Problems With The Weimar Republic

Question 1

What were the 4 main problems with the Weimar Constitution?

Answer 1

Freedom of Speech
Proportional Representation
Democracy
Stab in the Back Myth

Question 2

Why was Freedom of Speech a problem with the Weimar Republic?

Answer 2

The press could openly critasise Wiemar in the newspapers

Question 3

Why was Proportional Representation a problem with the Weimar Republic?

Answer 3

No party could usually achieve the majority so there were many parties joined in a coalition
This meant that decisions were slow and there were often arguments between the parties in charge
Extreme parties could also gain seats in the Reichstag

Question 4

Why was Democracy a problem with the Weimar Republic?

Answer 4

Germans felt that the upper class were rightful rulers and did not like the idea of Democracy
Preferred one leader like when the Kaiser was in rule

Question 5

Why was the Stab in the Back myth a problem with the Weimar Republic?

Answer 5

Weimar was unpopular because many Germans believed that they had been stabbed in the back by Weimar when they signed the TOV

Question 6

What were the 4 Strengths of the Weimar Constitution?

Answer 6

Proportional Representation
Equal Rights
Article 48
Fredrich Elbert

Question 7

Why was Proportional Representation a strength in the Weimar Republic?

Answer 7

All political parties could have a say in government so it was fair as everyone had a voice

Question 8

Why was Equal Rights a strength in the Weimar Republic?

Answer 8

All Germans had the right to vote as one of their rights

This meant that decisions were made in the interest of the public

Question 9

Why was Article 48 a strength in the Weimar Republic?`

Answer 9

It made the President strong

Kept control of the army and of the country in a crisis

Question 10

Why was Friedrich Ebert a strength in the Weimar Republic?

Answer 10

He was the first president of Reichstag and he was a good leader who had socialist views

Question 11

What were the 4 threats to the Weimar Republic?

Answer 11

Spartacists RIsing
Munich Putsch
Kapp Putsch
Red Rising in the Ruhr

Question 12

Who were the leaders of the Spartacist League/Uprising?

Answer 12

• Rosa Luxemburg.

- Karl Liebknecht.

Question 13

What caused the Spartacist Uprising?

Answer 13

• The Spartacist League led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Libknecht wanted a Communist Revolution in Germany inspired by the Communist Revolution in Russia.
• The Spartacist League renamed itself the German Communist Party.
• On 5th January 1919, the Spartacists sized government buildings and organised a general strike.

Question 14

What were the consequences of the Spartacist Uprising?

Answer 14

• The army quickly crushed the Spartacist Uprising and its leaders were shot.
• Ebert did a deal with the army whereby in return for crushing the Spartacist Uprising he promised not to create a new army sympathetic to the new Weimar Republic.

Question 15

What was the Berlin and Bavaria Communist Revolts?

Answer 15

• The new Weimar government faced further uprisings by Communists.
• In March 1919, the Communists organised general strikes in Berlin but were crushed by the Freikorps (Free Corps).
• In April 1919, the German province of Bavaria declared itself an independent Communist Republic but again was crushed by the Freikorps.

Question 16

What was the Kapp Putsch?

Answer 16

• The Treaty of Versailles - restricted Germany’s army to 100,000 men and many of demobilised soldiers joined the Freikorps (Free Corps).
• The Allies demanded that the Ebert disband the Freikorps.
• Wolfgang Kapp, leader of the Freikorps, marched into Berlin to seize power.
• Ebert called upon the workers of Berlin to support the Weimar Government.
• The workers organised general strikes and the Kapp Putsch failed.

Question 17

What was the Munich Putsch?

Answer 17

• -Hitler stormed a Bavarian government meeting threatening them and threatening to commit suicide if they did not join.
• Then Hitler + Nazi party tried to seize power in the city of Munich, capital of the German province of Bavaria to spark the overthrow of the Weimar Republic.
• As the Nazis marched in the city centre there were armed police and army soldiers who fired upon them in support of the Weimar government.
• Hitler and the other Nazi leaders were arrested and imprisoned. Hitler used his trial to gain maximum publicity to portray himself as a national hero.
• He used his time in prison (more like luxurious home - allowed visitors when he wanted) to write his book “Mein Kampf” that outlined his ideas.
• He decided to seize power “legally” by fighting and winning elections rather than trying another Putsch.

Question 18

What was the occupation of the Ruhr?

Answer 18

• The Treaty of Versailles (ToV) ordered Germany to pay £6,600 million in reparations. In 1922 the Germany government announced - could not pay reparations any longer.
• French invaded Ruhr - most industrial region of Germany - to get reparations by force.
• French took control of the Ruhr’s factories, steelworks, mines and railways.
• Weimar government - not defend itself due to ToV limiting size of German armed forces.
• French shot 132 Germans and expelled 150,000 Germans from the regions for refusing to obey the orders of the French military controlling the Ruhr.
• As a result of the occupation of the Ruhr and the resistance against it, industrial production in Germany came to a halt.
• This humiliated the government, which ordered a general strike, and paid the strikers by printing more money, causing hyperinflation.

Question 19

What was hyperinflation?

Answer 19

• To pay for reparations - Germans started printing money - caused hyperinflation as more money printed = more worthless it became.
• As a result of hyperinflation, prices would rise, which led to the demand for wages to rise, which led to more money being printed, which led to prices to rise more.
• Prices of goods tended to rise quicker than workers pay.
• Workers seen carrying wages home in wheelbarrows.
• Rise in prices = income too small to live on.
• People struggled to buy food, clothes and to heat their homes.
• People with savings in banks now found - savings were worthless.
• People on fixed incomes like pensioners suffered the most.
• Only people who had debts or had taken out loans benefitted from hyperinflation.

Question 20

What was life like during the Great Inflation?

Answer 20

• In 1923, Germans couldn’t pay reparations. Hyperinflation happens when production can’t keep up with the amount of money there is, so the money keeps losing its value.
• Example: 1918 a loaf of bread cost 0.83 marks, by 1922 this had increased more then 250x (163 marks) and then by Jan 1923 (15 months later) the same loaf of bread cost 201 billion marks!

Question 21

What were the three major results that hyperinflation had?

Answer 21

• Wages were paid twice a day before prices went up again.
• The middle classes lost out as bank savings became worthless.
• The German Mark became worthless.

Question 22

What limitations were there with hyperinflation?

Answer 22

-Remember that the discontent in Germany got worse when the economy went wrong - but there were lots of other factors also.

Question 23

What were the main problems with the Weimar Republic?

Answer 23

• Perhaps greatest danger = ‘the weakness within’ - the constitution gave the President, the states and the army too much power.
• Proportional voting meant the Reichstag was divided and weak.
• In 1919-23, extremists on both the Left (especially the Spartacist revolt) and the Right (especially the Kapp Putsch) tried to overthrow the government.
• Worse crisis occurred in 1923, when the French invaded the Ruhr to try to force Germany to pay reparations.
• This led to hyperinflation and a number of rebellions (particularly Hitler’s Munich Putsch).