Impact of the First World War Flashcards
What was the impact of the Treaty of Versailles?
- lost 13% of Germanys land,
- 8% of its iron production was lost
- million citizens absorbed into other countries.
- Reparations £6,600 million
- War Guilt Clause
- Germany had to disarm
- Germany not allowed in League of Nations
What were the flaws of the Weimar Constitution?
- Article 48 allowed the president to rule without parliament in an emergency
- challenge from the army (wanted Kaiser back)
- civil service and judges did not fully support Weimar’s views.
- Proportional Representation
why was proportional representation a problem for the Weimar Republic?
- too many political parties
- lack of stability
- no out-right winner of majority
- many coalitions needed to make governments
- frequent elections
- made it easier for small, extremist parties to get a seat in parliament
What were the strengths of the Weimar Constitution?
- everyone over 20 could vote - Men AND women!
- head of government was chancellor
- Head of state - president
- Proportional Representation (by %)
What was the Spartacist Uprising?
*January 1919 tried to overthrow the government
*Karl Liebknecht & Rosa Luxemburg
*Communists (KPD)
*16 of them executed
more than 1000 people killed as a result of the fighting
What was the Kapp Putsch?
- March 1920
- it was an unsuccessful right wing uprising
- happened because ebert & Weimar gov wanted to reduce army size.
- some of the army rebelled led by Kapp.
- not supported by the people
What was the Munich Putsch?
- 8 November 1923
- Led by Hitler and the Nazis
- Beer Hall Putsch
- They lost - Hitler was arrested
- 16 Nazis, 4 police killed
- Nazi party banned & Hitler imprisoned
What were the reasons for the Munich Putsch?
- Hitler hated Weimar Republic
- Germans blamed WR for hyperinflation
- Hitler thought the German people would join him
- Nazis had increased their support
- The SA would be used as armed support
- WR blamed for Ruhr
What were the key ideas of Mein Kampf?
- Creation of the volksgemeinschaft or people’s community
- blame the Jews
- Lebensraum
- Abolition of the Treaty of Versailles
Who did hyperinflation in the 1920s benefit?
- Gustav Stresemann
- Businessmen who had borrowed from banks
- Farmers
- People who had dollars or pounds
- foreigners
Why did the French occupy the Ruhr in 1923?
*Germany failed to pay France the reparations
*France were angry because they needed the money to pay USA back
*France sent troops in January to take back money via
industry
How did the Germans react to the occupation of the Ruhr in 1923?
- The German workers went on strike.
- Some were shot by French troops
- Some factories were set on fire by Germans
- Passive resistance
- German government backed the strikers
- Strike meant that even fewer goods were being produced in Germany
- Inflation moved to hyper-inflation
