Germany in transition Flashcards
When did did the First World War break out
1914
Who was fighting in ww1
The triple entente (Britain, France and Russia) and the triple alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy)
When was the German army at point of collapse
Autumn 1918
When did the kaiser abdicate
9 November 1918
When the kaiser fled what did Germany become
Republic
What is republic
A government in which power is exercised by representatives elected by the people
What is an armistice
An agreement to end hostilities in a war
What was the Weimar Republic
This followed the abdication of the Kaiser when Germany became republic it is named after the town of Weimar where the temporary government met to write a new constitution
When Did Germany’s provisional government agree to an armistice
11th of November
When did the first constituent assembly meet for the first time
When did the first constituent assembly meet for the first time January 1919 in the town of Weimar
How long did the Weimar Republic last
From 1919 to 1933
How Many presidents did the Weimar Republic have
Two Friedrich Albert rose from 1918 to 25 and Paul von Hindenburg road from 1925 to 34
What was the weimar Republic system of voting
They use proportional representation to elect members of the Reichstag
How was the Chancelor be appointed in the Weimar Republic
By the president and was meant to be a leader of the largest party
What was article 48
Law that allowed the president to lead in a state of emergency but after 1930 chancellors who did not lead the largest party was allowed to use it
What is coalition government and why did the Weimar Republic use it
The use of proportional representation voting meant that parties obtained seats in the Rhine stag in direct proportion to the total number of votes cast for them this led to coalition government
When was the treaty of versailles signed by the German government
The 28th of June 1919
How many clauses did the treaty of Versailles have
440
What were the territorial terms of the treaty of Versailles
Germany lost 13% of its land
6 million citizens and all colonial possessions it was forbidden to unite with Austria Alsace-Lorraine was given to France East Prussia was to be cut off from the rest of Germany by the Polish corridor and the Saarland was to be administered by the league of Nations
What were the military terms of the treaty of Versailles
The German army was limited to 100,000 men it couldn’t have any tanks heavy guns aircraft or submarines the Navy ships must have a 10,000 tons of weight and the Rhineland was to be demilitarised
What’s with the financial terms of the treaty of Versailles
Under clause 231 (war guilt) Germany had to accept full responsibility and pay money as reparations 6600 million was fixed in 1921
With a political terms of the treaty of Versailles
Germany was forbidden to join the newly created league of Nations Germany also had to accept blame for causing the war
What is LAMB
Land
Army
Money
Blame
Who didn’t like the Weimar Republic
It lists socialists, nationalists, Army leaders and those who had to run Germany before 1918
What are socialists
A person who believes in state ownership
What is a nationalist
Person who has a passionate devotion to their country
The initial reaction to the Weimar Republic
It was initially unpopular because it had surrendered, established a weak constitution and failed to end food shortages
Who led the Spartacist league
Karl liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg
What did the Spartacist league want to do
Establish a state based on Communist ideals
What’s happened in December 1918
The Spartacist formed the German communist party
What’s happened on the 6th of January 1919
The Spartacist began their attempt to overthrow the Weimar government in order to create a communist state
How did the government put down the rebellion of the Spartacist’s
They used the reichswehr and the freikorps and The Spartacist leaders were captured and executed
What is the reichswehr
The regular German army
What are the freikorps
Paramilitary groups formed from demobilised soldiers at the end of the war
What is the Chancellor
The head of the German government chosen by the president
What is a putsch
A political uprising
What happened in March 1920
Weimar tried to disband freikorps this led to the kap Putsch
What was the kapp putsch
March 1920 attempt to overthrow the Social Democratic Party (SPD) government, carried out by army officers, Freikorps members and right-wing nationalists.
Happened on the 8th of November 1923
The Munich putsch
What was the Munich putsch
When Hitler and 600 Nazis burst into a public meeting in Munich and the Bavarian chief minister von kahr and the army chief von Lossow agreed to help in the plan to take over German gov in Berlin they later informed the police and authorities
What was the outcome of the Munich putsch
19 Nazis and four policemen were killed Hitler was put on trial and the Nazi party was banned
What is inflation
When the value of a currency is reduced the same amount of money buys you fewer things
What is passive resistance
Opposition that does not involve violence
What is hyperinflation
A very extreme form of inflation where money becomes almost worthless
What happens between 1923 and 1914
The currency had been devalued by inflation
What Made it even harder to pay reparations
The loss of industrial areas after Versailles
How did the Weimar government try to deal with inflation to pay France and Belgium and its own workers
They started printing off more money
What did printing off money do to help inflation
Nothing it’s only made the value of German currency fall rapidly
What happened in 1921 and then again in January 1923
French and Belgian troops invaded the industrial district of the Ruhr in the Rhineland
Why did the French and Belgian troops invade the district of the Ruhr
They were angry because they needed the money from reparations to pay off their war debts to the USA
What did the German workers do to protest the occupation of French and Belgian troops in the Ruhr
They went on strike but many were shot by French troops and led to demonstrations against the invasion
What did the German government do to pay the people on strike in 1923
Print even more money
Who did inflation benefit
Businessman who had borrowed money from banks
Food shortages led to the rising prices which helped farmers
And foreigners in Germany could afford things other people couldn’t
