The Establishment Of The Weimar Republic And Its Early Problems

Question 1

The German Revolution

Answer 1

• October 1918: German losing, naval commanders ordered ships to fight - mutiny
• Kaiser abdicated 9 Nov, 10 Nov fled to Holland, 11 Nov Armistice signed

Question 2

Beginning of The Weimar Republic

Answer 2

• Friedrich Ebert, Council of People’s representative
• Elections of 19 Nov promoting new democracy, 82 voted, Ebert won 40%
• Ebert reassured industry leaders the government wouldn’t take over their property, promised trade unions to reduce working hours
• many senior figures didn’t support democracy, people wanted kaiser to return, communists

Question 3

Strengths & Weaknesses of the Weimar Republic

Answer 3

• Democracy
• Article 48 (in emergency, dictatorship)
• Proportional Representation (more extreme view, more democracy)
• Chancellor
• President (changed only every 7 years)
• State Governments (more division, more representation)

Question 4

The Treaty of Versailles - what did they expect?

Answer 4

• most Germans believed the allies would make a fair treaty because: the kaiser had abdicated, believed they were forced into war, allies would want economic recovery for Germany,
• jan 1918 Wilson’s 14 point plan
• Clemenceau wanted to weaken army and get revenge
• Lloyd George wanted to avoid future war - Dec 1918 election changed this, when he promised to appease the British people

Question 5

Effects of the Treaty of Versailles

Answer 5

• hurt pride - Article 231 = War Guilt Clause
• negativity towards Weimar Republic - ‘November criminals’ for signing Treaty
• many military persons lost their job - 100,000 men
• Navy limited to 6 battleships, 6 cruisers, 12 destroyers and 12 torpedos, no tanks, submarine or Air Force
• hurt economy - reparations of 136,000 million marks
• lost incomes from colonies:
  = 13% of European territory lost
  = 50% iron reserves, 15% coal reserves
  = all 11 colonies in Africa and Far East lost

Question 6

Left Wing Opposition & The Spartacist Uprising

Answer 6

• power for the workers, equality, main party: communist party (kpd)
• 5 January 1919, organised revolt in Berlin - stormed government headquarters, tried to bring about general strike
• Friekorps (demobilised soldiers) helped shut it down because government struggled with reduced army numbers
• Rosa Luxembourg and Karl leibknect shot

Question 7

Right Wing Opposition & the Kapp Putsch

Answer 7

• strong authoritarian government, return of kaiser, capitalism, National Party (DNVP), hated communists, sought protection of private and business owners
• march 1920, Ebert tried to disband 2 friekorps units - revolted in Berlin lead by Dr Wolfgang Kapp
• German army wouldn’t fight so Ebert appealed to people to go on strike, Kapp fled to Sweden when he realised he didn’t have the support of the majority
• showed government had little military control, but did have the support of the majority

Question 8

Invasion of the Ruhr

Answer 8

• Germany missed another payment December 1922 of reparations, so in January 1923 France invaded Ruhr - passive resistance- 100 french civilians killed, stopped production of iron, coal, steel and didn’t leave until July 1925
• effects: Hyperinflation and uniting of the people and brief rise in support for government for paying striking workers and resisting France

Question 9

Hyperinflation

Answer 9

• 300 paper mills and 20 printing shops by 1923: November 1923, $1 = 4.2 billion marks
• benefited: those with mortgages / loans, farmers, those who owned land/ possessions, those in work
• effected negatively: those on fixed incomes (pensioners), those with savings or insurance policies