KEY FIGURES

Question 1

Friedrich Ebert

Answer 1

• Leader of SPD
• First Chancellor of in Weimar Republic 9th Nov 1918
• First President of WR 11 Feb 1919

Question 2

General Groener

Answer 2

• Successor of Ludendorff as Quartermaster General

- Involved in Ebert Groener Pact in 10 Nov 1918

Question 3

Philip Schiedemann

Answer 3

• Second leader of SPD
• Declared Germany a republic on 9th Nov 1918
• Chancellor of first coalition gov in Feb 11th 1919
• Resigned in June 1919 in protest against harsh terms of TofV

Question 4

General Hans Von Seeckt

Answer 4

• Army general
• Became commander of Reichswehr (army) in 1920
• Instrumental in disbanding Freikorps units

Question 5

Gustav Bauer

Answer 5

• Member of SPD
• After Scheidemann resigned in 20 June 1919 Bauer became Chancellor
• Forced to resign in March 1920 after Kapp Putsch

Question 6

George Grosz

Answer 6

• Artist influenced by Expressionism
• Involved in Spartacus rising in 1919 and later joined KPD
• Left for America shortly before Nazis came to power

Question 7

Konstantine Fehrenbach

Answer 7

• Chancellor in 1920

- ZP

Question 8

Joseph Wirth

Answer 8

• Chancellor in 1921

- ZP

Question 9

Wilhelm Cuno

Answer 9

• No party alliance

- Chancellor

Question 10

What is the order of the most important Chancellors 1918-1923?

Answer 10

1. Ebert: 1918-19/ SPD
2. Scheidemann: Feb 1919-June 1919/SPD
3. Gustav Bauer: June 1919-March 1920/ SPD
4. Hermann Müller: March 1920-June 1920/ SPD
5. Konstantin Fehrenbach: June 1920- May 1921/ Centre
6. Joseph Wirth: May 2021-Nov 1922/ Centre
7. Wilhelm Cuno: Nov 1922-Aug 1923/ None
8. Gustav Stresemann: Aug 1923- Nov 1923/ DVP
9. Wilhelm Marx: Nov 1923- /Centre

Question 11

List of political parties during the German republic

Answer 11

Left:
KPD: German Communist party (Thälmann)
USPD: Independent German Social Democratic Party
SPD: German Social-democratic Party

Centre:
ZP: Centre Party- Protects Catholic interests- democratic constitution (Matthias Erzberger, Heinrich Brüning)
DDP: German Democratic Party- Left-leaning with support from intellectuals and middle class- democratic constitution
(Walther Rathenau)

Right:
DVP: German People’s Party- support of upper and business class- opposed new republic but willing to participate in Gov.
(Gustav Stresemann)
DNVP: German National People’s Party- nationalist conservative party with support from landowners and business- opposed democratic republic
NSDAP: National-Socialist German Workers’ Party- extreme right wing, strongly nationalist and anti-semitic

Question 12

Karl Liebknecht

Answer 12

• Leader of Spartacus league

- Captured by Freikorps during Spartacus rising of January 1919 and was tortured and shot

Question 13

Rosa Luxemburg

Answer 13

• Leader of Spartacus League

- During Spartacus Rising of January 1919 she was captured by Freikorps, beaten and shot.

Question 14

Gustav Noske

Answer 14

• Member of SPD
• Minister for defence
• Ordered Freikorps units to be disbanded

Question 15

General Walter von Luttwitz

Answer 15

• Army general
• In charge of Freikorps
• Driving force behind Kapp Putsch

Question 16

Wolfgang Kapp

Answer 16

• Monarchist
• DNVP member- politician
• Attempted Kapp Putsch

Question 17

Hugo Haase

Answer 17

• Formed USPD

Question 18

Matthias Erzberger

Answer 18

• Centre Party leader
• Led German signing of the armistice and signed Versailles treaty
• Finance minister

Question 19

Walther Rathenau

Answer 19

• Leader of DDP
• Foreign minister
• Recommended fulfilment of TofV

Question 20

Gustav Stresemann

Answer 20

• Leader of DVP party
• Monarchist
• Became chancellor of Great Coalition in 1923
• Introduced new currency and ending of hyperinflation
• Forced to resign in Nov 1923 but continued as foreign minister

