(P2) Weimar Germany Flashcards
When was the Weimar constitution published?
August 1919
What was stated in the Weimar constitution?
- voting rights to men and women over 20
- proportional representation
- bill of rights gave germans freedom of speech
- article 48
What was Weimar’s government like?
democratic, though created instability as there were lots of tiny parties
What was Germany’s government before 1919?
monarchy
Why did the treaty of versailles cast a dark shadow over the weimar republic?
right-wing politicians (including Hitler) spread the idea that German army had not been defeated in war, instead ‘stabbed in the back’ by the November criminals
Who ended WW1?
the November Criminals
Why did German people not like the November Criminals?
they were considered traitors as they signed the armistice, ending the war and introducing the treaty of versailles
When did the French first invade Germany and why?
1923
Germans failed to pay the reparations
What lead to the public support of Hitler?
their hatred of the Treaty of Versailles and Hitler’s promise to destroy it
What were the German’s views of the ToV?
they were outraged by the unfairness, especially by the fact that Germany had not been included in the negotiations
They especially hated that they had to accept the blame
How was the treaty presented to Germany?
as a ‘Diktat’ ( a dictated peace)
When was the start of Germany’s economic meltdown?
1923
When was the Dawes plan introduced?
1924
What was the Dawes plan?
American loans to Germany that helped them pay the reparations
What was Germany’s views of the Dawes plan?
many citizens greatly resented the plan as a way of USA trying to dominate the economy
How many men was Germany’s army reduced to?
100,000
Why was the disarmament point in the ToV unfair?
it only applied to the countries that were defeated
Why was the self-determination principle unfair?
The policy was to let people of one nationality group rule themselves, yet the ToV left millions of Germans living under the rule of foreginers in Czechoslovakia, Danzig, Lithuania and Poland
How big was the Germany communist party?
it was very large, it had close links with the Bolsheviks who led a successful communist revolution in Russia
What was the communist party’s aim?
to take control of Germany’s factories and farms and bring in a Russian-style system government
When did the spartacists uprising happen?
January 1919
named after Spartacus, a Roman slave who rebelled
Who ended the spartacist uprising?
ex-soldiers who formed themselves into a volunteer private armies called Freikorps
Who led the Spartacist uprising?
Rosa luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht
When was the Kapp Putsch
March 1920
Who led the Kapp Putsch
Wolfgang Kapp
What was the Kapp Putsch?
a group of rebels took over Berlin and tried to bring back the Kaiser
How did the Kapp Putsch end?
the army refused to fight the rebels, however it came to an end when the workers of Berlin called a general strike and brought the city to a standstill
When was the first invasion of the ruhr?
1921
What was the ruhr
an industrial region of western Germany
Why did France invade the ruhr
to force the germans to agree to pay reparations
When was the start of the German economic crisis
1922
How long was the period of postponement of reparations?
6 months
When was the second invasion of the Ruhr
January 1923
What 5 events happened in the invasion of the 1923 ruhr?
- 60,000 french and belgian soldiers took control of every mine, factory and railway
- Germany government couldn’t take military action because of the cuts
- German workers went on strike and refused to work with the french
- the french responded by expelling 150,000 people, and shot 132 Germans who refused to do as they said
- Germany government payed striker by printing paper money
How does hyperinflation work?
if a government prints paper money when the economy is not producing goods, the value of the money goes down and prices goes up
What was the cost of bread in 1921 and 1923
1921 = 4 marks
1923 = 200,000 million marks
How bad was hyperinflation for workers?
there were frequent pay rises - sometimes as often as twice a day wages were carried home in wheelbarrows
while prices rose, their earnings stayed the same
Who benefited from hyperinflation?
those who had debts or had taken out loans could now pay back with ease
What are some examples of violent outbreaks due to hyperinflation?
- rebellions by communist sin Saxony, Thuringia and Rhineland
- Black Reichswehr October 1923
How long did Germany’s golden age go on for?
six years
Who was Gustav Stresemann?
leader of the German People’s Party, and later chancellor in 1923
What were some actions Stresemann did when he became chancellor?
introduced Rentenmark
Ordered striking workers in the ruhr back to work
agreed that germany should start paying reparations again
Why was Stresemann forced out of chancellor position?
his actions were unpopular, however he had created a basis for economic and political stability
Who was the Dawes plan named after
Charles Gates Dawes, the US politician who negotiated it
How much did USA loan to Germany?
800 million gold marks
When was the young plan arranged?
1929
What was the young plan?
reduced the total amount of reparations
extended the deadline for the payments by a further 59 years
when was stresemann foreign secretary
1923-1929
What happened during the period that stresemann was foreign secretary?
1925, Germans and French signed Locarno pact that agreed never to try and change the border between them
1926 Germany was allowed to join the LoN
1928 Germany signed the Kellogg-Briand pact with 60 other countries that promised not to go to war
How did culture bloom in Germany in the late 1920s
- clubs and cafes became important part of life
- artists and singers came to work in Berlin
When and where was Hitler born?
Austria in 1889
What troubles did Hitler have when he was younger?
- mother dies when he was 14, dad died when he was 18
- had little education and no job, so he lived in poverty
- academy of art wouldnt enrol him
What was Hitler’s views on Germany signing the armistice?
he was bitter and angry
he blamed a conspiracy of communists and jews, and claims that German politicians ‘stabbed them in the back’
What the the German Workers Party?
a small group led by a railwayman named Anton Drexler
it was nationalist, socialist and anti-semitic
What was Hitlers first changes that he made to the German Workers Party when he became leader?
changed the name to the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP)
commonly known as the Nazi Party
When was the SA set up?
1921 (his own army, known as the brown shirts)
how did Hitler’s party gain publicity?
rich people financed it in hope it would prevent communism
Hitler was very good at giving powerful, angry speeches
What policies of Hitker’s appealed to nationalists?
unifying all germans into 1 country
abolishing ToV
gaining more land, and expelling immigrants
What policies of Hitler’s appealed to Socialists?
sharing nation’s wealth
nationalising industry
improving pensions
When was the Munich Putsch
during the economic crisis of 1923
Who did Hitler work with for the Munich Putsch>
General Ludendorff
Gustav von Kahr
When was the Beer hall event?
8 November 1923
What was the beer hall event?
Hitler burst in with 600 stormtroopers and forced Kahr at gunpoint to support the Putsch
How did the Munich Putsch fail?
after agreeing to Hitler, Kahr had alerted the army and police
Nazi route was blocked by armed police. 16 Nazi’s died, 3 policemen were killed, Hitler and Ludendorff arrested
What was Hitler’s book called?
Mein Kampf (My struggle)
became a school textbook and was the most borrowed book in libraries
copy was given to newly married couples as a wedding gift from the state
What 3 ideas were in the Mein Kampf?
- Gain lebensraum for its people
- superiority of the pure German Aryan ‘master race’
- aggressive national pride centralized government
When was Hitler released from prison?
December 1924
How many seats did the Nazi party win on the May 1924 elections?
December 1924?
1928?
31
14
12
When was the SS set up?
1925
Who was in charge of propaganda?
Josef Goebbels
How many memebers did the Nazi party have in 1925?
1928?
27,000
100,000
