impact of war and the weimar constitution Flashcards
What did Wilhelm II’s companions advise him to do?
To travel northwards into Holland as his only hope of safety, as they’d remained neutral during the first world war.
What had been clear to General Ludendorff and the High Command by the end of September 1918?
That Germany was on the brink of defeat, as they had been forced to retreat along the Western Front.
How did Ludendorff try to avoid the humiliation of Germany’s surrender?
By asking the Allies for an armistice.
What did US President Wilson offer but what was the issue?
His plan of Fourteen Points which gave a basis for a negotiated peace settlement.
Ludendorff understood that Germany’s dictatorial political system would cause a problem.
How did Ludendorff try to gain better peace terms with the allies?
He advocated a partial democratisation for the German political system.
Why were Wilson’s Fourteen Points devised?
As a means of dealing fairly with the aftermath of the war.
What was the League of Nations established for?
To monitor future disputes and self-determination.
What did the Kaiser do in October 1918 on the recommendations of Ludendorff?
He began a series of reforms that effectively ended his autocratic rule.
What were Kaiser Wilhelm II’s reforms?
- He appointed Prince Max of Baden as his new Chancellor
- The Chancellor was to be responsible to the Reichstag and he established a new government based in the majority parties in the Reichstag, including the SPD
- The armed forces were put under the control of the civil government
What did Prince Max do on October 3rd?
Wrote to President Wilson asking for an armistice.
Why did it take almost 3 weeks for Wilson to reply to Prince Max?
Largely because he was suspicious that the German High Command was using the request for an armistice as a means of buying time to regroup and prepare for a new offensive.
What did Wilson demand in his reply to Prince Max?
He demanded that Germany must evacuate all occupied territory, call an end to submarine warfare, and fully democratise its political system.
Why couldn’t Ludendorff accept Wilson’s peace note and what did he try to do instead?
These terms were basically demanding a German surrender and the Kaiser’s abdication.
This was too much for Ludendorff to accept.
He tried to gather support for a last ditch military effort to resist, where he failed and fled to Sweden.
What did the news that Prince Max’s government were seeking an armistice do to the public?
It shattered the German public’s morale, as well as the armed forces.
This was the first occasion on which the German people had learned the truth about their country’s hopeless military situation, and so it lessened their respect to the Kaiser and his political leaders.
What happened when, in one last act of resistance to humiliating peace, the German Navy’s high command ordered ships to attack British ships?
The crews of two cruisers refused to obey these orders, and it was this naval mutiny that was the beginning of a much broader revolutionary movement.
What happened on November 3rd, 1918?
German sailors were mutinied against their officers and took control of the base.
What happened on November 4th, 1918?
Revolt spread to the city, and workers’ and soldiers’ councils were established, similar to the Soviets in Russia during the Revolution of 1917.
What were most members of the workers’ and peoples’ councils like?
Patriotic Germans who wanted the Kaiser to abdicate and a democratic republic to be established.
This wasn’t a communist revolution like it would seem to outsiders.
What happened once the authority of military officers, government officials and police had been successfully challenged in November 1918?
The collapse of the regime happened with extraordinary speed.
What happened on November 8th, 1918 and why was this a key establishment of an all-German republic?
A republic was proclaimed in the state of Bavaria and the Bavarian monarchy was deposed.
It showed Prince Max that he had lost control of the situation.
What did the SPD call on workers in Berlin on November 9th, 1918?
To join a general strike to force the Kaiser to abdicate.
What did the SPD threaten to do on November 9th, 1918?
To withdraw support from Prince Max’s government unless the Kaiser abdicated in the next 24 hours.
Why did Max have to take matters into his own hands when the Kaiser refused to abdicate and what did he do?
He knew he couldn’t continue to govern if the SPD pulled their support.
On November 9th, he released a press statement claiming the Kaiser had abdicated, despite his refusal to do so. Max then resigned himself.
Who did Prince Max hand his position to?
Friedrich Ebert, the leader of the SPD.
Who was Philipp Scheidemann and what did he do at the same time as Max’s resignation?
He was a leading figure in the SPD, and he stood on the Reichstag balcony declaring the German Republic was now in existence.
What did General Groener tell Kaiser Wilhelm and what did it cause him to do?
That the army would no longer fight for him.
It highlighted how Wilhelm had lost all control, forcing him to abdicate after it had already been announced.
What did Chancellor Ebert believe in and why was this hypocritical?
Evolutionary change through winning a majority in elections, and then introducing reforms.
The way in which he had come into power was through a revolutionary act, and was therefore conscious that government lacked legitimacy.
What was Ebert quick to do once he came into power?
Establish a new constitution as quickly as possible, his priority being to organise elections for a Constituent Assembly.
