Part one, Topic Three: Weimar Democracy Flashcards
1
Q
What political opposition did the Weimar republic face?
A
Spartacist rising (1919)
Kapp Putsch (1920)
2
Q
What happened during the Kapp Putsch?
A
- Wolfgang Kapp was a right wing Nationalist who wanted return of the monarchy
- March 1920: he led an uprising sparked by the Weimar republic reducing army size and getting rid of Freikorps
- 12,000 Freikorps marched into Berlin and the army refused to stop them
- Rising was put down by a general worker strike organised by workers
- So, the Weimar republic SURVIVED
3
Q
Who were the Spartacists? - what occurred during their uprising?
A
- January 1919: left wing communists trued to take power led by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg
- Workers were protesting at start of 1919, so Spartacists tried turning this into a revolution
- President Ebert used the Freikorps to crush the uprising (over 100 workers killed)
- Luxemburg and Liebknecht were also killed
4
Q
What happened during the Munich Putsch?
A
- 8th November 1923: Hitler interrupted right-wing meeting of 2,000 at a Munich beer hall with 600 SA soldiers
- Hitler forced von Kahr and von Lossow to support a march on Berlin to overthrow the government
- President Ebert declared a state of emergency and von Lossow and the army were ordered to crush the revolt
- 9th November: Von Lossow and von Kahr announced that they didn’t support the Putsch
- 2,000 armed Nazis arched into Munich but were stopped by armed police and Bavarian soldiers
- a shot was fire, 14 Nazis were killed
- Hitler arrested after having fled the scene
- Nazi party banned, Hitler put of trial receives 5 years imprisonment
5
Q
What happened in terms of political recovery under Stresemann?
A
- No attempted revolutions after 1923
- By 1928, moderate parties has 136 more seats in the Reichstag than the radical parties
- Replaced old currency with Rentenmark, 1 replaced 1000 billion marks. This got inflation under control (also compensated Germans for their losses)
- Signed Dawes and Young plans (lowered reparations + gave them longer to pay
6
Q
What was the Dawes Plan?
A
In 1924 - Gave Germany longer to pay reparations
under Stresemann
7
Q
What was the Young Plan?
A
In 1929 - Lowered how much Germany had to pay from 6.6 billion dollars to 2 billion
under Stresemann
8
Q
What were the pros and cons of the Dawes and Young plans?
A
- USA’s loans (Dawes and Young plans) led to investments in schools, roads, houses and hospitals and exports increased
- by 1928, Germany was the world’s second strongest industrial power
- But, the economy became too dependent on the loans and low food prices made farmers poor + unemployment remained high
- Germans hated the plans and their were protests from right wing politicians such as Alfred Hugenberg
9
Q
Explain Weimar culture
A
- New freedoms of the Weimar Republic led to an explosion of culture (literature, music, art, architecture, theatre and cinema all thrived)
- Modern materials used for new buildings, but some German didn’t like them and favoured a more traditional style
- Cabaret and music clubs became very popular, cabaret artists produced songs criticising the government
- Berlin became famous for its nightclubs, some Germans found the nightlife shocking
10
Q
When did Gustav Stresemann become chancellor?
A
13th august 1923
11
Q
When did Stresemann die?
A
3rd October 1929
