The Establishment and Early Years of Weimar Republic Flashcards
When and how was Kaiser Whilem receive the news of his abdication?
on the 9th November 1918
Prince Max, form the pressure of the November Revolution and in order to keep government in tact announced the Abdication of the Kaiser
Where did the Kaiser Wilhelm abdicate to?
travelled to Holland, which remained neutral during the war
when he arrived he declared to the German Ambassador that ‘ am a broken man’
What was the Amestice and when was it signed?
in October 1918 Prince Max of the German High Command wrote to President Wilson, calling for a ceasefire
Signed on the 11th November 1918
came into egffect imediateeey
What occurred in the November Revolution?
on the 3rd of November, 1918 German sailors mutinied against their officers at the main German Naval base at Kiel
the revolt spread to many other German cities and ports, and their were workers and soldiers councils spraining up
they unity was patriotic and aimed to bring down the authoritarian government to bring a new democratic republic
Authority was challenged and on the 8th November the Bulgarian monarchy was deposed
was a key turning point in the creation of a German Republic
What was the consequences of the November Revolution?
to keep government in tact, Prince Max announced the abdication of the monarchy on the 8th of November 1918
Prince Max on the same day resigned as Chancellor and handed to position to Friedrich Ebert, leader of the SPD
What was the state of Germany before the Constitution was formed
Ebert urged the German people to keep essential services running, avoid street demonstrations and maintain Law and order
However, his authority failed to extend outside Berlin, much of Germany was facing unrest as returning soldiers and inpatient citizens roamed the street and carried out demonstrations
how had Ebert been facing pressure over the formation of the constitution
Ebert had faced pressure from both the left and right
the left had become increasingly more prominent following the Russian Revolution in 1917, the spread of socialism across Europe, and the growth of socialism within the worker and Soldiers Councils
Pressure from the army and the aristocratic right came as they opposed the idea of a democratic republic and favoured an authoritarian government
What was the Ebert - Groner pact
on the 10th November 1918 General Groomer telephoned Ebert to assure him that the Army leadership would support the democratic government, and in return, Ebert would resist the demands of the workers and soldiers Councils to democratise the army and to protect Germany form the threat of communist revolution.
What was the importance of the Constituent in 1919
They were amidst political tensions on the 19th of January, 1919
Women were allowed to vote for the first time.
The SPD secured the largest percentage of the vote but did not secure an overall majority, therefore formed a coalition government
the first assembly was in Weimar as apposed to Berlin
What did the Constituent Assembly meet to do
- Ebert was elected by the assembly as the first President of weimar Germany
the representatives met to draw up a new constitution
although the representatives did not agree on all issue concerned inthe constitution
It wanted to differ from the old Constitution of the German Empire, therefore it began with the clear declaration that authority derives from the people and the constitution was designed to enshrine the rights of the German people.
What ere the strengths of the Weimar Constitution?
more democratic than other European countries at the time, women were fully enfranchised and were allowed to become deputies in the Reichstag
The proportional Representation system allowed for smaller parties to influence government decisions
the consitition fully set out the rights of the individual, set out in the second part of the constitution
full democracy in local and state government
What were the weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution
The system of Proportional representation was enabled smaller parties, many of which were anti-republican to to exploit the parliamentary system
due to the proliferation of smaller parties, no party could gain an overall majority of the vote, lead to numerous Coalitions that did not usually act long due to political disagreements
What was the rule of Presidential Decree
Article 48 gave the President the power to rule by presidential decree
to be used in exceptional circumstances
Ebert, as president used Article 48 on 136 occasions
Why was Article 48 use so frequently
Ebert as President used Article 48 over 136 times
some of these situations could be deemed to be real emergences, as the Weimar Republic was new and somewhat unstable
Other occasions Article 48 was used to override opposition in the Reichstag
(somewhat ironic as Ebert was the key figure in establishing a democratic system but undermined democracy on many occasions)
What undemocratic institutions survived in the new Constitution’s
The Weimar Republic inherited the army of the Second Recih, maintained its political independence, softened intervened in politics, supported right wing parties
German Civl Service particularly in the Foreign office, were predominantly recruits of the Aristocracy
Article 54 ensured that the Judicial system remained independent, yet Judges who served on the Second Empire were allowed to remain in post, in turn keeping the Judicial system largely right wing and anti-democratic
What were the terms of the Treaty of Versailles
Territorial changes: Germany lost territory to France, Belgium, Denmark, and Poland
Disarmament: Restricted German military size and capabilities
War guilt clause: Germany accepted responsibility for causing the war
Reparations: Germany obligated to pay reparations to Allied nations
League of Nations established to maintain peace (not ratified by the U.S.)
