key events weimar and nazi germany, year 10 eoy Flashcards
when did Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicate?
9th November 1918
when did Kaiser Wilhelm II begin ruling?
1988, when he was 29
what did the allies want Germany to be in exchange for peace, resulting in the abdication of the Kaiser?
they wanted Germany to be more democratic, so they had to get rid of the Kaiser and set up an entirely new government. the allies would only make peace if Germany met this condition
who was the Kaiser at the time of Germany’s defeat in 1918?
Kaiser Wilhelm II, the third cousin of Tsar Nicholas II (the Tsar of Russia), the cousin of George V, Britains future king, and therefore Grandson of Queen Victoria
where was the Kaiser forced to flee and why?
he fled to Holland because there were violent uprisings against the Kaiser
what was the importance of the Kaiser’s abdication after WW1?
- the government was in a weak position so the new government were forced to sign the armastice
- the allies had control over Germany by making the Kaiser abdicate, so it put Germany in a weak negotiating position
- the German economy was in ruins and people were struggling and starving so there was much unrest throughout Germany
when was the council of people’s representatives set up?
10th November 1918 (maria’s bday)
what does Germany become after the Kaiser’s abdication?
it becomes a republic
who was the chancellor of Germany after Kaiser Wilhelm II?
Fredrich Ebert
what party was Fredrich Ebert the leader of?
the social democrat party
was the council intended to be temporary or permanent?
it was set up as a temporary government, until elections could be held in January 1919
what were the council known as later on, and why?
the November Criminals because they signed the armistice (in November) to end the war, even though many Germans believed that they hadn’t lost the war yet, so the council stole the win away from them
what did the council agree to work with the army for?
to keep the communists from taking control of Germany
what is the left wing party in Germany after the kaiser abdicated?
Sparticists (communists)
who were the right wing party of Germany after the Kaiser abdicated?
those loyal to the Kaiser and prefer an autocracy (one leader)
is Germany politically stable after the creation of the council of peoples representatives?
no, there is much unrest in Germany, so extremist views are popular
when was the armistice signed?
11th November 1918
who signed the armistice on behalf of Germany?
Matthias Erzberger, Ebert’s representative
where was the armistice signed?
in a train carriage
what was the first major decision of the new government?
signing the armistice
was the signing of the armistice supported by the army or the right wing?
no, they felt they were being ‘stabbed in the back’ by politicians, this became a key focal point for the Nazi’s hatred of the Weimar Republic
what did Ebert do after the armistice?
he ordered improvements for working conditions, help for the unemployed, improved housing, and more food supplies. he guaranteed freedom of speach and freedom of religion
why did the Germans have to sign the armistice?
they were in a weak position and had to prevent allied occupation of Germany
when did the sparticist uprising take place?
5th january 1919
who were the sparticists?
they were an extreme communist party in Germany, inspired by the communists revolution in Russia
who led the Sparticists?
Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht
what did the Sparticists try to do in the uprising?
they tried to take over Berlin and take over important buildings.
thousands roamed the streets firing guns
how did Ebert deal with the Sparticist uprising?
he asked the friekorps (free corps) to stop the uprising
who did the friekorps arrest and later murder which ended the spartacist uprising?
Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht
what were the implications of using the Freikorps to stop the uprising?
they became dependent on them, and it highlighted the instability in Germany as Ebert was not able to deal with it by himself. they also had to promise not to change the leadership in the army so there were many loyal to the kaiser in positions of importance
who were the Freikorps?
they were ex-soldiers who hated the communists/spartacists and were loyal to the kaiser
when was the Weimar republic formed?
from late january to july 1919
where was the constitution of the Weimar republic formed?
in the Weimar because of unrest in Berlin
what kind of government was the Weimar republic?
democratic, people had a say in the way the country was run for the first time
when were the first elections held?
january 1919
who won the first elections and who became president?
the SPD (social democrats), Freidrich Ebert becomes president
what kind of views did the Weimar republic have and why?
they had moderate views to try and appeal to everyone
who did Ebert have support from?
trade unionists
who did Ebert reassure and what about?
he reassured the army generals that the army would not be reformed
he reassured the leaders of industry that they wouldn’t confiscate land or factories
who was the head of state in the weimar constitution?
the president
who chose the president and how often?
the people, elected every 7 years
what position was the president allowed to choose who did it?
the chancellor and the commander in chief
what did the chancellor do?
runs the Reichstag, was responsible for day-to-day running of the country such as law and order, taxation, schooling, healthcare etc, must have support of more than half of the mps in the reichstag to introduce new laws
what did the cabinet do?
worked with the chancellor to make important decisions
who elected the reichstag and how often?
the people, every 4 years
who elected the the Reichstrat and how often?
regional representatives were appointed by state governments, every 4 years
what did the reichstag do?
voted in laws and made decisions
what did the reichsrat do?
promote their local interests
who was allowed to vote in germany in the Weimar government?
everyone over the age of 20
what was article 48?
it was where the president could make all the decisions and laws without consulting the Reichstag if they considered it a time of emergency
what is proportional representation?
the number of MPs each political party had in the reichstag was based on the number of votes they had (eg. if the party gets 10% of votes, it gets 10% of the seats)
this made it very difficult to agree on laws as there were many small parties. in between 1919 and 1933, no party ever won over 50%
what were the weaknesses of the weimar constitution?
- article 48, as it undermines democracy because the president could make it go back to autocracy
- proportional representation as it meant small parties would have to compromise
- it formed in division and violence; the people wanted a full revolution, not the Weimar government
what were the strengths of the Weimar government?
- they were equal
- there was accountability; each house was accountable to the other bodies
- lots of different parties meant many views could be represented
