Germany - Weimar Republic: The Early Years (1918-1919)

Question 1

Who abdicated at the end of WW1 in November 1918?

Answer 1

Kaiser Wilhelm II

Question 2

Why did the USA enter WW1?

Answer 2

To avenge the loss of American merchant vessels, from Germany’s unrestricted submarine warfare

Question 3

Which two men were in charge of the military High Command

Answer 3

Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg and General Erich Ludendorff

Question 4

What was the name of Germany’s final offensive in 1918?

Answer 4

Spring Offensive (or Ludendorff Offensive)

Question 5

What was the conclusion Hindenburg and Ludendorff came to in September 1918?

Answer 5

The war was lost and Germany must negotiate an armistice with the Allies

Question 6

What did the military do in the face of defeat?

Answer 6

Shift the responsibility for losing the war to the civilian government (the gov. was blamed for the loss) - ‘stab in the back’ myth

Question 7

What was the event that triggered the so-called November Revolution?

Answer 7

Kiel Mutiny

Question 8

What was the date of the Armistice?

Answer 8

11 November 1918 (Remembrance Day)

Question 9

Explain the Ebert-Groener Pact

Answer 9

In return for maintaining discipline and order in the army, the military was prepared to put itself at the government’s proposal.

Question 10

Explain the Stinnes-Legien Agreement

Answer 10

Employers accepted the concept of an 8hr day for German workers and workers were also given the right to collective bargaining with their employers.

Question 11

What is the Spartacist Uprising?

Answer 11

A movement by the extreme left that was suppressed by the Freikorps.

Question 12

Name the political parties of the left

Answer 12

Social Democratic Party (SPD), Independent Social Democratic Party (USPD) and Communist Party of Germany (KPD)

Question 13

Name the political parties of the centre

Answer 13

German Democratic Party (DDP) and Centre Party

Question 14

Name the political parties of the right

Answer 14

1 German People’s Party (DVP)
2 German National People’s Party (DNVP)
3 National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazi)

Question 15

When did Germany become a democracy?

Answer 15

1919

Question 16

What did the constitution ensure for the German people?

Answer 16

A series of clauses guaranteed the basic rights of the German people.

Question 17

Explain Article 48

Answer 17

This allowed the President, under certain circumstances, to take emergency measures without the prior consent of the Reichstag.

Question 18

Explain the voting system

Answer 18

The Germans used proportional representation as their system of voting which allowed even small parties to gain seats in the German parliament.

Question 19

Name the military provisions of the Treaty of Versailles

Answer 19

1 The German army was to be reduced to 100 000,

2 The navy was reduced to a few ships for coastal patrols.

Question 20

Name some territorial provisions of the Treaty of Versailles

Answer 20

1 Alsace and Lorraine would be returned to France

2 Austria became a separate country and any union with Austria was forbidden

Question 21

Name the colonial provisions of the Treaty of Versailles

Answer 21

Germany lost all her colonies to the Allied nations

Question 22

Explain the reparations of the Treaty of Versailles

Answer 22

Germany had to pay for the cost of the war, which was deemed ‘unpayable’. The final reparation figure of 132 000 million gold marks ($US 32 billion), was not arrived until 1921.

Question 23

Assess the ‘War Guilt Clause’

Answer 23

Germany was to accept responsibility for the war.

Question 24

What was the German reaction to the Treaty of Versailles?

Answer 24

1 The immediate reaction to the terms of the treaty was shock and anger
2 Hatred of the treaty cut across all classes in Germany.
3 The treaty created a legacy of long-term bitterness in German society.

Question 25

What date was the Treaty of Versailles signed?

Answer 25

28 June 1919

Question 26

Why was the Weimar Republic immediately disliked?

Answer 26

It was forever associated with the military defeat and international humiliation. This was a constant theme used by those who opposed the republic and the democratic system.