Germany 1918-1924 Flashcards
When did Kaiser Wilhelm Abdicate
9th November 1918
What were Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen points (Summed up)
Return of Alsace-Lorraine to France
Establishment of a league of nations
Self determination
Self Governance
Prevention of another war
Who is Friedrich Ebert
SPD politician
Elected to the Reichstag in 1912
First president of the Weimar republic in 1919
The “Father” of the Weimar republic
When/what was the Sailors revolt
23rd-24th December 1918 sailors’ revolt in Berlin was put down by the army leading to three USPD ministers resigning
When/what was the Spartacists uprising
6th January 1919: Spartacists launched armed revolt against the government seizing newspaper offices. Revolt crushed after a week of heavy fighting
What is the Ebert-Groener pact
Most of the army opposed Democracy and fought fearlessly for the Kaiser. General Groener phoned Ebert to assure him that the army leadership would have the support of the government, in return Ebert assured Groener that he would resist the revolutions and uphold the existing command structure in the Army
When/what was the Sailors Mutiny?
3rd November 1918 - Sailors at Kiel mutinied against their officers and took control. This eventually led to revolt all around the country and led to the Kaiser abdicating
What is Proportional Representation
Enabled smaller parties to win seats and influence government. Germany was divided into 35 electoral districts (aprox. 1 million voters each)
What is individual rights
All Germans equal before the law. Censorship is forbidden. Religious freedoms. Right of property guaranteed. Personal liberty is inviolable. Economic freedom for the individual
What were 2 weaknesses of the Weimar constitution
Proliferation of small parties: Enabled small parties to exploit the system to gain publicity.
Coalition Governments: Due to smaller parties, none of the larger parties could gain a majority forcing them to form coalitions, every single government in the Weimar Republic was a Coalition
Who was the first Weimar Chancellor
Scheidemann
Name the political spectrum (Left to Right)
KPD
USPD
SPD
DDP
CENTRE
DVP
DNVP
NSDAP
What is the Freikorps
Soldiers who struggled to adapt to civilian life edged towards the Freikorps
Worked like the military in order and structure
Infamous for putting down communist uprisings
Terms of the treaty of Versailles (TRAWL)
Territory
Reparations
Armed forces
War Guilt
League of Nations
Who are the Winners of Hyperinflation
Black-Marketeers who bought up food and sold them at inflated prices
Those who had debt FIXED
Enterprising business people took out loams
Owners of foreign exchange and foreigners themselves
Most farmers as they could set the prices of the food
Who are the losers of hyperinflation
Those who relied on savings, investments, fixed income or welfare support
Pensioners
Those who had lent money to the govt.
Landlords reliant on fixed rents
Unskilled workers and non-trade union members
Artisans and small business owners
The sick as rising costs of food and medical care
Tuberculosis and rickets increased in malnourished children
What was the invasion of the Rhur
Jan 1923 - French and Belgian military force (60,000) to force Versailles compliance
Took control of all mines, factories, steelworks and railways demanded food from shops set up machine gun posts in the streets
What was Germanys reaction of the invasion of the Rhur
Stopped all reparation payments
Policy of passive resistance, no citizen to cooperate with the occupiers, but German workers still promised wages to continue to go on strike
Freikorps units secretly organised acts of sabotage
Around 150,000 Germans were expelled from the area 132 Germans were shot within 8 months, including a 7 year old boy
What did the French do in retaliation to the resistance
150,000 Germans expelled from the area
Some miners shots after clashes with the police
Established military court and punished mine owners
132 Germans shot
French brought their own workers to operate railways and export coals
Coal deliverers down to 1/3
Overall output fell to 1/5 of its preoccupation figures
Price of Bread in Jan 1923 compared to Nov 1923
Jan = 163 Marks
Nov = 233 Billion marks
Employment rate at the end of 1923
29.3%
What did David Lloyd George want from the treaty of Versailles
To keep communism at bay
What did Georges Clemenceau want in the from the TOV
To impose heavy reparations on Germany
What was the general belief amongst the German public that the treaty would result in
They believed it would result in a fair peace, because the defeat was never really expected until weeks before the armistice. They also believed the treaty would be based on Wilsons 14 points
How many days were Germany given to sign the treaty of Versailles
16th June: Seven days to sign
When was the Treaty of Versailles signed by Germany
28th June 1919
What does Diktat mean
referred to the treaty as a dictated peace
Army’s reaction to TOV
Ebert told Groener that he would reject the treaty if military resistance was guaranteed to be successful
Groener informed Ebert that the army wouldn’t be successful and he had no choice but to accept the treaty
What is the stab in the back myth
It was the belief that Germany didn’t lose the war on the battle field but instead betrayed by the government for signing the treaty
What is the Dawes plan
The Dawes plan recommended that the amount paid each year was reduced until 1929.
