Social and Cultural Developments Flashcards
What existed under the Kaiser that changed under the Weimar Constitution?
Strict censorship was gone and the WC gave German citizens more rights freedom and equality
Social Welfare Reforms 1924-27
- Provided help to the poor and destitute
- Helped those injured at work
- Benefits for unemployed introduced
Living Standards and Lifestyles 1924-28 Positives
Lives of millions undoubtedly improve
Those in work were protected by trade Unions
Welfare benefits prevented many from abject poverty
Living Standards and Lifestyles 1924-28 Negatives
Mittlestand ,whose savings were wiped by hyperinflation, were unable to resume comfortable lifestyles
Farmers suffered from poor trading conditions and low prices
Evidence for ‘new woman’ in politics
Women had equal voting rights
1919 - 41 women were elected to the Reichstag
Clara Zetkin Reichstag member 1920-33
Evidence against ‘new woman’ in politics
No female representatives in Reichsrat
No female party leaders
Only one party (KPD) had gender equality as a key element in its programme
Evidence for ‘new woman’ in employment
1925 36% of German workforce were women
1933 100,000 female teachers and 3000 female doctors
Evidence against ‘new woman’ in employment
Demobilisation laws after the war required women to leave their jobs for ex-soldiers
Lots of women required to give up their job upon marriage
Those that didn’t were attacked as double earners and blamed for male employment
Evidence for ‘new woman’ in sexual freedoms
Birth control widely available and birth rate declined
Divorce rates increased
Rise in number abortions (approx 1 million a year by 1930)
Evidence against ‘new woman’ in sexual freedoms
Abortion was a criminal offence and would be performed by unqualified people
Resulted in over 10,000 deaths a year
Catholic and Protestant churches vigorously opposed birth control, divorce and abortion
Young people working class Education 1924-28
The working class didn’t attend the Gymnasium schools and left school at age 14 to begin either employment or apprenticeships which there weren’t many of
Impact of baby bloom 1900-1910
17% of 14-21 year olds were unemployed in 1925
Benefit system provided some help
But many turned to gangs to find comradeship and moral support
Education 1924-28
Had one of the best state education systems in Europe
Majority of student at gymnasiums were from upper and middle classes
Divided across religions (Catholic protestant) ad reforms tried and to overcome this
Elementary schools were introduced in which all children would attend for 4 years
Youth groups
Wandervogel
Middle Class boys that hated industrialisation and big cities and spent much of their time in forests and lakes
Church Youth groups
Catholic and protestant promoting religious observance and respect
Political YGs
All main parties had youth sections (SPD, KPD and DNVP)
Hitler Youth had 13,000 members in 1929
Jews 1924-28
Population of half a million in Germany
Achieved a prominence in politics, business and banking (owned 50% of private banks through families like the Rothschilds)
Jews had a huge influence in almost all aspects of WR culture (music, drama and literature)
Extent of assimilation and anti-semitism
Most German Jews wished to assimilate and acted like other Germans
Hostility to Jewish financiers during HIC and anti-semitism was a part of Freikorp and NSDAP policy
Threat of Jewish Bolshevism received backlash
anti-semitism pushed to fringes of public life
Where did culture particularly flourish during this period?
In big cities - particularly Berlin
Berlins Nightclubs
Epitomised personal freedom of WR
Renowned for cabaret in which nudity featured strongly
American Jazz was popular
Art
Expressionist predominantly
Vibrant and abstract style expressing emotion rather than reality
Eg The Pillars of Society by Grosz that criticised business leaders and politicians
Literature
Expressionism filtered across
Themes of revolting against parents
Architecture
The Bauhaus by Gropius was a school of art, design and photography
Theatre
Much theatre in Weimar Germany was explicitly political and attacked capitalism, nationalism and war
What did Bauhaus artists reject?
Traditional styles in favour of new, exciting designs
Who was the greatest German FILM STAR of the 1920s?
Marlene Dietrich who starred in the Blue Angel
Who was one of the most celebrated German DIRECTORS of the 1920s?
Fritz Lang
How many dance clubs were there in Berlin in 1927?
900
What did Cabaret artists often criticise?
Politicians of the day - something that would have been banned under the Kaiser
