Germany In Transition:1919-1939 Flashcards
When did Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicate from the german throne?
9th of November 1918
At what age could men and women vote in Weimar?
20
How did the Weimar constitution vote?
Proportional Representation meant that the number of seats is based on the number of votes they got.
Give 3 key articles of the Weimar constitution?
Article 1 - The German reich is a republic.
Article 41 - The Reich president is chosen by the whole of the German electorate
Article 48 - The President can take necessary measures to restore public order
What was the War Guilt Clause / Article 231?
The clause that germany had to accept all blame for starting the war in 1914, and had to agree to pay compensation for the damage she had caused to the allied powers.
What does Diktat mean?
Dictated peace. The German public didnt want to take the blame for WWI but were made as scapegoats.
What does Anschluss mean?
Union of Germany and Austria.
What does Lebensraum mean?
Living space. Germany wanted to unite all German speaking people
What does Dolschtoss mean?
Stabbed in the back. German politicians who signed the armistice were nicknamed the november criminals.
What were the 4 main terms of the Treaty of Versailles?
Blame for World War 1
Reparations of £6.6billion over 6 years
Army reduced to 100,000 - no airforce
Territory - 13% of land lost. All overseas colonies lost. 6 million german speaking people in other countries.
Why was the Weimar government initially unpopular?
established a weak constitution and failed to end food shortages.
What was the KDP?
German Communist Party
Which two individuals led the spartacists uprising?
Karl Leibknecht & Rosa Luxemburg
When did the Sparticists attempt to overthrow Ebert & the Weimar government?
6th of January 1919
What paramilitary force defeated the spartacists?
The freikorps
Why was there a conflict between the Weimar government & the Freikorps?
Weimar attempted to reduce the size of the army and disband the freikorps.
What did Wolfgang Kapp want to achieve?
Overthrow the Weimar and establish a right wing government.
What was Kapp’s opinions and motives for the putsch?
He stressed the communist threat, the Dolschtoss theory, and the severity of the ToV.
Why did the new regular army not want to fight the Kapp putsch?
The leading officers supported the putsch and believes that “the reichswehr doesnt fire on the reichswehr”
Who ended up supporting Weimar and protesting against the Kapp putsch?
Trade unionists and civil servants.
What two events were significant problems towards the Weimar Republic?
The french occupation of the ruhr & hyperinflation.
Why did the french send troops in to the ruhr?
due to Germany not being able to pay back reparations
How did Weimar attempt to cope with the extortionate reparations on top of paying the German public?
they began to print more money
What were the french troops met with in the ruhr by the German workers?
Passive resistance
