Germany, 1890–1945: Democracy and dictatorship Flashcards
How did Germany become a country?
-Germany became a country in 1871 after 39 states united together
-The strongest state was Prussia ruled by the Kaiser and chancellor Otto Von Bismark
-The unification led to a war between France and Prussia which Prussia won
Who was Otto Von Bismark?
-The Prime Minister of Prussia from 1862-1890
-Responsible for the unification of the 39 states that made the German Empire due to his strong belief in militarism
-Became the first Chancellor of Germany
-Brilliant statesman with understanding of European politics
Who was Kaiser Wilhelm II?
-Became King in 1888 at 29 years old
-He dreamed of making Germany as great as Britain by building Germany’s industry
-He was successful with this and by 1913 they were producing more iron and steel than Britain
-Energetic with a strong, outgoing personality. could be kind and charming but also impatient and rude
-Would often sack ministers if he disagreed with them like the beloved Otto Von Bismark in 1890
-Spent most of his youth in the army so believed in a strong military
Who/What had power in ruling Germany?
-Kaiser (ultimate power, inherited position, control over army and foreign policy)
-Chancellor (runs gov, proposes new legislation, doesn’t need others)
-Bundesrat (made up of representatives from each state in the German empire)
-Reichstag (members elected by the public every 3 yrs, pass/reject legislation passed down by the Bundesrat)
5 main difficulties the Kaiser had when ruling Germany
-Industrialisation
-Navy Laws
-Growth of socialism
-Influence of Prussian militarism
-Use and growth of Parliamentary government
Industrialisation
-Production in factories got bigger and the country became more industrial as a result
-Resulted in workers having low wages and poor working conditions
-Due to this they joined trade unions to strike and began believing in socialism
Navy Laws
-Germany massively expanded their army after 1898 as they wanted to become a world power and look stronger
-Building the navy cost a lot of money which annoyed socialists thinking the money could be better spent on the working class
-Also meant taxes rose which further angered socialists
-It began a naval race between Britain which increased tensions between the two countries
Growth of socialism
-The Social Democratic Party (SPD) party grew rapidly and they became the largest party in the Reichstag in 1912
-Social Democrats hoped the Kaiser might share some of his power and allow the Reichstag to make more social reforms or laws to improve workers’ rights and conditions
-They worked to pass social reforms like banning Sunday work and children under 13 working
Influence of Prussian militarism
-Since Prussia was the strongest state before unification, it had the most influence on Germany
-The military had significant political power, often overshadowing his authority
-The Kaiser struggled to assert control over the military elite, particularly the conservative Prussian Junkers and generals
-It hindered political modernization, alienated emerging social groups, and ultimately contributed to political instability
Use and growth of Parliamentary government
-Shifted power away from the monarchy to the Reichstag where political parties like the SPD gained influence
-Wilhelm struggled to control parliamentary decisions, especially when faced with opposition from more liberal and socialist factions, which limited his ability to enforce his policies
What was Germany like during and after World War Two?
-British used large navy stopping supply ships getting to Germany= huge shortages of food, medicine and clothing
What were the impacts on Germany after World War Two?
-Low morale after 1.8mil German soldiers died and Germans were utterly beaten by the Allies
-Nationalistic feeling in 1914 had gone and the desire to stop working got stronger
-Mass starvation + malnutrition made people extremely weak and deadly flu epidemic on top killing almost 800k
-Led to growth in extreme political parties like communists
-Kaiser lost support from German soldiers and civilians
What events caused the Kaiser to abdicate the throne?
-28th Oct 1918= Germany navy ordered out to sea from Kiel in Northern Germany to attack British ships
-Sailors refused to follow orders as they didn’t want to fight
-News of their mutiny spread in ports nearby and other sailors and workers followed them
-Soldiers sent to deal with the protests also joined in
-Protests took over towns+set up special councils to run them
-In 6 days, workers and soldier councils governing cities all over Germany
-Kaiser couldn’t control the chaos and decided to abdicate the throne
Who took control after the Kaiser abdicated the throne?
-Friedrich Ebert, leader of largest party SPD, temporarily took over Germany as leader
-He promised to hold elections soon where people could vote for him if they chose to do so
-He ended WW1 which the Germans wanted
-He ordered improvements to working conditions and guaranteed freedom of speech
-He declared Germany would be a democratic republic
What was the Weimar Constitution?
