History - Chapter One: The Weimar Republic Flashcards
What was the Weimar Republic?
The new government started two days before the surrrender of WW1
What was the Weimar Constitution?
A set of rules for the government to follow, made law in 1919, inlcuding:
Proportional representation to elect deputies [MPs]
The Reichsrat represents the 17 German states and has the power to reject laws
The Supreme Court Checks the Constitution is being followed
Everyone over twenty can vote for Reichstag, president and vote on plebicites
Freedom of Press, speech, voting and standing for elections
Membership of Unions
Article 48
What was Article 48?
This allowed the president of Germany to rule by decree in an emergency
Friedrich Ebert
The first president of the Weimar Republic
What were the effects, on Germany, of WW1?
Lost pride- everyone thoguht they would win
The Weimer Republic was weak because everyone thought it was responsible for Germany not winning the war
The Army signed the surrender but everyone thought it was the new government- the Weimer Republic
Bankruptcy
Farming was disrupted, only producing half the amount of milk and 60% of meat needed
King Kaiser fled to exile two days before the end, left government in ruin
What was the problem with Proportional Representation?
Lots of small parties gained seats, and nobody ever got a majority so coalitions of disagreeing parties had to be formed
What was Proportional Representation?
A fair voting system in which parties get seats according to the percentage of votes the party got
What were the strengths of the Weimar Constitution?
The President could protect Germany since their powers were very strong
Free speech, free press and the freedom to set up trade unions
Everyone over twenty could vote, unlike many other countries
Proportional representation
What were the weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution?
Being asked to vote was seen as weakness by the Germans used to following orders
Article 48 was abused by Hitler to make himself dictator
PR meant the government was always very weak due to all the disagreements between the parties
What was the treaty of Versailles and what did it entail?
The treaty imposed on Germany by the Allied powers in 1920, entailing:
13% of land and 6 million German people to be lost
10% of industry and 15% of agriculture tto beaken
Alsace and Lorraine to be given to France
Saar coalfields to be given to France for 15 years
West Prussia to be given to Poland which later starts WWII
No airforce
6 Battleships and no submarines for the navy
No poison gas or tanks
Rhineland to be occupied by French troops for 15 years
£6.6 billion to be paid in reparations to the USA, France and Britain in annual installments
Must accept full blame for WW1
Army reduced to 100,000 men
What angered the German population about the Treaty of Versailles?
Rightly believed they were not the sole cause of WW1
Lost alot of pride
Losing their military made Germany feel weak and also broke their strong military tradition
Lost alot of land and many Germans were now living in other countries
Already bankrupt, had to pay a tonne more
Who was George Clemenceau?
Prime Minister of France during WWI who was nicknamed ‘Tiger’ and wanted to crush Germany and make it pay massive reperations after WW1
Who was David Lloyd George [1863-1945]?
Prime Minister of Great Britain during WW1 who wanted to punish Germany, but wanted them to be able to recover
Woodrow Wilson [1913-1921]?
28th president of the United States during WW1 who wanted to allow Germany to recover and make sure the treaty wasnt too harsh
Who were the Spartacists?
Left-wing Marxists in Germany who hoped to bring about a communist revolution in 1919
