Nazi Germany- Weimar Republic

Question 1

How did the first world war affect Germany?

Answer 1

• First WWI started in 1914 and the USA joined the Allies in the war against Germany in 1917. BY early 1918, the Germany army was pushed back into France and the British naval blockade had resulted in shortages of food, medicines and clothes for the German people. Children were malnourished and smallpox epidemic broke out in 1918.

Question 2

How was there a revolution in 1918-19?

Answer 2

At the end of Oct 1918, the German navy mutinied and Sailors at Kiel refused to put to sea and fight the British. Fighting spread across Germany through the winter of 1918-19

Question 3

When did the Kaiser abdicate and what was a result of that?

What’s an armistice?

Answer 3

Kaiser( the German Emperoro) resigned in Nov 1918 and Chancellor Ebert declared Germany a republic and to have no King on 10 Nov and the following day, Ebert signed the armistice with the Allies which was the agreement to end hostilities in war.

Question 4

When was the Weimar Republic set up?

Answer 4

In Jan 1919, a new democratic constitution for Germany was drawn up after elections were held and a new gov was formed under Ebert. The new constitution rules, were called the Weimar Republic.

Question 5

What were some of the strengths of the new constitution? (4)

Answer 5

1) Established a more advanced democracy in Europe- men and women had the vote at the age of 20 at a time when in Britain the age was 21 for men and 30 for women.
2) President was elected every 7 years and had the power to appoint the Chancellor( head of gov)
3) The Reichstag ( Parliament) had the power to pass or reject changes in the law. Members of the Reichstag were elected by proportional representation every 4 years.
4) Established the right of free speech and freedom of religious belief.

Question 6

What is proportional representation?

Answer 6

The number of votes by a party determines the number of seats they got in parliament.

Question 7

What were some of the weaknesses of the new constitution? (3)

Answer 7

1) Article 48 allowed president to take dictator like powers.
2) Proportional representation often led to many small parties gaining seats( eg Nazis) therefore no party was large enough to secure a majority and coalition gov were weak.
- lots of parties caused arguments
3) The army generals and judges were the same men who served the Kaiser- opposed the Weimar Republic.

Question 8

What is a coalition gov?

Answer 8

2 or more political parties joining to form a gov when no single political party gets a majority of seats, in order to have sufficient support to pass laws.

Question 9

What was the stab in the back theory?

Answer 9

Many people were angry with the treaty and wanted a scapegoat and they said that the German army had been ‘stabbed in the back’ by te Nov Criminals who signed the armistice in Nov 1918.
- they blamed the Weimar Republic.

Question 10

Why did Chancellor Ebert declare an armistice?

Answer 10

he declared to ceasefire based on US president Wilson’s 14 points, which suggested that Germany should be treated fairly.

Question 11

Key terms of TOV that angered Germany? (4)

Answer 11

1) Military terms reduced the German army to 100,000 and demilitarised the Rhineland- G was not allows tanks, military aircraft or submaribs.
2) The lost 13% of the land such as the Alsace- Lorrained and the coalfields of the Saar.
3) Reparations of £6.6 billion.
4) Had to take all of the blame for starting the war ( the War Guild Clause)

Question 12

What did the TOV led to in Germany?

Question 13

Opposition from the left? (3)

Answer 13

the Spartacists= Communists.

• attempted revolution in Jan 1919 to overthrow the gov and create a communist state.
• led by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg.
• Freikorps suppressed this and Liebknecht and Luxemburg were killed

Question 14

Opposition from the right? (4)

Answer 14

• the Kapp Putsch
• Ebert decided to reduce the number of Freikorps.
• The Freikorps were furious about the TOV as they were mainly ex soldiers from WWI who were exhibited propaganda in making them believe that they could win.
• in March 1920,- attempted to take power through Berlin by a putsch led by Kapp and he set up a new right wing gov in Berlin and the army would not put the putsch down, showing a lack of support for the Weimar republic.
• Berlin workers supported Weimar and went on strike, causing the putsch to collapse.

Question 15

Why was there a French occupation of the Ruhr?