-The SPD won the Jan 1919 elections and set up their new gov in Weimar, becoming known as the Weimar Gov
-There first job was to write a constitution (set of rules) for Germany
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What were the 5 terms of the Weimar Constitution?
1) Over 20s could vote and voted for MPs to sit in the Reichstag who would suggest and vote on new laws
2) Chancellor is head of Reichstag and voted for every 4 yrs
3) A President chooses the Chancellor, keeps control
of the army and voted for every 7 yrs
4) Germany would use Proportional Representation system meaning each party would get a fair share of the seats in the Reichstag (10% of votes= 10% of seats)
5) Proportional Representation seemed fair but had lots of problems= so many parties in the Reichstag meant no party ever had a majority so they couldn’t pass laws by themselves. Parties had to make deals which slowed the whole process down
Strengths of the Weimar Constitution
-Voting was fair
-Lots of people had their say
-State govs ensured local issues were adressed
-Not 1 person could take over (President and Chancellor)
-A poor Chancellor or President would only be around for a limited time
Weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution
-PR meant lots of parties in Reichstag= difficult to make agreements
-Article 48 could be abused to stop President listening to Reichstag
-State govs could pass laws going against what the
Reichstag wanted
What was the Spartacists Uprising?
-Jan 1919, Spartacus League (Communist party) started a revolution in Berlin to take over Germany
-The revolt failed as Ebert brought in the Friekorps (ex soldiers) to stop it and kill communists
Impact of the Spartacists Uprising
-Leaders of revolt Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg were brutally murdered by the Friekorps
-It was helpful for Ebert that they were no longer a threat but he had to rely on the Friekorps
-This made the Weimar Gov look weak and unprotected
What was the Treaty of Versailles?
-A document signed on the 28th June 1919 by France, UK and US which included a number of terms to punish Germany for the role they played in WW1
-France were very angry and so were the UK but the US wanted a strong Germany for trade
What were the 4 main terms of the Treaty of Versailles?
-LAND= Germany lost 13% of its land (Alsace- Lorraine) along with 48% of its iron production and 6 million citizens
-ARMY= Army was limited to 100,000 men and they weren’t allowed to build tanks, planes, submarines etc
-MONEY= Germany had to pay £6.6 billion in reparations to the other countries
-BLAME= Article 231 meant Germany had to take full responsibility for starting the war
What was the Kapp Putsch?
-March 1920, right wing Fascist group led by Wolfgang Kapp gathered 5000 men (Friekorps) and took over Berlin
-Ebert and his gov were forced to flee and Kapp took over the country
-However, Kapp didn’t have support from the workers of Berlin who went on strike meaning there was no water, gas, electricity etc
-After 100 hours, Kapp fled and Ebert returned to power
Impact of Kapp Putsch
-Government fled immediately rather than trying to fight Wolfgang Kapp violently
-Not a huge threat however as Kapp left after only 100 hours and showed that the workers were loyal to the Weimar government
Explain the beginnings of the Nazi Party
-Anton Drexler has a party called the German Workers Party which Hitler joined in 1920
-Their aim was to get rid of the ToV as fascists
-Hitler soon became the leader and renamed the party National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP/Nazi Party)
-He gave the party a new flag and a new private army
to protect it (the SA/Brown shirts)
-The party started small, meeting in beer hosues but Hitler made powerful speeches and SA beat up communists
-By 1923, Nazi party had 55k members
What was the invasion of the Ruhr?
-Germany couldn’t afford to pay its 2nd reparation of ToV
-Jan 1923= French and Belgian troops occupy the Ruhr region to take goods and force them to pay
-German people of the Ruhr react with passive resistance and go on strike to force the soldiers to leave but they react with violence, shooting Germans
-Weimar Gov support the strikers by printing more money to support them so they can carry on striking
-This is what led to hyperinflation
Explain hyperinflation in Germany and its impacts
-German government prints lots more money and so the money becomes worth less
-This escalates until in Nov 1923, a loaf of bread costs over 100 trillion marks
-People burnt their money to heat fires
-Middle class lost their savings
-Elderly lost their pensions
What was the Munich Putsch?
