Germany Booklet 1: Political and governmental change 1918-33

Question 1

Outline the creation of the second reich

Answer 1

Otto von Bismark worked from 1862 to create a state under Prussian leader ship through a series of wars of unification. In January 1871, King Wilhelm I of Prussia was proclaimed Kaiser of Germany

Question 2

Outline the government structure of the second Reich

Answer 2

The Kaiser was the leader and he appointed the chancellor and ministers. There was a reichstag that was elected, but the Kaiser had the power to dissolve this.

Question 3

Why was the Weimar republic created?

Answer 3

It was hoped that this change to democracy would encourage sympathy from the allies and so Germany would be treated more fairly in the peace negotiations.

Question 4

What are some basic left wing ideals?

Answer 4

Progressive in nature
belief in promoting equality
High taxation - redistribution of wealth from the richest to the poorest
state ownership and control of the economy
represent the working classes
emphasis on welfare

Question 5

What are some basic right wing ideals?

Answer 5

value tradition, authority and personal freedom
freedom is more important than equality
low taxation
private enterprise and free market economy
support the middle and upper classes

Question 6

What were the names of the 8 main German political parties 1918?

Answer 6

Social Democratic party
Independent socialists
German communist party
Centre party
German democratic party
German people's party
German National people's party
National socialist German Workers Party

Question 7

When was the Weimar constitution adopted?

Answer 7

31st July 1919

Question 8

What was the voting system of the Weimar republic?

Answer 8

Proportional representation

Question 9

Outline Emergency powers (article 48) in the Weimar republic in theory

Answer 9

The president could suspend the constitution, including civil rights and rule by decree for a limited period in a state of emergency

Question 10

What are some examples of strengths of the new Weimar constitution in 1919?

Answer 10

Universal suffrage from 20
Men and women were considered equal citizens
Democratic freedoms were provided for German people - speech, protest and the press

Question 11

What were some examples of weaknesses in the new Weimar constitution?

Answer 11

The proportional representation led to many weak coalition governments which never lasted long
The emergency powers were easy to abuse and therefore could easily undermine the the democratic process of the reichstag.

Question 12

How did Ebert use article 48?

Answer 12

He used it to supress uprisings by workers and it was a great stabilising factor in the Weimar Republic
He used them over 100 times in the economic crisis of 1922

Question 13

How did Hindenburg use article 48?

Answer 13

He abused them, using them to remove the democratic state government Prussia in 1932, then used them 5 times in 1930, 44 in 1931 and 60 in 1932

Question 14

Outline the SPD socialists

Answer 14

Largest socialist party - it led most of the coalition government from 1919-1933 and were the most popular party.

Question 15

During 1919-1930 how many coalition governments were there in the Weimar republic?

Answer 15

20

Question 16

What were the 4 main reasons that political parties could have been responsible for the failure of Weimar?

Answer 16

Political divisions
Moderate parties were weak
Several parties did not support the republic
Extreme parties undermined democracy

Question 17

Who were the SA?

Answer 17

The NSDAP paramilitary wing - also known as the brown shirts. They had a reputation of undisciplined violence. They were prepared to kill those who got in their way and attacked opposing political parties in the streets.

Question 18

What made the NSDAP so popular?

Answer 18

It was a strange mix of traditional German values and new radical political ideals - they preached national rebirth and the party was modelled off of the German army which was extremely popular

Question 19

What percentage of the votes did Hitler achieve in the election of 1932?

Answer 19

30%

Question 20

What did Germany begin do under Herman Muller’s administration?

Answer 20

It began a naval construction program and he negotiated the young plan which reduced reparation payments imposed at Versailles.

Question 21

Who was president Hindenburg?

Answer 21

He was a respected military general and was viewed as a hero - elected president after Ebert’s death

Question 22

How did Bruning weaken Weimar?

Answer 22

He implemented deflationary policies cutting employment benefits and introducing spending cuts which worsened the economic crisis in 1930

Question 23

How did Von Papen weaken Weimar?

Answer 23

He lifted the ban on the SA to gain Hitler’s support

He persuaded Hindenburg to appoint Hitler as chancellor

Question 24

How did Von Schleicher weaken Weimar?

Answer 24

He offered Hitler position of vice chancellor and was responsible for Bruning and von Papen gaining power
He wanted to end the power of the Reichstag and create a presidential government

Question 25

What are ‘institutions’?

Answer 25

They are parts of a state which carry out the policies and purposes of government

Question 26

What were the main three institutions with power in the Weimar republic?

Answer 26

The army, the Judiciary and the civil service

Question 27

Why was the army an issue in the Weimar republic?

Answer 27

It contained many people who despised democracy and and worked throughout this period to undermine and ultimately overthrow the political system

Question 28

Why was the civil service an issue in the Weimar republic?

Answer 28

They were never considerably loyal to the government they were meant to help function and they tried to overthrow and undermine the political system

Question 29

Why was the judiciary an issue in the Weimar republic?

Answer 29

The judges from the Kaiserreich still held their positions, they despised Weimar and frequently interpreted the law in a manner that allowed violent, right-wing fanatics, who assassinated politicians or mounted attempted coups to either go free or face little punishment

Question 30

How many political murders were there in Germany between 1919 and 1922 and what are the stats of left and right wing convictions?

Answer 30

376 political murders
only 4 out of 22 murders committed by the left were unpunished but 326 out of 354 on the right never faced justice for their crimes.

Question 31

Why were the institutions able to act independently from the government?

Answer 31

It was enshrined in the constitution that they should be given this freedom.

Question 32

What did Hindenberg do to benefit Weimar?

Answer 32

His presidency gave the German right a reason to support the republic so in the short term he stabilised it.

Question 33

How did Stresemann weaken Weimar?

Answer 33

His foreign policies were not popular with the right wing at home

Question 34

How did Ebert weaken Weimar?

Answer 34

His acceptance of Versailles and reparations was unpopular
He used emergency powers many times 1923-24, bypassing the Reichstag
Ebert-Groener Pact arguably gave army too much independence

Question 35

How did Muller weaken Weimar?

Answer 35

His coalition only lasted 2 years as he failed to get agreement over unemployed payments in 1930, resulting in another election in which extremists did well. His reputation was weakened by the fact that he signed the treaty of Versailles.

Question 36

How did Muller strengthen Weimar?

Answer 36

as leader of a moderate coalition in 1928 he had some successes such as nationwide state controlled unemployment insurance, reduction in reparations and introduction of the young plan

Question 37

How did Stresemann strengthen Weimar?

Answer 37

Oversaw major economic reform in 1923-24 which effectively saved Germany’s economy
He adopted a policy of co-operation with Britain and France and he was prepared to use German economic influence to gain concessions from other countries
persuaded many people to support the republic.

Question 38

How did Ebert strengthen Weimar?

Answer 38

He made compromises with the army and was prepared to work with the largely right wing civil service - this undermined German democracy in the long run but short term it brought stability to the regime.