Germany: Post WWI

Question 1

What was German War Economy like?

Answer 1

• The military was prioritised over the public economically, so food, coal and clothing was in short supply
• 80,000 children died of starvation in 1916, and its winter made shortages worse
• The government introduced price ceilings and then rationing

Question 2

Why was there Social Discontent during the War?

Answer 2

• Profiteers and Black Marketeers grew wealthy, and the rich didn’t suffer
• This worsened social divisions and generated more anger
• There was a wave of strikes across Germany in 1917

Question 3

How did the War develop during 1917 - 18?

Answer 3

• In 1917, the new Russian Government surrendered
• Germany imposed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk on Russia in Spring 1918
• However, in 1918, a major spring offensive by the German Army failed

Question 4

What caused the German people to lose morale?

Answer 4

• By autumn 1918, the army recognised it needed to sue for peace, and they knew P. Wilson would be more amenable to a civilian government
• The public’s wartime suffering fuelled social and political unrest throughout, even in the armed forces

Question 5

How did the Bolshevik Revolution impact Germany?

Answer 5

• The 1917 Bolshevik Revolution alarmed political elites across Europe and led to greater political activity among the working classes
• This small revolutionary group showed it was possible to overthrow an autocratic army and that the army couldn’t prevent revolution.

Question 6

How did the revolutionary winds of Germany begin?

Answer 6

• Economic and military failures in 1918 destroyed morale, leading to openness towards revolutionary politics
• Mutinies spread from Kiel across Germany
• Committees were formed, demonstrating the people’s anger
• The unrest in Germany from 1918 - 9 is often called the ‘German Revolution’ - a revolution from below

Question 7

Why was Prince Max made Chancellor?

Answer 7

• The military wanted a moderate civilian, left wing government to be formed to admit Germany’s defeat for better peace terms
• Ludendorff persuaded the Kaiser to make Max Chancellor in Oct 1918
• He had credibility with military and civilians, but could also bring the moderate, left wing SPD into government

Question 8

What did Ebert do as Chancellor?

Answer 8

• Ebert was the leader of the SPD, an elected deputy of the Reichstag and chair of the Council of People’s Deputies
• He brought members of the more radical USPD into the government
• He made a deal with Groener, supporting the officer corps and protecting the army’s food supplies if he had support from the army and civil service

Question 9

What were Germany’s Left Wing Parties?

Answer 9

• SPD (moderate), USPD (radical), and KPD (Communist)
• They attracted more working class voters
• They believed in greater economic and social equality, wealth redistribution, more taxation for public services and greater workers’ rights

Question 10

What were the Centre Parties?

Answer 10

• DDP and Zentrum (largely Catholic parties but with a wide range of supporters and views)
• Generally pro-Weimar Republic
• They held liberal ideas such as individual and economic freedom, a more equal distribution of wealth and some taxation for public services

Question 11

What were the Right Wing Parties?

Answer 11

• DVP, DNVP
• The right wing was conservative and most were monarchists
• It favoured authoritarian leaders, low taxation, traditional values and less equality

Question 12

What happened with the Left Wing parties during 1919?

Answer 12

• The USPD left the government in Dec 1918
• The Spartacist revolt took place in Berlin in Jan 1919, but it was suppressed by the army and Freikorps with Ebert’s support
• 100 were killed
• Left parties were divided over it because the KPD never forgave the SPD
• The USPD split and joined both parties

Question 13

What happened during Jan 1919 elections?

Answer 13

• There were elections for the German Constituent Assembly
• The KPD boycotted
• Political parties that voted for the Constitution won 77% of the vote
  38% SPD, 20% Zentrum and BVP, 19% DDP

Question 14

Who was the President?

Answer 14

• Elected every 7 years by public vote
• They could appoint or dismiss a Chancellor, dissolve the Reichstag, call for new elections and command the army
• Article 48 could be used to rule by decree in ‘emergencies’
• The Reichstag had to be informed of all measures taken under it and could revoke them

Question 15

What was the Reichstag?

Answer 15

• The Constitution established a democratic, parliamentary republic where everyone 20+ could vote every 4 years for a new parliament, and every 7 for a president
• Proportional Representation encouraged political participation by giving influence to the minority
• A coalition government was the usual: no one ever had the majority
• Changes of government and elections happened more than every 4 years
• A change didn’t necessarily mean an election

Question 16

What was the Lander and the Reichstrat?

