Political instability and extremism 1919-1924 Flashcards
Where did Friekorps recruits come from ?
majority frim demobilised junior army officers and NCO’s ( corporals and sergeants )
but also students, adventurers, drifters
How did Ebert surpress the Sparticus uprising ?
he relied on the army
however General groener had few reliable military units at his command so he had to use the Freikorps
Who was the Friekorps under the control of ?
General Luttzwitz
What did Eberts reliance on the Friekorps lead to ?
a deepened division on the left for many years to come
When was the Sparticus uprising surpressed ?
13 jan after brutal street fight
both Liebknecht and Luxemburg were executed
Why did the Sparticus uprising fail ?
poorly prepared and supported - they had not secured support of working class in Berlin
What was the Sparticus uprising ?
On 5 Jan 1919 the Sparticus league led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht stages an armed uprising in Berlin to overthrow Ebert and set up a communist regime - securing newspaper offices and public buildings
How many coalition governments were there between Feb 1919 and Nov 1923 ?
10
What was the result of the 1920 reichstag election ?
there was increased support for extremist parties despite the SPD still holding most seats
USPD seats went up to 83 from 22
KPD seats went from 0 to 4
Additional left-wing uprisings in 1919 :
- March - another sparticist uprising in Berlin and in Bavaria a communist gov based on workers councils established - both suppressed
- April - wave of strikes in Halle and Ruhr. strikers demanded shorter hours and more control and a gov based on workers councils
When was the ‘Red Army’ formed ?
1920
How many people were in the Red army in 1920 ?
50,000 workers
What did the red army do in 1920 ?
seized control of Ruhr - Friekorps struggled to supress
When was the Kapp Putch ?
1920
What began the Kapp Putch ?
Gustav Noske ordered 2 Friekorps units to disband however Luttwitz refused to disband one and the gov ordered his arrest
Luttwitz then decided to march his troops into Berlin to protest
Who supported Luttwitz in his march on Berlin ?
- sympathetic soldiers
- Wolfgang Kapp ( right-wing civil servant who already intended on organising a putch )
Who didn’t participate in the march on Berlin in 1920 ?
Ludendorff and Seeckt
Why did the Kapp Putch 1920 fail ?
there was considerable tension between military and civilian elements of the putch and it failed to gain widespread support even from the right wing.
How long did it take for the Kapp Putch to collapse ?
4 days
What did Kapp and Luttwitz do after the putch ?
fled
What message did the Kapp Putch send ?
the gov wasn’t really in control and it was weak
What was the Vaterländische Verbände ( Patriotic Leagues ) ?
right wing nationalist leagues which were committed to the elimination of prominent politicians who they thought betrayed Germany
anti republic paramilitary
such as organisation Consul
Who was Rathenau ?
he was assassinated by the Patriotic League on 24 june 1922 for several ‘crimes’:
- being a Jew
- being a leading minister in the republican gov
- his participation in signing of armstice
following day over 700,000 protestors stormed streets. It also had an impact abroad, the value of the mark fell as other countries feared repercussions
How many assasinations were there between 1919 and 1923 ?
376
22 commited by left and 354 by right
