Germany unit 1 - The establishment of the Weimar Republic and its early problems

Question 1

German Revolution

Answer 1

• Naval blockade by the allies prevent food import in Germany
• Led to food shortages and low domestic production
• 25th October 1918 - naval commanders at Kiel ordered their ships to fight against British naval forces even though they would clearly lose
• Sailors led a mutiny and refused to fight
• Strikes and protests for 2 weeks across Germany against army leaders
• Calls for the Kaiser to abdicate
• Germans blamed the Kaiser for the defeat

Question 2

Kaiser abdicates

Answer 2

• November 9th 1918 - Kaiser abdicates and flees to Holland to live in exile
• New republic set up under chancellor Ebert
• November 11th 1918 - armistice was agreed by Germany and allies - Matthias Erzberger signed armistice to end WW1
• Senior members of German army believed they were close to victory
• Germans didn’t want to accept they lost the war
• Politicians who signed the armistice were known as ‘November Criminals’ and ‘stab in the back’ theory began

Question 3

Start of the Weimar Republic

Answer 3

• After abdication - Council of People’s Representatives took control of Germany in Nov 1918
• Ebert promised elections for a new National Assembly - took place Jan 19 1919
• 40% of seats went to Ebert’s SDP
• New government didn’t have a Kaiser
• Constitution became Weimar Republic because they met in Weimar when Berlin was too dangerous
• Government guaranteed freedom of speech and religion and equality under law
• All men and women above 20 could vote
• Set up as a parliamentary democracy in which elected Reichstag made laws and appointed the government
• Head of government was the chancellor - appointed by the president - and could use his power to provide checks and balances to Reichstag
• Consisted of 18 states - organized as federation
• Each state had its own parliament and own laws

Question 4

Ebert’s approach

Answer 4

• Kept state running smoothly by keeping civil servants from the previous government and telling them to work with new people
• Reassured industry leaders that the new government would not take state control over private industries
• Promised trade unions that the new republic would try to reduce working to an 8 hour day

Question 5

Initial opposition to the Weimar republic

Answer 5

• Senior figures such as army leaders and judges did not support the new republic
• Germans who wanted the Kaiser to return
• People influenced by the Russian Revolution and wanted a communist Germany

Question 6

Strengths and Weaknesses of the Weimar constitution

Answer 6

• Government could work if everyone worked together - lack of such due to divisions
• Proportional representation gave everyone a say but required cooperation and compromise

Question 7

Features of the Weimar Constitution

Answer 7

• President - elections took place every 7 years
• Article 48 - In emergency president held powers to pass laws without Reichstag approval
• State governments - Kept but had more limited power and could be overruled by national government
• German people - all men and women over 20 could vote
• Reichstag - proportional representation - parties allotted seats based on percentage of votes
• Chancellor - appointed by president and ran the Reichstag - must hood support of Reichstag majority

Question 8

Proportional representation

Answer 8

• Seats in the Reichstag were awarded according to percentage of votes gained
• Extremist parties could win seats
• Led to instability - no individual party could have a majority
• Coalitions had to be formed but often broke down
• Many problems couldn’t be addressed due to no majority

Question 9

Motives for people making Treaty of Versailles

Answer 9

• French - Georges Clemenceau - wanted Germany to pay for destruction in France and wanted to weaken forces
• British - David Lloyd George - Keen to avoid future wars but won his election and promised to ‘squeeze the German lemon until the pips squeak’

Question 10

Terms in Treaty of Versailles

Answer 10

• Germany had to give up land: Alsace & Lorraine (France), Eupen & Malmedy (Belgium), Posen & West Prussia (Poland), East Upper Silesia voted to Poland, Northern Schleswig voted to Denmark, German port of Danzig made international city
• Lost 13% of European territory, almost 50% of iron reserves and 15% of coal and all 11 colonies in Africa
• Article 231 - War guilt clause - had to accept blame for the war
• Reparations payment of 136 billion marks = £6.6b
• Military forces cut: no tanks, no submarines, no Air Force, army limited to 100000 men internally & navy limited to 6 battleships, 6 cruisers, 12 destroyers & 12 torpedo boats

Question 11

German reaction to Treaty of Versailles

Answer 11

• Shocked by harshness - wasn’t allowed to attend negotiations
• Refused to sign treaty - Allies threatened to restart war - Germany signed
• Humiliated by war guilt clause - article 231
• German people hated politicians that signed the treaty - ‘November criminals’
• ‘Stab in the back theory’ developed

Question 12

Spartacist uprising

Answer 12

• January 5th 1919
• Communist party - Spartacus League organized a revolt in Berlin
• Occupied headquarters of government newspaper and telephone offices
• Attempted a general strike
• Government used the Freikorps - demobilized volunteer soldiers - who hated communists
• ## Leaders Rosa Luxemburg & Karl Liebknecht shot by Freikorps

Question 13

Kapp putsch

Answer 13

• Ebert tried to disband the Freikorps
• Freikorps revolted - marched to Berlin and declared Dr. Wolfgang Kapp as Germany’s new leader - extreme nationalist
• German army refused to stop Freikorps - felt sympathy
• Ebert turned to the people - government moved out of Berlin and encouraged a general strike to stop revolt
• Gas, water, electricity disrupted in strike
• Kapp fled to Sweden, Freikorps disbanded & government returned to Berlin
• Showed little military power in Berlin but how the people favored the government

Question 14

Invasion of the Ruhr

Answer 14

• January 1923
• Belgian & French troops invaded the Ruhr - centre of Germany’s iron, steel & coal production
• Germans fell back on reparations payments - French & Belgians decided to take industrial products
• Government encouraged passive resistance - workers went on strike & stopped production - some Germans used arson to damage factories to stop production
• French brought in their own workers 0 fighting which led to 100 deaths
• Forces remove din July 1925
• Worsened economy which was already struggling - lost production but had to pay workers
• Led to hyperinflation

Question 15

Hyperinflation

Answer 15

• 1923 - 300 paper mills & 200 printing shops just for money
• Government printed more money after the war to pay for reparations and during the war for war cost
• More money had to be printed for workers in the Ruhr who were striking
• One loaf of bread in Nov. 1923 was 201B marks
• Forced millions into poverty
• Savings & insurance policies were worthless
• People with loans, mortgages, real estate & even farmers benefited
• Middle class was most affected
• People blamed the Weimar republic