Germany and the Growth of Democracy Flashcards
How was Kaiser Wilhelm II so powerful
-Could appoint and fire any chancellor without consulting anyone else
-Power to suggest any new law and could reject any new law he wanted
-Head of the army
What was the Kaisers one power flaw
he had to get the Reichstag’s permission for any new law he proposed
Which party became a problem to the Kaiser as it started to grow after 1890
SPD
In what year did the SPD become the largest party in the Reichstag
1912
What led people to turn to the SPD
-German industry was growing very rapidly meaning people moved to towns and cities which had poor living conditions.
-People moved to the SPD because they campaigned for social reform such as better housing and unemployment benefits.
Why was the army so significant in Germany
-Germany was created in 1871 off the back of 3 victories in three wars won by the Prussian Army.
-Many people had a strong respect and support for the army.
-Kaiser had been a part of the army and loved dressing up in uniform.
-The Kaiser’s policies often aimed to strengthen the German army
-The SPD resented the army, which increased the divisions between right wing and left wing.
4 reasons Why were the Navy laws important?
-Kaiser wanted a navy to rival Britain
-He hoped a strong navy would increase patriotism between right and left wing.
-Nationalists, military and industrialists supported this but socialists did not.
-Workers argued the Kaiser should spend more on social reform and not battleships
3 reasons Why were German people weary from WW1?
-Food shortages( winter 1916-17 only turnips to eat)
-600K women widowed
- 2 million children fatherless
-wages suppressed
How was the economy effected by WW1?
-In 1918, national income fell to 1/3 of 1913 level
-In 1918, industrial production fell to 2/3 of 1913 level
-Treaty of Versailles states Germany has £6.6 billion to pay
-By 1925, 1/3 of government income spent on war pensions for widows, orphans and injured soldiers.
Who was forced to abdicate and flee to Holland at the end of WW1?
Kaiser
Why was Germany post war called the ‘Weimar Republic’
Government was set up in Weimar due to Berlin being too dangerous because of riots.
What was the Weimar Republics majority party and president?
-SPD
-Friedrich Ebert
What 4 problems did the new government of the Weimar Republic face?
-‘Stab in the back myth’
-TOV
-Reparations and occupation of Ruhr
-Hyper inflation
What was the ‘Stab in the Back Myth’ and why was it a problem?
-Created by nationalist groups who believed Germany was not losing the war. They believed socialist politicians had undermined the war effort by rioting and protesting so they could get rid of the Kaiser and seize power.
-This was a problem as lots of people believed it and blamed those politicians who were given the nickname ‘November Criminals’.
What was the Treaty of Versailles and why was it damaging?
-Peace treaty to end the war written by France, USA and the UK. It was very harsh on Germany.
-It stated that Germany must:
-give up 13% of its land, including 50% of iron and steel industries.
-reduce its army to 100K men with 6 battleships and no air force.
-Take war blame and pay £6.6 billion in reparations
-Lose their colonies to France and Britain.
This was damaging as Germany had to sign it and it became very unpopular, adding fuel to the Stab in the Back myth.
In 1922, Germany announced that it could not pay the reparations. What then happened?
-French troops occupied the Ruhr and took control of mines an factories.
-In response the German workers passively resisted to prevent France getting their hands on Germanies valuable resources.
-The government then had to pay support to these families and this led to hyper inflation.
What was Hyper- inflation and why did it cause a problem?
-The German government printed more money to try and solve their problems.
-This led to a disastrous decrease in the value of the German mark.
-This made the Mark become worthless and one dollar equated to 200 billion marks in Nov 1923.
-People lost all their savings and workers found they could not afford to feed their families.
what threat did communism pose to Germany post WW1?
they wanted a state ran by workers and did not think the SDP were doing enough to help working class people.
What 2 communist uprising happened in 1919 and 1920 and what happened
Spartacist Uprising, 1919- workers led by Rosa Luxembourg and Karl Liebknecht took control of the governments newspaper and telegraph offices in Berlin. The two leaders were killed.
Red Rising in the Ruhr, 1920- 50K workers in the Ruhr took control of materials, mines and factories.
Both rebellions were crushed by the army and the Freikorps
Who were the Freikorps
a group of nationalists who hated communists
Why did the nationalists pose a threat to the Weimar Republic
believed in stab in the back myth and wanted a single strong leader. They hated democracy and socialism.
What 2 nationalist uprisings happened in 1920 and 1923 and what happened
Kapp Putsch, 1920- Freikorps join an attempt to overthrow the Weimar government led by Wolfgang Kapp. 12k Freikorps seized control of the main government building in Berlin but Ebert called for workers to go on strike making it impossible for them to rule.
Munich Putsch, 1923- The Nazi’s and their private army, the SA, supported by General Ludendorff, a hero of WW1 tried to seize power in Munich but the army and police shut it down.
What were the consequences of the Munich Putsch?
-Hitler used his trial to gain publicity, nationwide
-Judge was sympathetic towards AH, showing senior figures were not supportive of new democracy
-Hitler wrote Mein Kampf in prison
-Hitler decided to change tactics and win votes.
how did Gustav Stresemann try to solve hyper inflation and what were adv and disadv of this?
-New currency backed by the gold reserve
Adv:
-inflation under control
-Germans accepted it
Disadv:
-People who lost savings weren’t compensated and felt cheated by the WR.
-People never forgot hyperinflation
