay reperations.
- Stresseman fixed** Germany’s international reputation** by promising to pay reperations again, so that the French left the Ruhr.
Why was Stresseman’s Germany considered a golden age?
Thanks to the Dawes paln, German businesses were thriving and people had money to spend.
* German nightlife became popular and Berlin had some of the best night clubs in Europe with live bands playing American jazz.
* German art became popular, particularly the new Avant-garde style that showed the realities of everyday life.
* German design and architecture thrived and the Bauhaus movement led to simple, practical designs for buildings.
