The establishment of the Weimar Republic: 1918-19 Flashcards
The October reforms
Once Erich Ludendorff realised that an Allied invasion of Germany would lead to destructive internal disturbances, he wanted to change Germany to a constitutional monarchy; he aimed to establish a more democratic government, while maintaining the German monarchy.
‘Stab in the back’ myth
The ‘stab in the back’ myth came about from Erich Ludendorff’s desire to shift the responsibility for Germany’s defeat away from the military leadership and conservative forces.
The ‘stab in the back’ myth was a theme soon taken up by sympathisers of the political right-wing.
Germany’s constitutional reforms
Prince Max was appointed chancellor on October 3rd, 1918 and had democratic views. In the following month, a series of constitutional reforms came into effect, turning Germany into a parliamentary democracy.
> Kaiser Wilhelm II gave up his powers over the army and the navy to the Reichstag.
> The chancellor and his government was made accountable to the Reichstag, instead of to the Kaiser.
> Armistice negotiations with the Allies were opened.
The Kiel Mutiny
A mutiny by German sailors at the end of World War I contributed to the end of the German Empire and the founding of the Weimar Republic. By autumn 1918, German military leaders realized that the war was lost. The German Empire was facing a total military collapse, but the heavily overmatched German navy still planned one final large-scale battle against the British navy in the English Channel. Unwilling to risk their lives for a lost cause, German sailors rose in revolt and prevented the attack from being carried out.
Many of the sailors involved in the mutiny were arrested and jailed in the German port city of Kiel. On November 3, 1918, thousands protested the arrests in the streets. The sailors were joined by workers and civilians from Kiel who demanded an end to the war. Soldiers sent to suppress the protests joined them instead. These revolts quickly spread throughout Germany, and self-governing councils of soldiers and workers formed.
In the end, Prince Max became so worried by the revolutionary situation in Berlin that on Nov 9, he announced that the Kaiser would renounce the throne and that a left-wing provisional coalition government would be formed by Friedrich Ebert.
