Key Terms Flashcards
The stab in the back myth
The distorted view that the German army had not lost WW1, and that unpatriotic groups, such as socialists and Jews, had undermined it.
This came about because Eric Ludendorff (Commander in chief) had proclaimed lies to the public about military progress, leading the public to believe Germany was winning, and so then refused to believe their loss.
This was significant because it created an environment in which nationalism could take hold, it gave the nazis a platform.
Ludendorff’s October reform
October 1918
Ludendorff was aware that Germany was losing the war. He pushed for constitutional monarchy, he wanted to establish a more democratic regime - appointing the Reichstag as the deciding power.
He hoped the allies would give Germany better terms in any peace treaty, if Germany was democratic rather than autocratic. He also hoped that the change would prevent the outbreak of political revolutionary outbreak. His ulterior motive however was that he wanted the socialist / democratic parties to take the fall for Germanys defeat, to shift responsibility away from the military leadership and conservative forces.
Kaiser Wilhelm II ended up giving up his powers over the army and the navy to the Reichstag, and the chancellor and government were made accountable to the Reichstag, rather than the Kaiser.
The spartacist revolt
January 1919
The Spartacists were communists, who wanted Germany to be run by the working classes, and wanted to replicate the Russian revolution. Their aim was to overthrow the provisional government in order to create a soviet republic.
They managed to seize newspapers and communication buildings. They called for a strike and formed a revolutionary committee.
They had little chance of success - they were easily defeated. The government sent the Freikorps - ex-army soldiers who hated the communists - to put down the uprising. 100 workers were killed.
The Weimar constitution
August 1919
(The principles and rules that governed the Weimar Republic)
Germany was declared a ‘democratic state’. All monarchies were ended. It had a federal structure (power and responsibilities shared between central and regional governments), with 17 regional states including Prussia, Bavaria, and saxony.
The president was elected every 7 years by citizens over the age of 20. The president had the power to dissolve the Reichstag, appoint the chancellor, was the supreme commander of the armed forces, and the capacity to rule by decree at a time of national emergency (article 48) and oversee the Reichstag.
Parliament - there were two houses - the Reichstag, and the Reichsrat.
A bill of rights outlined freedoms such as free speech, religious freedom, no censorship, personal liberty, and various social rights like to provide welfare and the protection of labour.
The Supreme Court was also created.
The Weimar constitution had its flaws - such as the difficulties proportional representation created, Article 48, and how the traditional institutions of imperial germany had been allowed to continue.
Article 48
This was the provision in the Weimar constitution that allowed the president to suspend civil rights in an emergency and restore law and order by the issue of presidential decrees.
The intention was creat the means by which in a crisis, the government could continue.
However, this gave a lot of power to the president, and became important in the crisis that brought Hitler into power.
The treaty of Versailles
June 1919
Set out the terms of Germany’s punishment after WW1. It was agreed at the paris peace settlement between the allies. Each of the ‘Big Three’ (usa, France, and Britain) had varying views on what should happen to germany, so the ToV was a compromise.
Germany was forced to sign the war guilt clause, a accepting blame for the damage and loss caused by the war.
Disarmament: Germany had to abolish conscription, reduce its army, allowed no military aircraft, tanks or bing guns. The navy was limited.
Reparations: Germany had to make substantial payments. The sum of the reparations was decided later, and fixed not £6600 million in 1921.
Territorial: various lands were taken away from germany. The Rhineland was to be demilitarised.
The treaty set out the League of Nations. Germany had to accept it, but wasn’t allowed to join.
In some aspects, German was stronger politically in 1919 than 1914. However, the Weimar government was severely weakened by the ToV, the new democracy of Weimar was forced to take the responsibility and blame. This fuelled propaganda from the republics opponents over the years. It also was closely linked to the stab in the back myth.
It was described as a Diktat (dictated peace), as Germany viewed the treaty’s terms as unfair, they’d felt it had been imposed without negotiations.
The Kapp putsch
March 1920
An extreme right wing uprising. Dr Wolfgang Kapp (right-wing nationalist) took over Berlin aiming to set up a new government as the rebels were angry at them for signing the Treaty of Versailles. He managed to seize the main buildings of the capital, and install a new government.
Significantly, the army refused to attack. The army was not prepared to become involved with either side. The uprising was only defeated when the workers of Berlin went on a general strike (which the SPD members of the government called for) which paralysed the capital and quickly spread to the rest of the country.
After 4 days, kapp and his government fled.
This event revealed the unreliability in the army leadership.
Reparations
At the time of the ToV, the extent of the damage caused was not known, so the reparation sum was set to be decided at a later date.
In 1921, the figure was set to £6600 million, but some was to be paid in goods.
The sum and schedule of reparation payments was changed throughout the next few years, through various economic plans - the Dawes plan in 1924, and the Young Plan in 1928.
The payments were the focus of the power struggle between France and Germany over whether the Tov should be enforced or changed.
Germany’s inability to any reparation payments led to the french occupation of the Ruhr in 1923, which caused an economic crisis in germany.
The German population viewed the reparations as a national humiliation.
The triple crisis 1923
The three crisis: The occupation of the Ruhr, hyperinflation, and the Munich putsch.
The occupation of the Ruhr:
Germany fell behind on its reparation payments (because they had used all they had for the first payment). However, France believed Germany could make the repayment but were choosing not to. So, France and Belgium occupied the Ruhr (Germany’s main industrial area). The German government ordered passive resistance - they told workers in the Ruhr to go on strike. However, the government still promised to pay the workers. To do this, they had to print more money, which worsened an already suffering economy.
Hyperinflation:
WW1 had already caused inflation in Germany, and so when germany had to print more money during the occupation of the Ruhr, the value of the mark fell so much that it was worthless. There was a period of hyperinflation. Prices rose extremely quickly. It destroyed people’s savings and people on fixed incomes. Some people, such as industrialists did actually benefit from this situation.
The Munich putsch: 8-9 November 1923
The Nazis’, led by hitler, aimed to overthrow the Bavarian government, based in Munich, in hopes to then go to Weimar and overthrow the national government too. It failed - 14 Nazis were killed, and hitler was arrested on charge of treason. Hitler was sentenced to only 5 years (the minimum sentence for treason) however he was realised after less than 10 month. This leniency seemed like an act of encouragement on the part of the judiciary. Ludendorff, who had taken part in the putsch, was acquitted - on grounds of only being present ‘by accident’ at the time of the putsch. The Munich putsch is a crucial part of Hitlers rise to power - he turned his trial into a propaganda suces for himself and the Nazi cause, he made himself a national figure. He won the respect of many other right wing nationalists. He used his time in prison to write and reassess his political strategy, and dictated Mein Kampf.
