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Germany And West Germany 1918 - 89 > Political And Governmental Change Weimar > Flashcards

Political And Governmental Change Weimar Flashcards

1
Q

DNVP: (acronym, leaders, beliefs, memberships)

A
  • German National People’s Party
  • Karl Helfferich + Alfred Hugenberg
  • Members were wealthy landowners + anti-Semitic
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2
Q

DVP: (acronym, leaders, beliefs)

A
  • German People’s Party
  • Gustav Stresemann
  • Nationalist
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3
Q

ZP: (acronym, leaders, beliefs + memberships)

A
  • Centre Party
  • Matthias Erzberger + Heinrich Brüning
  • Catholic, conservative values
  • Became more authoritarian near end of 1920s
  • Against left-wing and communism policies
  • Members from mix of social grps
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4
Q

DDP: (acronym, leaders, beliefs + memberships)

A
  • German Democrats
  • Walther Rathenau + Huga Preuss
  • Liberal
  • Members were educated professionals (middle class)
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5
Q

SPD: (acronym, leaders, memberships)

A
  • Social Democrats
  • Friedrich Ebert + Philip Schiedemann
  • Members were workers’ grps and liberal middle class
  • Originally Marxist
  • Dom party in Prussia, Germany’s largest state w/ 57% of pop
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6
Q

USPD: (acronym, leaders, + split)

A
  • Independent Social Democrats
  • Split from SPD in 1917
  • Karl Kautsky + Hugo Hasse
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7
Q

Spartacist Union: (leaders, split)

A
  • Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg
  • Split from USPD in Dec 1918
  • Want to replace gov w/ network of soviets
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8
Q

KPD: (acronym, leaders, beliefs + memberships)

A

German Communist Party
- Ernest Thälmann
- Members are workers esp young, poor, unemployed

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9
Q

NSDAP: (acronym, leaders, beliefs + memberships)

A
  • National Socialist German Workers’ Party
  • Adolf Hitler
  • Extreme right wing, antisemitic, nationalist
  • Members are from lower middle classes
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10
Q

BVP: (acronym, leaders, beliefs + splits)

A
  • Bavarian People’s Party
  • Split from ZP in 1919
  • Heinrich Held
  • Conservative
  • Supported upholding of Bavaria’s local interests
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11
Q

Between 1871 and 1918, what was the constitution like?

A
  • Authoritarian
  • Extensive powers for Kaiser
  • Kaiser elected gov
  • No legal protection of civil rights
  • Reichstag elected regularly but w/ no women
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12
Q

Who was the new gov led by and what did they ask the Allies for after someone’s advice?

A

Prince Max Baden (aristocrat liberal)
- 3rd Oct 1918 –> Asked allies for armistice following General Ludendorff’s advice in Sep

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13
Q

Why was the new constitution necessary?

A
  • The impact of Germany’s defeat had to be lessened
  • Democracy would encourage USA, GBR + FRA to treat Germany sympathetically
  • Easier to protect the army leaders from blame of losing war eg. Generals Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff
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14
Q

What caused the formation of the Ebert-Groener Pact, what did it say and when was it formed?

A
  • Spartacists demonstrated to gain support, which frightened SPD
  • Formed on 10 Nov 1918 w/ army chief Groener
  • Established link that army would support gov and gov would oppose more left-wing ideas in the Reichstag + they could end communist threat
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15
Q

Who were the Freikorps, when were they formed and why?

A
  • Private army of ex-soldiers
  • Formed in Dec 1918
  • Right-wing nationalist, but preferred democracy to communism
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16
Q

Initially what happened when Prince Max urged the Kaiser to abdicate and what two factors meant he had to in the end?

A
  • At first he refused.
  • 8 Nov 1918 –> Bavaria broke away from GER and named itself a republic + SPD, which was in coalition with Max’s gov threatened to withdraw support if the Kaiser did not abdicate.
  • 9 Nov –> Kaiser abdicated and fled to Holland
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17
Q

What did the SPD do immediately after the abdication anyway on 10 Nov 1918?