Answer 15

At the end of 1922, the German workers did not pay their reparations and in 1923, French and Belgian troops invaded Ruhr area of Germany to tale coal and steel.

Question 16

What were the effects of the French occupation of the Ruhr, 1923?

How much was 1 dollar in markes?

Answer 16

The workers chose passive resistance to the occupation and went on strike which meant fewer goods were being produced. The German gov had to print more money to pay the strikers which alongside fewer goods turned inflation into hyperinflation and make the German mark worthless.

• 1 dollar= 4200000000 marks

Question 17

Who benefited from hyperinflation and who suffered?

Answer 17

• Businesses were able to pay off their debts in hyperinflation
• The rise in food prices helped farmers.

Suffered:

• old age pensions became worthless.
• people’s savings lost all value.

However overall wages could not keep up with the inflation and many people could not afford everyday necessities such as bread and lead to an economic and lifestyle decline for the majority.

Question 18

Give me some of the reasons of economic recovery?(5)

Answer 18

1) Stresseman
2) American loans.
3) The Retenmark.
4) Young Plan
5) Dawes Plan

Question 19

What was the Role of Stresseman? (2)

Answer 19

• Stresseman became chancellor in 1923 and he promised to pay reparations and end hyperinflation. Introduced new currency- rentenmark.
• it was his decision to call off passive resistance in the Ruhr and to negotiate the Dawes Plan.

Question 20

What was the Rentenmark? (3)

Answer 20

• new currency to replace the German mark.
• it was a temporary measure in order to stabilise the currency and restore confidence.
• the rentenmark’s value was based on property values rather than on gold reserves and it was into converted into the Reichsmark the following year, backed by gold reserves.

Question 21

What was the Dawes Plan (5)

Answer 21

• 1924
• reorganised Germany’s reparation payments:
• payment was staged to match Germany’s capacity to pay.
• payments began at 1 billion marks for the first year and increased over a period of 4 years to 2.5 billion a year.
• USA and foreign banks would also loan Germany money in order to encourage economic recovery.
• In return, French withdrew their troops from the Ruhr.

Question 22

What was the Young Plan? (3)

Answer 22

• 1929, Germany negotiated a further change to reparations known as the Young Plan.
• A timescale for payment was set, with Germany making payments until 1988.
• Reparation figure was reduced from £6 billion £1.85 billion

Question 23

How was Stresemann popular abroad? List the names of the Pact as well. (4)

Answer 23

• Stresseman greatly improved relations with Brita and France by ending passive resistance in the Ruhr.
• Locarno Pact of 1925 followed, signed by Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Belgium. By this agreement, G was keeping existing borders and solve matters peacefully.
• G became a memeber of the League of Nations for the Pact to come into operatiton and it was given a permanent seat in Sep 1926, which recognised its return to a Great Power.
• 1928, Kellog-Briand Pact- along with 64 other nations. It was agreed that these nations would keep their armies for self defence but would solve all future disputes by ‘peaceful means’.

Question 24

How did the changes in the standard of living, incl wages+ housing be affected. (3)

Answer 24

• Real wages increased in the 1920s by 10%, but middle class had lost savings in 1923.
• 2 million new houses were build.
• living standards improved and by 1928, houselessness had been reduced by more than 60%.

Question 25

Unemployment insurance?

Development in art, architecture and cinema?

Answer 25

• New laws increased unemployment benefits for those out of work and disability payments for those who could not work.
• Creative time for artists- Dix and Grosz. There was Modernist architecture- Bauhaus design, golden age for film eg Metropolis.

Question 26

How were there changes in the position of women:

• Politics.(3)
• Leisure(3)
• Employment.(2)

Answer 26

Politics:

• In 1919, women over 20 were given the vote.
• Weimar constituion introduced equality in education, equal oppourtunity and equal pay in proffessions.
• By 1926, there were 32 women deputies in the Reichstag.

Leisure:

• went out unescorted and drank and smoked in public.
• were fashion consciour, wearing shorter skirts.
• wore makeup.

Employment:
1933- 100,000 women teachers and 3000 women doctors.