Political and governmental change, 1918-89

Question 1

What were the terms of the Treaty of Versailles?

Answer 1

1. Lost land: all the land gained at the Treaty of Brest- Litovsk, Upper Silesia, Alsace and Lorraine, Eupen and Malmedy.
2. Military Consequences
3. War guilt clause
4. Reparations of 132,000 million gold marks.

Question 2

Describe the political system used by the Weimar government.

Answer 2

Proportional representation.
This method meant that people voted for a party in one of 35 large electoral areas rather than for a particular person in their area.

Question 3

What was Article 48?

Answer 3

The Article in the Weimar Constitution that allowed the president to suspend the Reichstag in an emergency and rule by decree.

Question 4

Who were the November Criminals?

Answer 4

This was first applied to those who had negotiated the armistice and the Treaty of Versailles, but was increasingly used against the Weimar government by opponents.

Question 5

What does it mean to ‘rule by decree’?

Answer 5

A style of governance which allows a single person/group to override usual legislative (law-making) processes and create laws.

Question 6

Which WW1 military commander was elected President of the Republic in 1925?

Answer 6

Paul Von Hindenburg

Question 7

From July 1930 to July 1932, how many laws were passed under Article 48?

Answer 7

109 laws. Only 29 passed by the Reichstag.

Question 8

When was Hitler appointed chancellor of Germany?

Answer 8

30 January 1933

Question 9

When did the Reichstag fire happen?

Answer 9

27 February 1933

Question 10

How did the Reichstag fire benefit the Nazis?

Answer 10

Dutch communist, Marinus van de Lubbe - caught by the Nazis supposedly carrying evidence that he had set the fire.
1) Nazis got credit for catching the arsonist

2) Nazis were able to stir up anti-communist propaganda
3) Nazis gained both political and financial support.
4) Hitler persuaded Hindenburg to declare a state of emergency.
5) Hitler persuaded Hindenburg to call an election for 5 March.

Question 11

What was the significance of the Enabling Act?

Answer 11

It gave Hitler the right to pass laws without the Reichstag.

Question 12

What was ‘The Night of the Long Knives’?

Answer 12

On 30 June 1934 senior SA officers were arrested by the SS and the Gestapo. They were shot the next day. This was done to get rid of all opponents.

Question 13

How did the Nazis ensure that their system of government was centralised?

Answer 13

1. Stripped the Lander (local governments) of many of their powers in March 1933.
2. January 30, 1934 the Law for Reconstruction of the Reich officially terminated the Lander —> said that German’s were united against regional differences.

Question 14

Describe the Nazi ideology of Volksgemeinschaft (a “people’s community”).

Answer 14

The idea that the whole nation would work together for the common good.

Question 15

Describe the concept of fuhrerprinzip and the impact it had.

Answer 15

The idea that at each level of government from Hitler down, there was one person who was clearly in charge - the leader. This person had power over everyone else on their level. The Führerprinzip gave Adolf Hitler unlimited and absolute power under Nazi Germany. This meant that power was vested in the leader and not the people, making Germany now a dictatorship and not a democracy

Question 16

Explain why the power of the following organisations was illusory (deceptive; not real) under Nazi rule:

a. The Reichstag
b. Ministries (e.g. the Foreign Ministry)
c. The Civil Service

Answer 16

a. The Reichstag remained but it only passed seven laws between 1934 and 1945. After the signing of the enabling Act on March 24, 1933, the Nazi government had the authority to override law making processes in parliament and make and enforce laws.
b. Hitler kept the cabinet of ministers and the ministries from the former Weimar government as they provided a useful level of continuity. However their power was illusory because they were restricted by the new ministries and offices of the Führer chancellery. Hitler abolished cabinet meetings and ministers worked individually, sending draft laws and policies to each other on paper.
c. The power of the Civil Service was also illusory under Nazi rule; the administration of the Nazi regime was like the Weimar republic largely done by the civil service. However, under their new minister, William Frick, and as part of the Nazi state, the Civil Service operated within Nazi ideology and ran on the ideology of the Führerprinzip (leadership principle). Civil Service decisions were often overruled.

Question 17

What was agreed at the Potsdam Conference in 1945?

Answer 17

The Allies agreed to split Germany and Berlin up into the four zones of occupation, controlled by each Allied power, but it would be temporary until Germany was re-unified.

Question 18

When did the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic become separate states?

Answer 18

FRG: 22 May 1949
GDR: 7 October 1949

Question 19

What was the permanent division?

Answer 19

Relations between the USSR and the West rapidly developed into the Cold War.

Question 20

What did the Basic Law promise?

Answer 20

1) Equal rights to German citizens, regardless of sex, race, political views or religion.
2) Free speech, freedom to form unions or other groups, free assembly and no censorship.
3) A state education for all, although private schooling was allowed.

Question 21

Describe the role of the Bundestag in the FRG.

Answer 21

Representatives of Bundestag elected by secret ballot of elections every 4 years

• Electors vote for regional representative and political party
• Proportional representation used for electoral procedures
• Key role to vote on, debate and pass laws of country

Question 22

What were some of Adenauer’s policies?

Answer 22

• He wanted to work closely to the west
• To bring about economic recovery in Germany
• Protect countries from communism
• Gain support and trust of Western countries
• Encourages West to revise terms of occupational statute.

Question 23

What did some critics name Adenauer’s leadership and why?

Answer 23

“Chancellor dictatorship” because they suggested he had more power than the Basic law allowed.

Question 24

Identify 2 political parties that were banned in the 1950s under Article 21 of the Basic law

Answer 24

• The Socialist Reich Party; 1952

- The KPD; 1956

Question 25

What was Article 131 of the Basic law and why was it introduced?

Answer 25

Allowed ex-Nazi’s to work in the civil service.