What was the reaction to the Treaty of Versailles of the German people?
German people were furious and in disbelief
due to propaganda neither German citizens or German soldiers knew how desperate Germany’s position was on the Western Front
many people who considered themselves to be German were now living in non-German states like Poland, the separation of East Prussia form Germany through the ‘Polish Corridoor’ was a massive source of resentment
Anger towards the high reparations which were certain to cause economic problems
many refused to accept the ‘War Guilt Clause’
What was the reaction of pro-republican parties to the treaty of versicle
the SPD and allies to seek reassurance from opponents against charges of unpatriotism;
the “policy of fulfilment” advocated outward compliance while negotiating modifications;
Some members of pro-democratic parties, who agreed with the terms of the constitution, defeated after learning the terms of the Treaty of Versailles
What was the reaction of the political right to the Treaty of Versille
nationalist right believed that the politicians in charge of the new republic were failing, from the amerstice ‘defeat’, the formation of a democratic constitution, and the acceptance of the Versailles Treaty, the politicians became known as tthe “November Criminals” and viewed their actions as a ‘stab in the back’
the German army refused to bare responsibility for the defeat in the War, Despite Ludendorf advancing the Kaiser that the army were on the brink of defeat
Ludendorf and Von Hindemberg actively promoted the ‘stab in the back’ myth
how didi Germany finance the war?
increased borrowing and printing more money
meaning that government debt increased and the value of the currency fell
What was the Political impact of the Reparations?
reparations Commisions report concluded Germany were to pay 132 billion gold Marks
Ultimatum for Germany to accept terms caused political crisis, yet the new government signed unwillingly to pay the reparations
Germany began paying reparations with the policy of ‘Fulfilment’ in mind
November 1922, Germany asked for a loan of 500m gold Marks t be released from its obligation.
French refused the loan, led to French and Belgium occupation of the Ruhr in 1923
What was the economic impact of the reparations?
made government debt from the war even more difficult to pay back
Germanys gold reserves were inadequate
some reparations had to be paid in coal, but coal reserves were lost in versicle treaty
Tariffs were placed on German manufactured goods, meaning Germany could not increase reserves of other currencies
As a result Germany were left printing more and more money
What happened in the French occupation of the Ruhr?
Germany had fallen behind in payments of reparations in 1922, asked for 500million gold mark loan off reparations in Nov
French and Belgium sent 60,000 men to occupy the Ruhr, industrial land in western Germany in Jan 1923
Throughout 1923 the number of French and Belgium solders grew to 100,000
chancellor Wilhelm Cuno knew Germany could not fight back, instead instructed the policy of ‘passive resistance’
What was the policy of Passive resistance e
German government instructed the local population not to comply with the French
Advised german miners and industrial workers to go on strike and promised that the German government would cover their wages
What was the impact of the French occupation of the Ruhr??
paying for wages of miners and industrial workers was another strain on Government finances
tax revenue was lost from closed businesses and unemployed workers
shortage of goods from these areas pushed prices up further
the combined costs amounted to twice the amount of the annual reparation payments
The social impact of hyperinflation
winners
some black marketeers bought up food stocks to sell off at vastly inflated prices
people in debt could pay back their loans cheaper
some farmers were thriving as demand was high
losers
those relying on savings and welfare lost out
Pensioners and war widows
The ‘mittelstand’ small business owners, struggled and could not keep up with the hyperinflation prices
those who patriotically lent money to the German wartime government ‘war bonds’ lost out
how did political extremism grow?
continuing political violence as parties of the left and right set up armed uniform paramilitary squads to guard meetings
violence against political opponents began becoming more common
What was the Spartacus uprising?
5th Jan 1919,
the Spartacus League (spartists)
led by Karl Laibnecht and Rosa Luxembourg
staged armed uprising against Ebert’s government for a communist revolution
the uprising was poorly prepared for and poorly supported
GeneralGrocer had few reliable military units available so had to use Freidkorps to take down uprising
13th Jan - uprising had been crushed
spartisits had been arrested and leaders executed.
What was the kapp putsch
Febuary 1920
Following the terms of the Versailles Treaty, defence secretary ordered 2 Freidkorps units to disband
General Walther von Littwitz, commanding general refused to disband one unit
government ordered for his arrest
littwitz marched his troops to Berlin, with the support of sympathisers and the politician Wolfgang Kapp
Ebert’s government retreated and called the help of the regular army but Sect famously told Ebert ‘troops do not fire on troops’
ultimately, support for the putsch was weak, not enough right wing support fr0om bankers etc
putsch collapsed within 4 days
how didi violent extremism extend to assassinations
Vaterländische Verbande
(Patriotic leagues0
right-wing nationalists committed to the assassination of political opposition
what are prominent political assassinations?
