Germany

Question 1

Schlieffen plan

Answer 1

its purpose was to avoid a two-front war by winning victory on the western front before dealing with the threat from Russia. It aimed to defeat France in 6 weeks by a massive German offensive in northern France and Belgium.
This failure occurred in 1914
The loss of the war caused Germany to be the one to blame in the treaty of Versailles.

Question 2

Stab in the back myth

Answer 2

The view that the army had not really lost WW1 and that unpatriotic groups such as Jews and socialists that weakened it. This myth weakened the Weimar democracy from the start
Ludendorff was the one that saw the need to shift the defeat of Germany away from the military and instead to the government

Question 3

Reichstag

Answer 3

The German parliament. It was created in 1871. They didn’t have much power as real power lay with the emperor. The Reichstag showed no ability to seize initiative.

Question 4

Coalition government

Answer 4

these are usually formed when a party does not have an overall majority in parliament, therefore, it combines with other parties and shared government positions. November 9th, 1918, Friedrich Ebert announced that a left-wing coalition government would be formed. But, this failed later as there was a lack of unity in his coalition government.

Question 5

Freikorps

Answer 5

they were right-wing nationalist soldiers who were who were willing to use force to suppress communist activity. Ebert was criticized for using Freikorps and other forces to brutally suppress the threats from the extreme left. However, the Freikorps had no respect for the Weimar republic as they wanted restoration of authoritarian rule

Question 6

Spartacists

Answer 6

part of the left wing, they were a faction of the SPD and they were the left extremists. They believed that Germany would follow the lead of communist Russia by following Lenin and bolshevism. Their aim was to create a soviet republic based on the rule of the proletariat.
In January 1919, Spartacists launched an armed uprising in Berlin with the aim of overthrowing the provisional government to create a soviet republic. This failed. The Spartacists were easily defeated and Liebknecht and Luxemburg were murdered.
This created troubled atmosphere with continuous strikes in Berlin therefore the first assembly meeting was switched to the town of Weimar.

Question 7

SPD party

Answer 7

the SPD used to contain all the left-wing parties but due to conflict, they separated into the USPD and the SPD

Question 8

Article 48

Answer 8

Gave the president the power in an emergency to rule by decree. This power was one of the many things that the president of Weimar (which is elected every 7 years) enjoyed. With the confusion of who gets the ultimate authority, the Reichstag or the president, this power made matters more difficult

Question 9

Bill of rights

Answer 9

the individual rights that have been drawn up by the constitution.

Question 10

Wilson

Answer 10

Woodrow Wilson was the president of the United States and portrayed as an idealist. He first opposed the USAs entry to war. Once he declared war against Germany in 1917 he drew up the fourteen points in hopes of creating a more just world

Question 11

Clemenceau

Answer 11

Georges Clemenceau was the Prime Minister of France. He was deeply influenced by devastation when Germany invaded northern France. He was determined to gain financial compensation from Germany.

Question 12

George

Answer 12

Lloyd George was the Prime Minister of Great Britain. he saw the importance of compromise and he saw the need to hold back Clemenceau’s revenge and he was keen to support British national interests.

Question 13

Anschluss

Answer 13

was one of the key terms in the treaty of Versailles. The word translates to union. It meant that Germany was forbidden to unite with Austria despite the fact that the population was entirely German

Question 14

Reparations

Answer 14

reparations were a part of the treaty of Versailles. 6.6 billion pounds in reparations costs. All Germany’s coal production was given to France due to the fact that the Saar was to be under the control of the league until 1935

Question 15

Diktat

Answer 15

a dictated peace. Germany felt that the treaty of Versailles was imposed without negotiation therefore it seemed unfair and Germany had many complains for the treaty. It caused Germany many problems.

Question 16

November criminals

Answer 16

men who have betrayed Germany by surrendering to the allies and signing the Treaty of Versailles

Question 17

DNVP

Answer 17

part of the right wing and were very nationalist-minded. It was the largest party in the Reichstag from the extreme left (15.1% in the 1920 elections). Even though it was a party of landowners and industrialists, it had great appeal from the middle class

Question 18

Reactionary

Answer 18

those that opposed change and supported a return to traditional ways.

Question 19

Kapp Putsch

Answer 19

in March 1920, when Freikorps gained control over Berlin and announced Wolfgang Kapp as the new leader. The government flees, general strike is called and the putsch collapses

Question 20

Munich beer hall putsch

Answer 20

November 8-9 1923. This is when Hitler seizes control and declares a new government in Munich. Defeated by 100 police.

Question 21

Hyperinflation

Answer 21

is the sudden dramatic rise in prices. This occurred in 1923 in Germany. Many Germans believed that the hyperinflation was the result of the treaty of Versailles but there are other reasons to this that caused consequences to some classes in Germany.

Question 22

Mittelstand

Answer 22

represented the lower middle class. The Hyperinflation of 1923 did not greatly affect them as they seemed to have done reasonably good business except they might sometimes feel squeezed out between the power of the big businesses and industrial labor.

Question 23

Treaty of Rapallo

Answer 23

This treaty was established is 1922 and it was signed by Wirth.

This soviet Germany treaty was signed as a friendship but the allies saw this as an ‘unholy alliance’ but the hardliners supported this policy as they believed that it would reduce the need for fulfilment with the allies
This was abandoned when Stressemann was appointed and hyperinflation

Question 24

Dawes plan

Answer 24

1924
It’s aims were to
Acceptance of German reorganization of German currency (1 new rentenmark = 1 billion old marks)

International loan of 800 million to aid German economic recovery (mainly USA)

New arrangement for reparation payments (yearly fixed scale) - Helped french and German relations

Question 25

Hindenburg

Answer 25

Elected president in 1925
He had the responsibility of appointing all the chancellors from 1930-4 therefore he must be held somewhat responsible for the appointment of butler

Question 26

Hardliners

Answer 26

Those who believed that the treaty of Versailles terms should be resisted whenever possible

• not paying reparations
• territorial clauses should be rejected
• disarmament should be ignored

Question 27

Moderates

Answer 27

Thought that Germany should follow the twin policies of economic development at home and reconciliation abroad

Question 28

Locarno pact

Answer 28

Series of treaties signed in 1925.
Mutual guarantee agreement, demilitarization of Rhineland, and arbitration treaty

This was due to the reason that stressemenn was worried about an Anglo-Franco alliance

Question 29

Golden years

Answer 29

The years 1925-9 marked the high point of the Weimar Republic as it seemed to be for stable that previous years.
The increase of prosperity by many gave support that these years were the ‘golden years’

Question 30

Stresemann

Answer 30

Stresemann was the chancellor and the foreign minister of Germany
He did many things for Germany from 1923-9 such as
Dawes plan Locarno pact, treaty of Berlin, German entry to League of Nations, kellogg plan and young plan