GREAT DEPRESSION + ITS IMPACTS Flashcards
WHEN did the Wall Street stock market collapse?
October 1929
By HOW MUCH did world trade fall by during the Great Depression?
By more than 60% in 1930
To WHAT extent was the Great Depression caused by the Wall Street Crash (US)?
The Wall Street Crash did caused a global drop in demand but some economists argue that the US GDP was already falling before 1929
WHAT was the German government’s response to the Great Depression?
- The Reichsbank was forbid from printing more money (to prevent inflation)
- The government cut spending
- Bruning sought protectionism and raised the costs of imports
By WHAT proportion were war pensions cut by during the Great Depression?
1/3
HOW MANY businesses in industry went bankrupt during the years 1930-1932?
50,000
HOW MANY were unemployed in 1929, 1930 and 1933?
1929: 1.6 million
1930: 3 million
1933: 6 million
HOW MANY were unemployed in 1929?
1.6 million
HOW MANY were unemployed in 1930?
3 million
HOW MANY were unemployed in 1933?
6 million
WHY might the unemployment figures during the economic depression be inaccurate?
Many redundant workers, particularly women, were not registered as unemployed.
WHAT is the estimate for the true number of unemployed in 1933?
8 million, not 6 million
WHAT proportion of the German working force was unemployed in 1933?
1/3
By WHAT percentage did national incomes drop by in Germany 1932 compared to 1929?
By 39%
WHAT is an example of an industrial area which was affected very badly by the depression?
Thungria
WHY was there great recalling of investment from Germany in 1930?
It was at least partly due to the gains extremist parties made in the national elections (and due to the economic depression)
WHEN did the German government close the banks and stock exchange temporarily during the depression and WHY?
July 1931, to give the system breathing space.
WHAT were the effects of increasing poverty in Germany during the economic depression?
- Diseases linked to poor living conditions and nutrition increased (e.g. rickets and TB)
- Tent cities and shanty towns began to appear on the edges of large cities like Berlin
- Involvement of young men in extremist political organisations increased
WHO would have received less benefits during the depression in Germany?
Women and young people
WHAT did the government do about growing unemployment during the depression?
- Focused on controlling expenditure and lessen the effects of the depression
- Emergency labour schemes offered wages below the minimum wage for unskilled manual labour.
HOW did the different political parties want to deal with the economic depression?
Right: cut benefits / government expenditure
Left: raise taxes and pay for benefits
WHAT was the Grand Coalition?
Coalition government (June 1928 - March 1930) between the SPD, Z, DDP, DVP and BVP with Muller as Chancellor
WHEN did Muller resign as Chancellor?
March 1930
WHY did Muller resign?
The Reichstag went into deadlock as no one could agree during the depression. Muller wanted Hindenburg to use Article 48 to get his finance bill through, but he refused, forcing Muller to reisign.
WHO did Hindenburg appoint Chancellor after Muller?
Bruning
WHO influenced the appointment of Bruning as Chancellor?
2 key military figures - Groener and von Schleicher
WHEN did Germany start to be ruled almost exclusively by presidential decree?
From March 1930, after Bruning became Chancellor
WHAT key party was excluded from the Bruning coalition?
The SPD
WHAT were Bruning’s main policies and actions as Chancellor?
- Tried to use the worsening economy to get reparations ended.
- Took little action to reduce the impact of the slump
- Banned the SA, April 1932 and also the Red Front
WHEN were reparations suspended?
1932
WHICH years was Bruning Chancellor for?
March 1930 - May 1932
WHY did Bruning resign?
- Lost a vote of no confidence in the Reichstag
- Hindenburg’s dismissed Bruning (possibly due to his proposed policy of breaking up bankrupt Junker estates)
- Bruning resigned
WHEN did Bruning call an election?
September 1930
WHY did Bruning call an election?
The SPD called for him to be withdrawn and he dissolved the Reichstag in response. He hoped that the elections would increase his majority.
WHAT were the key outcomes of the 1930 elections?
- Extremist parties gained
- The Nazis were now the second largest party in the Reichstag, meaning they could disrupt its proceedings
- Reichstag was unmanageable and the President had to rule by decree
WHAT percentage of people voted for non-democratic parties in the 1930 election?
40%
WHAT percentage of the vote did the Nazis get in 1930?
18.3%
WHY was the appeal of communism limited?
- They would never get support from the elite
- They alienated some due to their ties with the USSR
WHAT did the KPD view the depression as?
They saw it as proof that capitalism as a system was over
WHO was known as the ‘Hunger Chancellor’ and WHY?
Bruning (1930 - 1932) after he cut expenditure and the depression worsened
