Paper 3: Topic 1: Weimar Republic 1918-29 Flashcards
How was Germany affected by the war?
-2 million German soldiers died in the war
-German government’s debts had tripled between 1914-18, from 50 billion marks to 150 billion marks
-Over 750,000 German’s died because of food shortages during the war
-500,000 women were left as widows
-1 million children became orphans
-Germany was very weak in 1918, before the war had ended
What was the German revolution? and how did this cause the abdication of the Kaiser?
-German soldiers and officers were unhappy with how the war was being fought and they mutinied and stopped following orders of Kaiser Wilhelm II (German king)
-The people also went on strike and rioted against the government
-These actions were known as the German Revolution
-Due to this, Kaiser Wilhelm II was forced to abdicate (give up throne) and flee the country on Nov. 9th 1918
What does mutinied mean?
Refusal to obey the orders of a person in authority.
What does abdicate mean?
To give up or renounce (authority, duties, an office, etc.), especially in a voluntary, public, or formal manner
What’s an armistice?
A formal agreement to stop fighting between countries at war
What was the armistice?
-The day after the Kaiser abdicated, on Nov. 10th power was given to Freidrich Ebert from the Social Democratic Party (SDP)
-Freidrich Ebert becomes Chancellor of the new government and the called the Weimar Republic
-Germany was now a democracy for the first time in its history
-On Nov. 11th 1918, the day after Ebert became the new leader, the armistice was signed
-An armistice is a formal agreement to stop fighting between countries at war
-This was the first major decision of the new government: to surrender and bring WWI to an end
What was the Weimar Constitution?
-Written in 1919
-Set up how the government would work
-Meant all women and men over the age of 20 could vote
-People voted for a president and then the president chose the chancellor
-The parliament was called the Reichstag
What was the Reichstag?
-The parliament of the Weimar Constitution
-Members of the Reichstag were also voted for by the people
-Members of the Reichstag made laws and controlled how much tax people had to pay
What were the strengths of the Weimar Constitution?
-It made Germany the most advanced democracy in Europe: both men and women had the right to vote from the age of 20. At the same time in Britain, only men over 21 and women over 30 had the right to vote
-It established the right of free speech and freedom of religious belief
-The president had the power to choose the government, usually the leader of the largest party
What were the weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution?
-Article 48:
-Article 48 of the constitution said that in an emergency the chancellor could ask President to pass laws without going to the Reichstag (parliament).
-This gave the President too much power.
-By 1930, the chancellor regularly relied upon the president to pass laws, rather than on the Reichstag votes (which bypassed the democracy)
-This made the constitution seem weak and encouraged people to think a single all-powerful leader was better than an elected parliament
-Proportional representation:
-proportional representation meant many small parties won seats in the Reichstag
-By 1920s, there were 29 parties in total
-This meant that often no single party had majority, leading to coalitions
-This led to parties having to compromise, leading to a lack in clear strong parties
-Coalitions were weak as they frequently argues and they fell apart / were short lived
-There were 9 coalitions between 1919 and 1923
Why was Article 48 a weakness of the Weimar Constitution?
-Article 48:
-Article 48 of the constitution said that in an emergency the chancellor could ask President to pass laws without going to the Reichstag (parliament).
-This gave the President too much power.
-By 1930, the chancellor regularly relied upon the president to pass laws, rather than on the Reichstag votes (which bypassed the democracy)
-This made the constitution seem weak and encouraged people to think a single all-powerful leader was better than an elected parliament
Why was coalition governments a weakness of the Weimar Constitution?
-Proportional representation:
-proportional representation meant many small parties won seats in the Reichstag
-By 1920s, there were 29 parties in total
-This meant that often no single party had majority, leading to coalitions
-This led to parties having to compromise, leading to a lack in clear strong parties
-Coalitions were weak as they frequently argues and they fell apart / were short lived
-There were 9 coalitions between 1919 and 1923
Why was the Weimar Government unpopular from the start?
-The new Weimar politicians who signed the armistice were called the November criminals
-Germans were unhappy that they had surrendered
What was the Treaty of Versailles?
-Official peace treaty of WWI
-The treaty was called a ‘diktat’ by the Germans, meaning the terms or points of the treaty were imposed on by Germany, not agreed by Germany. It was a dictated peace.
-Key terms of the treaty = LAMB (Land, Army, Money, Blame)
What were the terms of land in the Treaty of Versailles?
-In total, Germany lost 13% of its land and 10% of its population (6 million Germans)
-Germany’s overseas empire was taken away and given to Britain and France, they lost 11 colonies, such as its colonies in Africa were given as mandates to the League of Nations meaning Britain and France controlled them
-Germany lost important land (The Saar, an important industrial part of Germany) where coal and iron were produced. The Saar was put under control of the League of Nations for 15 years. This land was worth a lot of money. They lost 48% of all their coal production
-Germany also lost the area Alsace-Lorraine, which was returned to France
-Germany was split in two by the Polish Corridor, a strip of land was given to Poland to allow them to have access to the sea
