Impact of War, Political Crisis, Establishment of the Weimar Constitution Flashcards
1
Q
Explain the events of the abdication of the Kaiser Wilhelm II
A
- 9 Nov 1918, Kaiser was brought news that abdication was announced in Berlin.
- By end of Sep 1918, was clear to Lundendorff that defeat was near.
-> only way of avoiding humiliation was to ask for an armistice from Allies. - Ludendorff received President Wilson’s 14 points which offered a possible peace settlement, but Germany’s autocratic system was an obstacle.
-> advocated partial democratisation for better peace terms.
2
Q
What were the October reforms
A
- Oct 1918, Kaiser starts series of reforms on the advice of Ludendorff to end autocratic rule.
- appointed Prince Max Baden as the new chancellor.
- Chancellor was to be responsible to the Reich -> established a new government based on the majority parties in the Reich, including the German Social Democratic Party (SPD)
- Armed forces were placed under control of civil government.
- Reforms a transformation but did was not the result of popular pressure -> ‘revolution from above’ to prevent humiliation and save Kaiser’s rule.
3
Q
What was the Peace Note
A
- 3 Oct 1918, Prince Max wrote to President Wilson asking for an armistice.
-> in response, Wilson demands Germany to evacuate occupied territory, call an end to sub warfare and fully democratise the government -> demanded surrender and abdication. - too much for Ludendorff to accept -> tried and failed to gather last ditch military effort to resist.
-> resigned and fled to Sweden.
4
Q
What was the impact of war on the Germans
A
- news of armistice a shattering blow to the morale and the army.
-> 1st occasion where they truly learn truth about hopeless situation. - lost respect for Kaiser and military/politicial leaders.
- Soldiers/sailors lose respect for their officers.
- 28 Oct, last act of resistance, naval high command order ships from Wilhelmshaven to attack British ships in the English Channel -> crews of 2 cruisers refuse to obey.
-> this naval mutiny was the start of a bigger revolution.
5
Q
What was the November Revolution of 1918
A
- Naval mutiny spread to main naval base at Kiel -> 3 Nov 1918, soldiers mutinied against officers and took control of the base.
- following day, revolt spread to the city and workers’ and soldiers’ councils were established.
- 9 Nov, SPD call workers in Berlin to a general strike to force the Kaiser to abdicate -> threaten to withdraw support from Max’s gov.
- later, Max releases a press statement that the Kaiser abdicates and also resigns and makes Ebert the chancellor.
- later, Groener tells Kaiser army will no longer fight for him -> has no choice but to abdicate.
6
Q
Explain how Ebert’s government was pressured by the left
A
- efforts to contain the revolution were threatened by the left who wanted more radical change.
- workers and soldiers councils would not allow the gov to make a decision without reference to them.
- 22 Nov 1918, agreement reached: gov would only use power in the name of the Berlin workers’ and soldiers’ councils.
- Many of the USPD believed the autocratic system would not finally be abolished unless right-wing institutions were broken.
-> army, civil service, judiciary should be democratised.
7
Q
Explain how Ebert’s gov was pressured by the army
A
- gov’s survival depended on support of the army to defend against a Bolshevik revolution, despite the fact that the army was opposed to democracy.
- army was firstly concerned with stopping the Bolshevik revolution so was willing to cooperate for the moment.
- 10th Nov, Ebert-Groener Pact was established.
8
Q
what was the Ebert-Groener pact
A
- 10th Nov, groener assures Ebert that the army would support the government.
- in return, demands Ebert to resist the demands of soldiers’ councils to democratise the army and resist a communist revolution.
- assured Ebert that the army would resist further revolution and uphold the existing structure of the army.
9
Q
What was the impact of the Ebert-Groener pact
A
- for Ebert, the pact was necessary for an orderly transition to democracy -> but was seen as a betrayal to the revolution for the left.
- resulted in further chaos:
- 6 Dec, Spartacist demo in Berlin.
- 23-24, sailor’s revolt in Berlin.
- 6 Jan, Spartacist launch armed revolt against gov known as January Revolution or Spartacist Uprising.
- all these are crushed by the army.
10
Q
What were the elections to the Constituent Assembly
A
- Amidst political/social tensions, elections for constituent assembly were held on 19 Jan 1919.
- SPD secure largest share of the vote and largest number of seats but did not have an overall majority.
- must compromise with other parties to establish a new constitution.
- Ebert elected as 1st president -> new gov led by Phillip Scheidemann was formed by SPD in coalition with centre and German Democratic Parties.
11
Q
What were the key strengths of the Weimar Constitution
A
- wider right to vote than other democracies like gb or France.
-> women able to vote and become deputies in the Reichstag. - full democracy in local and central gov.
-> unlike in the 2nd Empire -> the largest state, Prussia, was not in the position to dominate the rest of Germany. - clearly set out the rights of the individual:
-> all germans are equal before the law
-> censorship is forbidden
12
Q
What were the key weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution
A
- Proportional Rep (pr) was a fair system but had negative effects:
-> proliferation of small parties means anti-rep and other extreme parties were able to gain publicity. - pr often resulted in coalition Govs, non of the larger parties could gain an overall majority due to the presence of smaller parties.
- all governments during the Weimar Republic were coalitions, many of which were short-lived.
- presidential decree (article 48)
- survival of undemocratic institutions (judiciary, army, civil service).
13
Q
Explain the role of the president
A
- Elected every 7 years, compared to the US which was every 4 years.
- could dissolve the Reichstag and call for new elections.
- Reserve powers article 48 to rule by decree in an emergency without the Reich’s consent.
14
Q
Explain the other features of the Weimar constitution
A
- Supreme Court was independent of the Reich and the president -> conservative, biased judges are not regulated.
- Lander: there was a federal system with separate state governments in the 17 Lander which controlled their own internal affairs.
-> lack of central control.
15
Q
What was article 48
A
- gave president power to rule by decree in exceptional circumstances -> a normal feature in other democracies.
- however was used on a regular basis, Ebert used this 136 times -> a lot of the time he used this simply to override opposition in the Reich.
- no effective safeguards -> president could threaten to dissolve the Reich and call for new elections if they refused to accept the decree.
