overcoming challenges to the democratic constitution, 1918-29 Flashcards
LO: political leadership, article 48, pragmatism, dealing with the threat from the left, the treaty of versailles
Who was the president from 1919-1925?
Friedrich Ebert
Who was the president from 1925-34?
Paul von Hindenburg
Who was President Ebert? (4)
Not the president that many Germans wanted; not charismatic or a good speaker
Gifted negotiator, capable administrator and pragmatist
His goal was to improve the pay and the rights of Germany’s workers.
Compromise with the army, judiciary and civil service undermined democracy in long term but bought new regime time and kept the republic going through the crisis 1919-24
Who was President Hindenburg? (5)
Played a role in survival of Weimar Republic 1925-28
Hindenburg had support of the right as he was a respected military general
German people viewed him as a hero
From 1925 he used his powers constitutionally e.g. 1928 appointed SPD leader Hermann Muller as German chancellor
His presidency gave the German right a reason to support the regime so it became more stable
Who was Gustav Streseman?
Played a key role in supporting Weimar democracy
He was a leading figure in the People’s Party. It wasn’t wholly committed to supporting democracy but Stresemann’s leadership persuaded many in the party to support Weimar
He oversaw major economic reform in 1923-4 and he was Germanay’s foreign minister for 6 years
He adopted a policy of cooperation with France and Britain → hoped this policy would reduce the damaging impact of reparations and German borders would be revised
What was Article 48?
Designed to be used in national emergencies
It gave the president power to rule by decree without the consent of the Reichstag
How did Ebert use Article 48?
He used it during the crisis years of 1919-24 (136 times in 5 years).
He defeated threats to the Weimar Republic from the left e.g. Ruhr uprising of March 1920
Ebert tended to use it in order to fight threats from the left, not the right. This would ahve a destabilisinig effect in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
Who were the German Democrats?
The German Democrats (DDP) were essentially a left wing liberal party. They never won a large number of seats but joined most of the coalitions, and they became less popular towards the end of the 1920s
How was support for the pro-democratic parties? (%)
76.1% of the electorate voted for them
Who were the Freikorps?
An anti-communist force of volunteers who were demobilised soldiers
They were motivated by right-wing nationalist and anti-democratic political goals
Fought to preserve the republic from communism
What impact did the Freikorps have?
They fought alongside the army and helped crush the Spartacist uprising and the 1920 Ruhr uprising
They were destabilising in the long term, but their actions had widespread popular support
They helped to legitimise the use of political violence and the use of nationalist violence against the political left
How did popular support for the republic change throughout the 1920s and why?
In January 1919 the three main pro-Weimar parties gained 76.1% of the vote → reflected a desire to support the regime against the threat of a communist revolution
As the communist threat receded, support for the pro-Weimar parties diminished and they failed to get a majority of the vote again after 1919
Military aspects of the Treaty of Versailles → why was it humiliating?
Many Germans viewed disarmament and demilitarisation as a further unjust humiliation
They believed that German soldiers, sailors, and airmen had fought bravely and that disarmament and demilitarisation punished brave men who had fought hard for their country
German realised the reduction of the army meant they could never again be a powerful nation in Europe
Military aspects of the Treaty of Versailles → key evidence
Disarm and demilitarise
Army reduced to 100,000 men + abolition of conscription
No military aircraft or tanks
Navy limited to 6 battleships, 6 cruisers, 12 destroyers, 12 torpedo boats, no submarines
Rhineland demilitarised
Territorial aspects of the TofV → why was it humiliating?
Germans viewed loss of land in Europe as unjust, as German land had never been invaded or occupied
As the German army was on French and Belgium land at the end of the war, most German people could see no reason to surrender German territory
Territorial aspects of TofV → key evidence
Loss of territory in Europe → lost Alsace-Lorraine to France and part of Schleswig to Denmark
The creation of a Polish corridor resulted in more than 1 million Germans caving under Polish control
Forbidding an Anschluss
The Rhineland and the Ruhr
30% territory + 12% population lost
Empire aspects of TofV → why was it humiliating?
The German empire in Africa and Asia enjoyed widespread public support
Conservatives and nationalists took pride in their empire, believing that control of colonies across the globe place the nation among the world’s major powers
Socialists supported the empire as they believed that Germany was bringing civilisation to Africa and Asia
Empire aspects of the TofV → key evidence
Germany should lose its empire as it had failed to fulfil their duty to rule people in Africa and Asia in a civilised way
Colonies were transferred to the control of the League of Nations
What was the War Guilt clause (article)?
Article 231
War guilt clause in TofV → why was it humiliating?
The vast majority of Germans rejected reparations
Britain and France justified reparations as the basis that German was guilty of starting the war, whereas most Germans believed they were fighting a defensive war
War Guilt clause in the TofV → key evidence
Reparations: Germany was forced to accept guilt for starting the war and pay
These were fixed in 1921 at 132,000 million gold marks (£6.6 billion) to b paid over 30 years
What is ‘diktat’?
Dictated peace
Where was the Treaty of Versailles agreed and when?
Paris Peace Conference on the 28th June 1919