-Nov 1923, Hitler tries to take advantage of hyperinflation by trying to launch a revolution in Munich
-On the 8th, Hitler and 600 SA members burst into a meeting that Kahr (highly respected politician) and Lossow (leader of Bavarian Army) were holding at a beer hall
-Hitler forced them to agree to rebel against the gov but then let them go home
-The next day, Hitler and the SA went to Munich thinking there would be a triumphant march
-However, Kahr had called the police who initiated a short scuffle with Hitler
-4 police and 16 SA were killed, Hitler fled but was arrested 2 days later and spent 9 months in prison where he wrote Mein Kampf (My strugle)
What did Gustav Stresemann do to save Germany?
-Fixed hyperinflation by replacing the old currency with the temporary ‘Rentenmark’. This lasted a year before being replaced with the stable ‘Reichsmark’ lasting 25 yrs
-Dawes and Youngs Plan where the US lent money to Germany in order to pay ToV reparations and help industry
-Locarno Pact promising to not invade each other
-Joined League of Nations
-Signed Kellogg-Briand Pact so they couldn’t go to war unless to defend themselves
Explain Germany’s Golden Age/ Weimar Culture?
-Mainly in Berlin and amongst young people, Weimar culture was established
-Cinema, Nightlife, Literature and Art all saw huge improvements in Germany
-Many Germans saw this as decadent, trashy and corrupt specifically Right wingers disagreed
Cinema in the Golden Age/Weimar Culture
-Became very popular
-Metropolis was the most technically advanced film of the decade
-German born actress Marlene Dietrich became a worldwide star
Nightlife in the Golden Age/Weimar Culture
-New plays, operas, and theatre shows during the time
-Kurt Weill’s ‘The Threepenny Opera’ (adapted by Bertolt Brecht) was a box office smash
-Musicians performed vulgar songs about politicians
-Live bands played American jazz music
-Transvestite evenings
Literature in the Golden Age/Weimar Culture
-People had 120 different newspapers and magazines to choose from
-A German anti-war novel ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ by Erich Remarque sold half a million copies in 3 months
Art in the Golden Age/Weimar Culture
-Avant garde artists such as Otto Dix and George Grosz believed art should show the reality of everyday life in particular the difference in social classes
-Painted in a way that criticised current events
What was the Wall Street Crash and how did it impact Germany?
-A severe stock market collapse in the United States where stock prices plummeted, wiping out billions of dollars in wealth
-US asks for the loans back they gave from the Dawes Plan
-Germany’s money stopped and the country fell into a Depression
-6.5 million became unemployed
-The Weimar Government dealt with it poorly – they
refused to print more money but raised taxes and
cut wages instead. This increased people’s suffering
Explain the changes in the Nazi Party from 1924 to 1929
-Whilst Hitler was in prison the Party had been banned but operated in secret.
-Feb 1924, ban was lifted and the Party relaunched, Hitler slowly began to take control again
-Hitler created the SS (Blackshirts) as his private bodyguards
-Hitler Youth set up to rival other youth groups
-1928 Hitler decided to target rural and urban voters
-Party members went from 27,000 to 100,000 from 1925-28
-Nazis only won 12 seats in 1928 election, so Hitler appointed Goebbels as Party Propaganda Leader
5 reasons why people began voting for the Nazi Party
-The Great Depression
-Unhappy with the Weimar Government
-Appeal of Adolf Hitler
-Nazis use of propaganda
-Role of the SA
Why did the Great Depression cause people to vote for the Nazi Party?
-Wall St Crash caused a Depression in Germany where 6 million were unemployed
-Nazis promised ‘Work and Bread’ to give jobs to people so they could provide for their families
-Nazis offered simple promises that appealed to people
-Nazis tried to appeal to workers who would otherwise vote for the Communist party
Why did being unhappy with the Weimar Government cause people to vote for the Nazi Party?
-Weimar Gov argued lots about how to stop unemployment but didn’t actually achieve much
-After President Hindenburg withdrew support of Bruning showing the democratic party system wasn’t working
-Some who tried to support the key principles of democracy were drawn to extreme parties
Why did the appeal of Adolf Hitler cause people to vote for the Nazi Party?
-Hitler had a charismatic personality and could make people believe he could be trusted to make Germany a strong nation
-He filled his audiences with hope for change by making promises like getting rid of the ToV