Question 21

Otto von Lossow

Answer 21

• Commander of Reichswehr in Bavaria
• Conservative
• Involved in Beer Hall Putsch

Question 22

Gustav Ritter von Kahr

Answer 22

• Right-wing conservative politician
• State Commissioner of Bavaria
• Involved in Beer Hall Putsch

Question 23

Hjalmar Schacht

Answer 23

• Director of the National Bank from 1916- Co-founder of the DDP
• In 1923, he became head of the Reichsbank, and introduced the Rentenmark
• He then went on to negotiate the Dawes and Young Plan
• He then became Economics Minister (1934-37) under the Nazis but lost favour and was removed from the Reichsbank in 1939.

Question 24

Charles Dawes

Answer 24

• American banker

- He was jointly awarded a Nobel Peace Prize with Stresemann for his work to solve the reparations issue.

Question 25

Owen D. Young

Answer 25

- Leading businessman | - Helped in the writing of the Dawes Plan in 1924

Question 26

Alfred Hugenberg

Answer 26

- Right-wing DNVP leader who launched a nationwide campaign against the Young Plan, which included Hitler and the Nazis.

Question 27

Theodor Wolff

Answer 27

- Journalist from wealthy Jewish family. - Editor of the Berliner Tageblatt - Driving force behind the moderate liberal DDP

Question 28

Hermann Müller

Answer 28

- SPD politician - Had been Chancellor in 1928 - One of signatories or TofV

Question 29

Ernst Thälmann

Answer 29

- Chairman of Communist KPD in 1925 | - Communist candidate in 1925 presidential elections.

Question 30

Heinrich Brüning

Answer 30

- Leading member of ZP in Reichstag. | - Chancellor in 1930, and became longest continuously serving Chancellor of WR

Question 31

Kurt von Schleicher

Answer 31

- Aristocratic army officer - Played a crucial role in the political activities of the army (helped negotiate Ebert-Groener pact) - Together with Groener, he was part of Hindenburg’s inner circle of advisers and steered Hindenburg towards imposing a more authoritarian gov. - Although not Nazi, thought Nazi support would counterweight support for liberal parties. - Largely responsible for bringing down Brüning’s gov.

Question 32

Joseph Goebbels

Answer 32

- Chief propagandist of Nazi movement. - Loyal to Hitler since the 1920s - Played a key propaganda role in the Nazis rise to power and became Minister of Propaganda in 1933.

Question 33

Franz von Papen

Answer 33

- Former aristocratic army officer - Although a ZP member, he was deeply anti-democratic - Wanted to reestablish an authoritarian state - Chancellor in 1932 but brought down by Schleicher. - He then conspired with Hitler and Hindenburg to bring down Schleicher. - Returned to power in a coalition with Hitler

Question 34

Gregor Strasser

Answer 34

- Member of Nazi Party from 1921, took part in Beer Hall Putsch. - Took a strong-capitalist stance to appeal to working-class voters but was strongly anti-communist and anti-Semitic. - Murdered in the Night of the Long Knives

Question 35

Wilhelm Frick

Answer 35

- Interior minister 1933-43 | - Joined Nazi Party and elected to the Reichstag in 1924.

Question 36

General Blomberg

Answer 36

- Defence minister of Hitler’s first cabinet. | - Army commander

Question 37

Freiherr von Neurath

Answer 37

- Aristocratic diplomat. - Foreign minister in Papen’s 1932 gov. - Continued in this post under Hitler until 1938. - Dismissed in 1938 when he opposed Hitler’s plans for expansion.

Question 38

Hermann Goering

Answer 38

- Joined Nazi Party in 1922 and took part in the Beer Hall Putsch 1923. - 1933 appointed Chancellor and Interior Minister of Prussia. - Also became responsible for the rebuilding of the Luftwaffe. - As Interior minister of Prussia he established the Gestapo and first concentration camps. - 1936 placed in charge of 4 year plan.