Answer 16

• The Lander (local states) ran major services like education and the police
• All state monarchs were replaced in 1918
• In emergencies, the federal government could intervene in the Lander
• The Reichstrat was the second chamber of the government and had 67 members from 17 Lander
• The Reichstrat could advise the Reichstag and reject new laws but could be overruled

Question 17

Who was the Chancellor?

Answer 17

• Party leader who could persuade other political parties to work with them
• This involved a lot of compromise, meaning deals could break down

Question 18

What were the Strengths of the Constitution?

Answer 18

• It was highly democratic
• No party could dominate without over 50% of the vote
• More people’s interests were reflected in government
• The President’s powers could be checked by the Reichstag

Question 19

What were the Weaknesses of the Constitution?

Answer 19

• Germany had no experience of this level of democracy
• Coalitions gave minority parties the balance of power: it needed the traditional elites and imperial civil service who tended not to support the Weimar Republic

Question 20

What were German expectations of the Paris Peace Conference?

Answer 20

• Germany had expected to negotiate a peace based on Wilson’s 14 Points. His ideas were:
• Self determination (living well according to own values)
• Free trade
• Reduction in armaments
• A new international body, the League of Nations, for settling disputes
• Peace through collective security

Question 21

Who were the Big 4?

Answer 21

• The ‘Big 4’ (Britain, France, Italy, USA) met in Jan 1919
• France, Britain and Italy held the most weight because they had suffered the most
• France had been attacked by Germany twice (1871 and 1914) and wanted it permanently weakened to ensure French national security

Question 22

Who were the November Criminals?

Answer 22

• The German delegates arrived in Paris in April 1919 for negotiations, but found they couldn’t
• By then, Germany’s army had been demobilised. Britain’s navy was still blockading its ports while French/Belgian troops stood on their border
• In May, Germany was presented with a list of non-negotiable demands
• The new government signed the Treaty of Versailles in June, named a Diktat by Germans and those who signed it were called ‘November Criminals’

Question 23

Terms of Versailles: Demilitarisation

Answer 23

• Army was cut to 100,000 and conscription was banned
• No tanks, air force, submarines or vessels over 10,000 tons
• Rhineland was demilitarised, and Allied troops would occupy its west bank for 15 years

Question 24

Terms of Versailles: Territory

Answer 24

• Alsace-Lorraine - Returned to France
• Eupen and Malmedy - Belgium
• Coal-rich Saarland - Given to France for 15 years
• Poznan and West Prussia (polish corridor) - Poland
• Port of Danzig - ‘Free city’ (LoN control)
• Sudentenland - Czechoslovakia
• Overseas colonies - France and Britain
• Anschluss with Austria was forbidden

Question 25

What was the War Guilt Clause?

Answer 25

• Article 231 (War Guilt Clause) made Germany accept responsibility for starting the war and thus all losses because of it
• Led to Germany paying reparations
• A commission decided the amount in Apr 1919 at £6.6B (132B gold marks)

Question 26

What was the Impact of WW1?

Answer 26

• 1.3M French, 1M British and 2M Germans were dead, leaving widows and orphans
• 4M French, 2M British and 6.3M Germans were wounded
• In France, 300,000 buildings and 21,000skm of farmland were destroyed
• Britain and Germany suffered little damage because the war was not fought there
• Belgium desperately needed a hefty loan from the Allies to repair damage done to its economy and infrastructure

Question 27

Would Germany have been less harsh?

Answer 27

• Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg issued a memo in Sep 1914, detailing the annexation of French and Belgian territory to Germany as a war aim
• This memo also said that Germany was aiming for France to be economically dependent on Germany
• The Brest-Litovsk Treaty of Mar 1918 required Russia to give up almost half its European territory

Question 28

What were French attitudes towards Germany?

Answer 28

• 1914 had been the second time in living memory that Germany had invaded France
• They wanted compensation and to make sure it couldn’t happen again, so Germany needed to be weakened
• People approved of the reparations, but there was still a strong sense that Germany could still threaten France

Question 29

What were British Attitudes?

Answer 29

• Lloyd-George didn’t want too harsh a treaty on Germany because they were an important trading partner
• Public mood, however, was very anti-German
• Lloyd-George was facing re-re-election in Dec so had to pay heed to popular opinion

Question 30

How did the Treaty of Versailles impact Germany?

Answer 30

• Versailles damaged national pride and reduced the size of Germany and its army
• The War Guilt Clause and Reparations were deeply resented
• 7 million Germans found themselves living as minorities in other countries
• The new Weimar Republic was associated with signing it, and were blamed for the defeat (Stab-in-the-back Theory)