Germany: 1890 - 1929 - The Kaiser and the Weimar Republic Flashcards
Unification of Germany
Kaiser Wilhelm and the difficulties of ruling Germany
- united as nation in 1871
- prussia (most powerful state) became the ruler (kaiser)
The Parlimentary Goverment
Kaiser Wilhelm and the difficulties of ruling Germany
Kaiser - ultimate ruler of all german states + could ignore goverment advice + made military decisions
Chancellor - advised the Kaiser
Bundesrat - representatives from each state
Reichstag - elected parliment, debated + voted on laws
Kaiser Wilhem
Kaiser Wilhelm and the difficulties of ruling Germany
- spent lots of time in the army -> very militarictic (prussia in control)
- wanted germany to become a global power and rival britiain -> build up navy (weltpolitik) + the naval race with britian
weltpolitik - world policy
Industriaisation
Kaiser Wilhelm and the difficulties of ruling Germany
- by 1913 germany produced as much coal as biritain -> kept increasing
- german companies were major forces
- factory owners became very rich -> workers became poorer.
Growth of Socialism
Kaiser Wilhelm and the difficulties of ruling Germany
- workers were unhappy with poor wages and conditions
- workers joined trade unions + lead strikes to improve conditions
- in 1914 over 3 million workers were in trade unions
- Social Democratic Party (SPD) became popular
- leading to extreme socialists wanting to rebel and start a revolution
SPD:
- belived in socialism (power + wealth shared equally)
- kaiser should allow reichstag more power to laws -> to help workers
- didnt want rich landowners + buissnesowner holding such power.
- Votes for by 1/3 of germans
WeltPolitik
Kaiser Wilhelm and the difficulties of ruling Germany
- kaiser wanting germany to have a navy and army to rival britain
- naval laws passes between 1898-1912 to increase navy -> expensive -> taxes had to be raisedand money borrowed
- nationlistists like this
- socialist disagreed with spending money for ships
Germany in WW1
Kaiser Wilhelm and the difficulties of ruling Germany
- initally very popular patriotic germans thought it would be short
- britain blockaded germany -> severe food shortages
- By 1915 protestors called for an end -> war weariness
- many weak killed by spanish flu
- at end of oct 1918 navy refused to sail (from port of kiel) -> spreading mutiny
- kaiser abdicated on 9th nov 1918
- Friedrich Erbet signed armistice (leader of SPD the biggest party)
Impact of WW1 of Germany
Kaiser Wilhelm and the difficulties of ruling Germany
- trade collapsed
- women lost jobs as men returned
- 60,000 war widows -> expensive war pensions
- lots of money borrowed from us
- factory owners whod become rich lowered wages -> bigger poverty gap
- politics turned to the extremes nationlists vs socialists
- end of the monarchy
2 problems + structure + the constituation
Weimar Goverment - Stucture
Weimar Goverment
The social democratics won the 1919 january elections and wrote the consition:
(wiemar - town they met in. republic - without monarcy)
President:
- elections every 7 years
- controlled army + navy + airforce
- had controll over article 48
chancellor (prime minister)
- chosen by president
- usually from most popular party
- day to day country running
- must have majority to pass laws
reichstag
- discussed + introduced laws
- MPs elected every 4 years
- porpotional representation
german people
- all men + women over 20 could vote
- granted free speech
Weimar Goverment - Problems
Weimar Goverment
Article 48
- the president could make undemocratic decisions in event of crisis
- crisis was not defined by the constiution
Porpotional Representation
- each part gets an amout of seats porpotional to the amount of votes they got (e.g 10% if votes = 10% of seats
- leads to many parties -> difficult to get a majoirty to pass laws
- coalition goverments were formed (weaker)
LAMB
Treaty of Versailles
Impact of the First World War
- June 1919
- peace treaty signed to stop the war offically
LAMB:
L=Land
- lost 13% of land
- lost 6 million people
- lost all oversee colonies
- losts lots of industrial land + coal mines
- split to allow polish entry to the sea
A= Army
- german army reduced to 100 00 soldiers
- navy cut to 15 thousand
- no planes + subarimes + tanks
- rhineland demilitarized
M= Money
- lost economically important land
- allies demanded £6.6 billion in reperations
- mainly towards france and belgium
B= Blame
- war guilt clause blamed germany for the war
Nov Criminals
Treaty of Versailles - effects
Weimar Goverment
Nationalists - called weimar republic the november criminals (for signing armistice + treaty)
led to outrage in the german public
Opposition to the Weimar goverment - Spartacist
Weimar Goverment
January 1919
- german communist sparty (spartacists) wanted to revolt against Erbert
- tried to start revolution on the 6th of january
- Erbet used Freikcrops to stop the rebellion -> killing many communists
- made erbert look weak as he had to rely on the freikorps
- communists kept on rioting
freikorps - ex WW1 soldiers paid to keep order
Opposition to the Weimar Goverment - Kapp Putch
Weimar Goverment
- 1920
- FreiKorps went against Ebert
- they supported Wolfgang Kapp in the kapp putsch
- resolved by workers in berlin going on strike , refusing to help the freikorps
- protest made the goverment look weak as there was a lack of control
Opposition to the Weimar Govermen - Munich Putsch
Weimar Goverment
8th of November 1923
- Hitler + 800 nazis took control of a beer hall
- putsch was easily stopped
- hitler got good publicity from broadcasted trial
- he wrote mein Kampf in prison
- led to him deciding to take germany over from inside the reichstag