A
  • Withdrew from Max’s gov and replaced it with their own (Council of People’s Representatives)
  • Made of grps in Reichstag (USPD+ SPD)
  • Temporary until elections could be held for a National Constituent Assembly
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18
Q

Who won the largest number of seats in the National Constituent Assembly and what did this mean?

A

SPD and ZP so they had the greatest influence over the new constitution

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19
Q

When was the National Assembly set up, who decided on this and where did this happen?

A
  • 25 Nov 1918
  • Representatives of the Länder (states that can make their own policies as long as it follows federal law)
  • Berlin
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20
Q

Why was Ebert desperate to set up a National Assembly and how intense did this get?

A
  • USPD + other smaller parties could not agree
  • Council members resigned
  • Many USPD members joined the KPD
21
Q

When did 30 millions of Germans go to the polls to elect an new parliament, when did they first meet and who did it consist of?

A
  • 19 Jan 1919
  • First met on 6 Feb in Weimar due to fighting between Spartacists and Freikorps in Berlin
  • By 10 Feb –> Interim gov created + Ebert named President
  • SPD, ZP + DDP
22
Q

How did the threat of left affect support for the 3 pro-Weimar parties?

A
  • 76.2% of vote in Jan 1919
  • Support diminished after 1919, when communist threat receded
23
Q

When was the constitution published and what did it change?

A

Published in Aug 1919
- Before 1918, men over 25 vote. Now, all men and women over 20 vote
- President elected every 7 years
- President appointed chancellor
- Laws can be passed through plebiscites
- PR
- Provided human and civil rights eg. Freedom of speech, free travel, freedom of religious beliefs
- Previously, head of state was Kaiser Wilhelm II (King of Prussia). Now, Freidrich Ebert, elected by the people as the Chancellor
- Article 48, president can suspend the constitution and pass laws (must also be signed by Chancellor)

24
Q

How many times did Ebert use Article 48 during his presidency and in what circumstances were they usually used?

A
  • 136 times
  • Fight threats from left, not usually the right
  • In non-emergencies to bypass Reichstag opposition
25
Q

What were Ebert’s strengths and weaknesses?

A

Strengths:
- Pragmatist
- Good negotiator: compromised positively with right-wingers like army + Stresemann
Weaknesses:
- Not charismatic
- Bad orator

26
Q

How did parliament change after the constitution?

A
  • Before 1918, only allowed to vote on taxes + laws not on foreign/military affairs or choosing ministers
  • 1 seat for every 60,000 votes now
  • Used to have 379 deputies. Now, 528.
  • Now, members can also be ministers
  • Bundesrat = Council of ambassadors from the 26 states. Now, replaced by Reichsrat, consisting of elected members of 18 states and can veto laws passed by Reichstag unless they have 2/3 majority
27
Q

What are challenges of forming a coalition?

A
  • Only 60,000 votes = 1 seat + PR. More parties elected, more difficulty working together (eg. 9 coalitions between 1919 and 1923)
  • Members moved between parties/split so shifts confused voters
  • Unpopular with public due to Treaty of Versailles
  • Private armies formed by parties from demobilised soldiers
28
Q

How did the Weimar Republic overcome these challenges?

A
  • Reichstag continued meeting regardless
  • Stresemann’s policies allowed the recovery of Germany’s economy
  • Allowed social conditions to stablise and political violence + support for extremist parties to reduce
29
Q

Where did the Allies representatives meet and when was the agreement for the end of the war signed?

A

11 Nov 1918 at Compiègne

30
Q

When was the Treaty of Versailles signed?

A

28 Jun 1919

31
Q

What term was applied to those who had negotiated the terms of Treaty of Versailles + armistice?

