impact of the first world war Flashcards
2.1, 2.2A, 2.2B, 2.3, 2.4A & 2.4B
what was the impact of the British stopping supply ships to Germany?
- shortages of food, medicine and clothing
what happened in 1915?
500 women gathered in front of the German parliament buildings and said they wanted their men back
why was life for Germans so hard in 1918?
- lack of food- surviving on turnips and bread
- flu epidemic
- battlefields- Germany was close to defeat
on what date was the Germany navy ordered out to sea from Kiel to attack British ships?
28th October 1918
what is mutiny?
rebellion by soldiers or sailors who refuse to take orders
on what date did the Kaiser abdicate?
9th November 1918
who was the leader of the SPD?
Friedrich Ebert
on what date did Germany surrender?
11th November 1918
Impact of the war on Germany: money?
- Germany had borrowed money from people (e.g. USA)
- this would need paying back
Impact of the war on Germany: (money and allies)?
Germany had lent some of its money to allies- would they ever get this back?
Impact of the war on Germany: (war pensions)?
- the war left 60,000 war widows and 2 million children without fathers
- war pensions would cost the government a lot
Impact of the war on Germany: (factories)?
- factories were exhausted
- were producing guns, bullets and shells- not goods abroad to sell and then make money
Impact of the war on Germany: (factory owners)?
some factory owners made a fortune however German workers had restricted wages
Impact of the war on Germany: (women and traditional values)?
women worked in the factories during the war- some thought this was untraditional and ruined typical family values
impact of the war on Germany (political)?
- before the war, Germany was rich and powerful- now there was mutiny and rebellion
- ex- soldiers and civilians felt they could have won the war- they hated the November Criminals who ended the war and refused to support them
what is an armistice?
an agreement or truce to stop fighting
what did Ebert order to try and help Germany?
- improvements to working conditions
- help for the unemployed
- improved housing
- more food supplies
what type of republic did Ebert want?
a democratic republic- no Kaisers
what did the Spartacists believe in?
- left wing
- everyone is equal
how did Spartacists want Germany to be run?
- run by small councils of soldiers and workers, nor a large parliament
what happened on 6th January 1919?
the Spartacists tried to take over Berlin
how did Ebert respond to the Spartacists?
he sent in a group of 2000 ex-soldiers (Free Corps) to attack the Spartacists
who were the leaders of the Spartacists?
Rosa Luxembourg and Karl Liebknecht
what year and month did Ebert become president?
late January 1919
on what date did the German politicians meet to discuss how to run Germany?
11th February 1919
what was the Weimar Constitution?
a formal set of rules for how Germany would be governed
how was Weimar more democratic than when the Kaiser ruled?
- all Germans had equal rights- including the right to vote
- all women over the age of 20 could vote
what did proportional representation mean?
meant that lots of different political parties were able to win seats in the Reichstag- this made it difficult to make decisions and introduce laws
- made law- making a very slow decision
which people didnt like how Weimar was running Germany?
- older army generals
- judges
- upper-class families
- rich factory owners
constitution of the Weimar Republic: the president?
- elected every 7 years
- controlled army, navy and air force
- stayed out of day-to-day running of the country
- in emergencies, he could rule on his own without having the support of the Reichstag- Article 48
constitution of the Weimar Republic: the chancellor?
- chosen by the president
- day-to-day running of the country
constitution of the Weimar Republic: the Reichstag?
- discussed and introduced laws
- MP’s were elected every 4 years
constitution of the Weimar Republic: the German people?
- all men & women over the age of 20 could vote
- they elected the President and the MP’s in the Reichstag
Communist Party(KPD):
- supporters?
- attitude to Weimar Republic?
- Policies?
- working class
- anti- republic
- thought Germany should be communist and run by workers’ councils not parliament
Social Democratic Party(SPD):
- supporters?
- attitude to Weimar Republic
- policies
- mostly working class
- pro- republic- Ebert was a Social Democrat
- believed everyone was equal- wanted democracy and reforms to help ordinary workers
German Democratic Party(DDP):
- supporters?
- attitude to Weimar Republic?
- policies?
- middle class
- pro- republic
- believed in individual freedom- e.g. rights to hold peaceful meetings, freedom of speech
Centre Party(Zentrum):
- supporters?
- attitude to Weimar Republic?
- policies?
- Catholics
- pro-republic
- supported the interests and beliefs of the Catholic Church
People’s Party(DVP):
- supporters?
- attitude to Weimar Republic?
- policies?
-middle class
- pro-republic but would like to have a Kaiser in the future
- supported any policy that promoted trade and industry (to make money)
National People’s Party(DNVP):
- supporters?
- attitude to Weimar Republic?
- policies?
- middle and upper class
- anti-republic
- wanted a strong government- lead by a strong Kaiser or politician
National Socialist German Workers’ Party(NSDAP/Nazis)
- supporters?
- attitude to Weimar Republic?
- policies?
- unemployed, mainly ex-soldiers, middle & upper class who feared communism
- anti- republic
- wanted Germany to have great military power again- hated democracy- hated Communism
ToV: reparations?
- war was Germany’s fault- Germany should pay for the cost- £6.6 billion
- should be paid to the winner, lasting until 1988
ToV: army?
- small army
- 100,000 soldiers
- six battleships
- no submarines, tanks or airforce
ToV: colonies?
Germany must hand over its colonies to the winning countries
ToV: Austria?
Germany should never unite with Austria again
ToV: Rhineland?
No German soldiers should enter the Rhineland
what date was the ToV signed?
28th June 1919
what was Article 231?
Germans had to admit they were responsible for the war
how much land did the Germans lose because of the ToV?
- 10%- the Saar, North Schleswig and Alsace Lorraine
how much resources did the Germans lose because of the ToV?
- 13% of land
- 48% of steel
- 16% of German coal
what did the Germans call the treaty?
a diktat- a dictated peace
how much did a loaf of bread cost in:
- December 1921
- September 1923
- November 1923
- 4 marks
- 1.5 million marks
- 201 billion marks
what happened in 1922?
the Germans announced they could not pay the reparations
what happened in January 1923?
60,000 French and Belgian soldiers marched into the Ruhr and took control of every factory, mine and railway in the region
what did the German government tell the workers in the Ruhr to do?
- not fight back but go on strike
how many strikers were killed and punished?
- over 100 killed
- 15,000 thrown out of their homes as punishment
what did the German government decide to do about the Ruhr crisis?
- continue to pay the strikers
- Germany was running short on money because the Ruhr wasn’t producing coal, iron and steel to sell to other nations
what did the German government do to pay the strikers?
printed large amounts of money
what happened because the striking workers were being paid for not working?
- they spent their money quickly
- shopkeepers put their prices up
what happened as shops raised their prices all over Germany?
- the government printed even more money
- the more money they printed, the faster prices went up
what happened the faster prices went up?
- the faster people spent their wages
- workers were being paid twice a day
what happened to people’s savings?
they became worthless
what happened to elderly people during hyperinflation?
they lived on fixed pensions and they found their income wouldnt buy them what they needed anymore
what happened to people who borrowed money during hyperinflation?
they found it very easy to pay off their debts
