S3: October 2016 Flashcards
What is Militarism?
Militarism is the belief that the country should have strong armed forces.
Germany before 1870.
Before 1870, what we now know as Germany was a collection of States which were Prussia and Saxony.
When did Kaiser Wilhelm II come to power?
Kaiser Wilhelm II was crowned in 1888, dismissing the Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck. In 1890 launched Germany on a New Course in foreign affairs that led to the First World War.
What was Kaiser Wilhelm II’s physical handicap?
Kaiser Wilhelm was born with a withered left arm and some historians believe it was this physical handicap that helped him to shape his personality as an adult. He constantly saw himself having to prove whether it was measuring the art of horse riding when in public as a statement of his manliness.
What is ‘Weltpolitik’?
Weltpolitik - meaning ‘world policy’ was the foreign policy adopted by Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany in 1891.
Its aim was to transform Germany into a global power through aggressive diplomacy, the taking of overseas colonies, and the development of a large navy.
Start of the First World War in Germany.
At the start of the war, support was high in Germany as the people thought it would be over quickly.
What is ‘The Weimar Republic’?
After Germany lost the First World War, the Kaiser fled and a new democratic government of Germany was declared in February 1919 at the small town of Weimar. It was too dangerous to make a declaration in Berlin where there had just been a revolt by a Communist group called the Spartacists. The Weimar Republic was a genuine attempt to create a perfect democratic country.
Who was Friedrich Ebert?
Friedrich Ebert served briefly as German Chancellor shortly before Germany’s defeat in the First World War and as the country’s first post-war President until his death in 1925.
What happened in Germany as the war progressed?
As the war went on soldiers became weary of bombs, poisonous gas and machine gun fire as the ordinary people suffered too. As early as 1915 ordinary people were protesting against the war.
What else happened in Germany as the war progressed?
The civilians were running out of food: many were surviving on turnips and bread. There was a massive flu epidemic which was bad because of the starvation.
The army was close to defeat - the generals were recognising that they could not possibly win the war.
What were the economic impacts of the war on Germany?
Germany was political- more politically unstable.
Germany factories were not producing goods which could be sold after the war
There was mutiny in the navy and revolution among civilians leading to the collapse of the government.
Many soldiers thought the war could still be won and they hated the politicians (November criminals) who surrendered.
Social - a divided society
Traditional family values harmed by women having to work in factories.
While factory owners profited from the war, workers had wage restrictions placed on them.
Economic- Germany also bankrupt
The cost of pensions for war widows would cost a fortune
Germany had lent its allies money to fund he war.
Money borrowed from the USA to pay for the war.
What did Friedrich Ebert promise for the post-war Germany?
Friedrich Ebert promised improvements in working conditions, help the unemployed, improve housing and more food supplies. He promised freedom of speech, freedom of religion and arranged elections.
Who were opposed to the new democracy?
The spartacist’s believed in communism where everyone is equal - there weren’t any classes and there wasn’t any differences in wealth.
No private property existed - the government runs farms and business for the benefit of all.
Who were the Free Corps?
The Free Corps were ex-soliders who hated communism because they blamed the spartacist’s for stirring up trouble at the end of the war and they attacked the spartcist’s and killed them.
