germany Flashcards
How often did the elections for president take place under the Weimar Constitution?
Every 7 years
How was the chancellor appointed under the Weimar Constitution?
Appointed by the president from members of the Reichstag.
Must hold support of the Reichstag majority.
What was the Reichstag government under the Weimar Constitution?
Political parties were allotted seats according to the percentage of votes gained.
What was Article 48?
In an emergency, the president held powers to pass laws without Reichstag approval.
Who had the vote under the Weimar Constitution?
All Germans over the age of 20
What was proportional representation?
Under the system of proportional representation, seats were awarded in the Reichstag according to the percentage of votes gained.=.
Strengths of proportional representation
All parties which received votes had representation in the Reichstag.
Weaknesses of proportional representation
Because all parties that received votes had a seat in the Reichstag, many small and sometimes even extremist parties won seats.
This led to an unstable government, because no individual party had a majority and several parties had to form a coalition
The coalitions often broke down, meaning that the government no longer had a majority in the Reichstag. As a result, there was a series of short-term governments that were unable to effectively address Germany’s problems as a nation.
When was the armistice signed?
In November 1918, after which the Allies began drawing up a peace treaty.
Give 2 examples of the land Germany lost because of the Treaty of Versailles
- Alsace and Lorraine were lost to France
- Eupen and Malmedy were lost to Belgium
- Posen and West Prussia were lost to Poland
- The German port of Danzig was made an international city, not governed by Germany
How much percent of Germany’s European territory was lost overall due to the Treaty of Versailles?
Overall, Germany lost about 13% of its European territory, including almost 50% of its iron reserves and 15% of its coal reserves.
In addition Germany lost all 11 of its colonies in Africa and the Far East, and the colonies were goven to the victorious countries as ‘mandates’.
How much did Germany have to pay in reparations to the Allies because of Treaty of Versailles?
136,000 million marks
How were the German military forces cut because of the Treaty of Versailles?
Navy limited to 6 battleships, 6 cruisers, 12 destroyers, and 12 torpedo boats.
No tanks
Army limited to 100,000 men.
No submarines
No air force
What part of the Treaty of Versailles was particularly humiliating for the German people?
Article 231, the ‘War Guilt’ Clause.
This clause stated that Germany had to accept blame for starting the war.
The German public resented this,; they felt that responsibility for the war should be shared by all powers involved in the conflict.
What were the politicians that signed the Treaty of Versailles labelled as?
The ‘November Criminals’, and they were hated for their actions.
Many German people were angry about the government’s decision to sign the treaty. They felt that the Allies were deliberately seeking to weaken them.
When and why was Germany close to bankrupcy?
By 1918, due to the cost of WW1, and worsened by the Treaty of Versailles. The Allies insisted on huge reparations payments and, at the same time, they took away some of Germany’s income-generating areas.
Why did the Allied refuse when Germany asked for payments to be reduced since they were struggling?
The Allies had taken loans during WW1 and needed payments from Germany so that they could repay the money owed to other countries such as USA.
What happened in late 1922?
By late 1922, Germany failed to pay some installments. In December 1922, they missed another payment, leading to French retaliation.
Which countries invaded the Ruhr and when?
In January 1923, Belgian and French troops marched into the Ruhr.
Why was the Ruhr so important?
It was the centre of Germany’s production of iron, steel, and coal.
Why did the countries invade the Ruhr?
The Germans had fallen behind on their reparations payments and France and Belgium decided to take industrial products instead of cash payments.
What did the German government do in response to the invasion of the Ruhr?
They were angered by the invasion, but realised that they could not take any military action due to the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, so instead encouraged workers to carry out a campaign of passive resistance.
Some Germans used arson and sabotage to damage factories so production had to stop.
In response, the French brought in their own workers.
What were effects of the invasion of the Ruhr?
The German government’s reaction to the occupation of the Ruhr bought its temporary popularity: it resisted France and provided strike pay for the workers involved in passive resistance. The occupation also united the German nation against the invading French and Belgians.
However, the German economy had been struggling before 1923 and the invasion of the Ruhr made it worse. Germany lost income as a result of France and Belgium taking industrial products from the Ruhr and the German government was forced to print more money to pay the striking workers. The more notes were printed, the more the value fell and Germany entered a period of hyperinflation.
How many paper mills and printing shops were there by 1923 whose only job was to print money?
In the years 1919-23, the income of the German government was only a quarter of what it needed.
The government decided to print more banknotes so that it had enough money. By 1923, the government had 300 paper mills and 200 printing shops whose only job was to print money.