A

November Criminals

32
Q

List the main points of the Treaty of Versailles:

A
  • Loss of land
  • Military consequences
  • Reparations (Article 232)
  • War Guilt (Article 231)
  • Covenant of the League of Nations (Germany could not join)
33
Q

Explain the loss of land in the Treaty:

A
  • 13% of its territory was lost
  • 12% of pop
  • All land gained in Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, Upper Silesia, Alsace + Lorraine (French border), Eupen + Malmédy (Belgium border)
  • Included areas rich in coal and iron –> coal production reduced by more than 15%
  • Anschluss (unity w/ Austria) forbidden
  • Some lands eg. Eupen + Malmédy were subject to plebiscites
34
Q

Explain the military consequences faced by Germany:

A
  • Rhineland became demilitarised buffer zone for France. Still German but German troops cannot enter
  • Limited to 100,000 troops
  • No tanks/heavy artillery/submarines/air force/warships over 10000 tonnes
  • Conscription abolished
  • 6 battleships, 6 cruisers, 12 destroyers and 12 torpedo boats (German fleet sank its own ships at Scapa Flow on Treaty of Versailles day to stop this)
35
Q

Explain the reparations in the treaty:

A
  • Actual size of reparations not stated in treaty
  • IARC in 1921 fixed the sum at 132 bn gold marks
  • Germany was to make substantial payments in kind eg. Timber
36
Q

When did the gov collapse and what happened as a result?

A

Aug 1923
- Emergency decrees of 10 Aug gave the new coalition gov powers w/ Gustav Stresemann as chancellor + foreign minister
- The powers included governing by decree and postponing Reichstag meetings if necessary

37
Q

Until when did the new coalition government last but what was unchanged?

A
  • Until Nov 1923
  • Stresemann asked to remain as foreign minister for the next gov
38
Q

When did Ebert die and who was elected as president after his death?

A
  • Feb 1925
  • Paul von Hindenburg
39
Q

How did the German public view Hindenburg and why?

A
  • A hero and greatly supported by right
  • His disastrous strategy on Western front was hidden from the public
40
Q

Who was appointed in 1925 and why did this improve relations?

A
  • Ariside Briand (French minister) was appointed who was more left-wing so relations improved
41
Q

When was the Locarno Pact signed, with who and what was it?

A
  • 1 Dec 1925 signed w/ Britain, France, Belgium + Italy
  • Accepted Germany’s western borders
  • Renounced the use of invasion (besides self-defence)
  • Renounced the use of force on Eastern borders after arbitration treaties w/ Poland + Czechoslovakia
  • Allies left Zone 1 by end of Dec, Zone 2 in Nov 1929 and final zone in Jun 1930
42
Q

What was signed in Apr 1926 and what was it?

A
  • Treaty of Berlin with Russia
  • Developed good relations to put mild pressure on West
43
Q

When did Germany join the League of Nations and what did this do for them?

A
  • 10 Sep 1926
  • Great power status w/ veto power granted
  • Could not participate in collective action against aggression due to limited military
  • Used this position to raise matters of German interest
44
Q

What was the Kellogg-Briand Pact and when was it signed?

A
  • 27 Aug 1928
  • Signed between USA, France + 70 other countries
  • Germany renounced use of force
  • Secretly rearmed beyond restrictions
45
Q

What were the results of 1928 elections?

A
  • Nazis + KPD received less than 15% of vote between them
  • Together conservative nationalists + extremists gained 50% of vote
  • Pro-Weimar parties only gained 49.9% of vote
46
Q

What are the key factors that caused the collapse of democracy?

A
  • Public feeling about Weimar gov
  • Economic crisis
  • Coalition failure
47
Q

How did nationalists (DVP + DNVP) feel about the new style of gov, why did they dislike it and what acts showed their hatred for democracy?

A
  • Thought it was illegitimate
  • Believed they were responsible for stabbing Germany in back
  • Only supported it when there was threat of communist rev –> no longer wanted it
  • Celebrated Hindenburg’s election w/ imperial flags rather than the new republic flags
48
Q

What shows that the army also never fully supported the democracy?

A
  • Ebert-Groener Pact was extremely unpopular in higher levels of army
  • Army refused to support new gov in Kapp Putsch
  • Their new general himself refused to support gov
49
Q

Give examples showing politicians + parties to become more authoritarian

A
  • ZP began to favour replacing democracy w/ dictatorship under influence of Pope Pius XI
  • Hindenburg appointed more and more authoritarian chancellors after Muller + gov increasingly relied on Article 48
  • Each new chancellor used their power to undermine German democracy

Germany And West Germany 1918 - 89 (14 decks)

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