Germany should also receive a large loan of 800 million marks from the USA for heavy investment in German infrastructure
Who was Charles Dawes
An American banker and politician who became vice president in 1924
What was the Impact of the Dawes plan
Heated Debate in the Reichstag
Privately Stresemann believed it would be an economic armistice
New machinery, factories, houses and jobs could allow economic rebirth
What is arbitration
Industrial disputes are often settled by arbitration in which both sides agree to allow an independent figure (known as the Arbitrator) decide on a solution
What is a Cartel
groups of industries which combined together to fix prices and protect profits
How many cartel agreements were there in 1925
3000 Cartel agreements (90% of Germanys coal and steel production)
Dwelling increase in 1925-26?
1925: 178,930 dwellings built
1926: 205,793 dwellings built
Real wage increase 1927-1928
1927: Increase by 9%
1928: Increase by 12%
Improvements in living standards for those represented in trade union
What are the limitations of the Golden Age
White collar workers got no pay rise
Middle class managers, clerks and bureaucrats did not benefit
1922-25 - Mining population reduced by 136,000
March 1926 - Unemployment 3 million +
When/What is the Locarno Pact
1925, Swiss city of Locarno
Aim to restore Germany international position
Led to the Rhineland pact and Arbitration treaties
What is the Rhineland pact
Germany, France and Belgium to respect the Western frontier
Germany to keep troops out of the Rhineland
Britain and Italy to aid Germany, France or Belgium if any were attacked by neighbours
What is the Arbitration treaties
Germany agreed with France, Belgium, Poland and Czechoslovakia that disputes between them should be settled by a conciliation committee
France signed treaties of mutual guarantee with Poland and Czechoslovakia ensuring Germany would not break the conciliation committee agreement
When/What is the treaty of Rapallo
1922 this treaty allowed for German troops to be trained in Russia and Russian troops to be trained in Germany. Also this treaty meant that Poland was surrounded by Russia and Germany
When/What is the treaty of Berlin
1926 Treaty renewal of Rapallo and added clause that Germany would be neutral in a war involving the USSR (if the latter was not the aggressor)
What is the Inter-Allied control commission
Established under the TOFV to ensure Germany complied with the disarmament clauses, staffed by French and British army officers. Check that existing Weapons were destroyed and no new weapons were being produced
What did Germany do to bend the rules of Versailles
Spain: Build submarines
Sweden: Build tanks and Artillery
Agreements with Russia - treaty of Rapallo
Army recruits enlisted for short periods of time
New fortifications on the border with Poland
When/What is the Kellogg Briand treaty
1928 - Germany signed it with France and the USA
Frank Kellogg, the American secretary of State, and Briand the foreign minister of France made an agreement which states would agree t voluntarily renounce the use of offensive wars to resolve disputes
Germany would be the first to sign followed by many other countries
What is the policy of fulfilment
Where Germany planned to comply with the TOFV in order to gain relations with France and Britain
How many years did France leave the Ruhr EARLY
5 years before Versailles stated
When/What was the Young Plan
Met in Paris in 1929
Continue reparation payments until 1988
Bill reduced to 1.8 billion (rather than 6.5 billion)
Annual payments increased
Britain and France to withdraw all troops from the Rhineland by 1930 (If reparations were paid on time)
What is a pogrom
An organized massacre of a particular ethnic group, in particular that of Jewish in Russia or Eastern Europe
Statistics about Jews…
More than Half a million living in Germany
80% lived in cities and had a good education
Many identified more as German than Jewish
Extreme sense of Patriotism
1% of the entire German population
16% of all lawyers were Jewish
11% were all doctor
