Overcoming challenges to the constitution, 1918-29 Flashcards
What did the Weimar Government sign on the 28th of June 1919?
Treaty of Versailles
What did the TOV do for the popularity of the Weimar government?
It made them hugely unpopular because resentment of the treaty was widespread and many Germans thought the war could have been won
What elements of the treaty were most deeply resented?
Germany was not allowed to take part in negotiations, and it was forced to accept full responsibility for starting the war and it had to pay huge reparations
Challenges from the start and why they were problems?
The government had to battle its own unpopularity as well as the challenges from other political groups and the weakness of the constitution itself
What was a significant factor which helped keep the Weimar government stay in power?
A fear of a left-wing government meant many right-wingers supported the republic, rather than run the risk of opposing it and ending up with a more left-wing government
The constitution allowed for a Reichstag with many political parties - why was this a problem?
It took 60,000 votes to gain a seat, whilst this was very democratic it did not take into account that the more parties there were, the more difficult it was for the Reichstag to work effectively - 29 political parties in the 1920s
Why did a coalition government prove to be difficult?
It was almost impossible for any party to have a majority in the Reichstag. Between 1919-1923, there were 9 short-lived coalition governments formed - lacked the ability to work together
What did the Weimar government achieve by 1924 and 1929?
The German economy recovered
Germany reached agreements with other countries - that began to restore its position abroad and undo some of the terms in the TOV
Who was responsible for the revitalisation of from 1924-29? And what did he believe?
Stresemann - Believed that economic recovery and peaceful relations with other countries were important for the stability of Germany’s political system
What was the result of Stresemann’s work?
The economy improved which meant social conditions stabilised and political violence died down
Evidence of no political violence?
From the years 1924-29 no major political figures were assassinated