August 1921, Former Finance Minister Ezberger was assassinated, was key in the signing go the Treaty of Versailles
14 June 1922, Foreign minister Walther Rathenau was assassinated on his way to workk
What happened at the Beer hall putsch?
November 1923
Hitler lead a putsch in Munich with the support of Ludendorff
8 November, Hitler burst into a beer hall in Munich to rally the support of Ritter Von Kahn and Otto von Lossow and their 2000- men
Along with the SA stormtroopers, the plan was to storm Berlin and install Ludendorff as Commander-In-Cheif.
support evaporated and and SA failed to gain control of the Munich army.
Hitler continued the march into a gun fight against the police, became part of the Nazi folklore
Hitler broke his shoulder and was arrested
How was the Weimar currency stabilised
In August 1923, the government of Juno collapsed, led to the formation of a new Government
under the chancellorship of Gustav Stresemann ‘The Great Coalition’ aimed to revive the currency by bringing down inflation with 3 steps
the end of passiveresistance
the issuing of new curren
balancing the budget
what was the end of Passive resistance?
passive resistance against the occupation of the Rhur was called off in September
it was unpopular at first, however it was a neccessary expense in order to reduce government expenditure in order to reduce the hyperinflation
what was the issuing of new currency
under the direction of Hjalmar Schacht, in November, the government released a new currency called the Retenmark
1 rentenmark was to be worth 1 trillion old marks
the old marks were gradually exchanged
as germanu dd not have sufficient gold reserves, the currency was to be backed by mortgages on industrial and agricultural land
tighter control of currency was observed by the government
in august 1924, the Rentenmark became the reichmark backed by Germanys gold reserve
Germanys fold reserve was to be maintained at 30 percent the value of Reichmarks in circulation
how did the government balance the budget
cut expenditure and raised taxes for both individuals and companies
salaries of government employees were cut
some 300,000 government employees lost their jobs
as government debt began to fall, confidence was restored
What was the Dawes plan
The stabilisation of Germany’s economy was dependent on relieving the damage of reparations
Nov 1923 Stressemann asked the Allies Reperations Committee to set up committee of financial experts to address Germany’s repayment concerns
Charles Dawes acted as committee chairman
April 1924, Stressemans government had fallen, yet Stresseman remained as Foreign Secretary and was largely responsible for it
the Dawes plan confirmed the 6.6 billion
it declared that the amount each year to be paid by Germany was to be reduced until 1929
proposed that Germany should restart reparations by paying 1000 million marks and that this sum should be raised by annual increments (overall reduced reparations)
Germany should relieve a loan of 800 million marks
What was the extent of economic recovery?
industries began to grow such as the car and areoplane industries, however automobiles remained too expensive for the average German
inflation fell close to 1
living standards improved as wages increased
in 1925 there were 178,930 new homes built and a following 200,000 to be built the following year
money was spent on improving welfare and in 1924 new relief schemes were launched
observed a decrease in strikes due to new scheme of Compulsory arbitration
limits to the extent of recovery
y 1925 unemployment was at 1 million, by 1926 unemployment was at 3 million
mittlestand and white collar workers did not benefit
agriculture did not improve in the period of economic recovery due to a world wide agricultural depression keeping prices low, making it hard to gain profit
peasant farmers savings were wiped out by hyperinflation
famers became saddled with debt at a time when prices were falling
high taxes to fund welfare was deemed as unfair
there saw an increase in the number of bankruptcies in the late 1920s
farmers launched small scale riots known as the ‘farmers revenge’
The reparations issue and the young plans
although the French had left the Rhur in 1925, the Rhineland remained occupied until reparations settlement was agreed
Stressemann ordered the set up of an international committee, headed by Owen Young, met in Paris in 1929
Schacht acted as German advisor
Concluded that Germany were to pay reparations until 1988
to pay £1.8 billion instead of £6.5 billion
in return the French and British were to leave the Rhineland by 1930
What was the ‘freedom law’
Alfred Hundemberg collected a group of right-wing political figures such as Adolf Hitler and the Nazis
devised a new ‘freedom law’ which they demanded to have a referendum to withdraw from the ‘war guilt clause and for the ministers involved to be tried for treason
reviewed 4.000,000 signatures and was debated in the Reichstag
nothing came of it
