The Establishment Of The Weimar Republic And Its Early Problems Flashcards
Why did Kaiser abdicate?
The allies insisted that peace could not come until the Kaiser abdicated. There were calls from the German people for the Kaiser to abdicate as many Germans blamed him for their countries defeat
When did Kaiser abdicate and what did it led to?
On 9 November 1918, Kaiser finally accepted that he couldn’t continue to rule. He abdicated and fled to Holland to live in exile. On 10 November, a new republic was set up and a new president took office- the Social democrat, Friedrich Ebert. The next day the armistice (agreement that stops the fighting in a war) was agreed by Germany and the Allies, officially ending WW1
How did people react to Kaiser’s abdication?
Senior members of the German armed forces claimed that Germany had need close to victory and that the surrender was unnecessary. This was not true, but many Germans believed that, and didn’t want to accept that Germany had lost the war. To these people, the politicians who signed the armistice were traitors. The theory knows as the “stab in the back” and helps to explain why the new republic was so unpopular from the beginning
When was the German Revolution and what happened?
1918-1919
The German revolution was due to the impacts of the WW1 on Germany, and with public opinion rapidly turning against Kaiser Wilhelm ll, he abdicated on the 9th of November 1918. In the coming days new republican government- the Weimar Republic- was formed in Germany
Why was the Kaiser’s abdication such a problem for Germany?
Because they were left without a leader causing chaos in the country. It created instability as there was no clear leads (power vacuum). Germany was also still fighting in the war giving them the potential for a pose struggle. Following his abdication, several different groups tried to form rival governments, like Friedrich Ebert, who gained support form the army and set up a new government. With the war over and the Kaiser gone, the new government needed to decide how post-war Germany would be governed
What is a constitution?
A set of ruled how country’s political system works (not the government itself)
What was the Weimar constitution?
The new system of government did not include kaiser or any other form of monarch, it was a republic. The Weimar constitution guaranteed every German citizen freedom of speech and religion, and equality under the law. All men and women over the age of 20 were given the vote.
Head of state: president-elected every 7 years, choosing who got to be Chancellor, could use article 48 to pass laws without Parliament’s approval in times of crisis.
The government: chancellor-usually came from the largest party in the Reichstag , cabinet- the main decision making body of the government.
The Parliament: reichstag- directly elected every 4 years, using proportional representation
How does proportional representation works?
% of votes= % of seats
Proportional representation can be viewed as both a strength and a weakness of the new constitution. All parties received votes and has representation in the Reichstag but, as a result, many small and sometimes extremist parties won seats. This led to an unstable government, because no individual party had majority and several parties had to form a coalition. Which can work well if there is agreement, but in post war Germany coalitions offer broke down. As a result there were a series of short term government that were unable to effectively address Germany’s problems as a nation. The politicians involved with seen as unhelpful and self interested which led to resentment among the general public.
What were the strengths of the Weimar constitution?
-all people had the same rights(right to vote + democratic elections)
-a strong president could protect the country in times of crisis
-propositional representation was a fair, clear system that represented everyone’s views
-article 48 would help in an event of crisis
What were the weaknesses of the Weimar constitution?
- the republic faced serious opposition from people who did not want democracy to succeed. These people also had the right to vote for parties that wanted to destroy the democratic system
-the president didn’t do much, due to elections being held only every 7 years a bad president could abuse their power and undermine democracy - proportional representation meant that the parties had to make coalitions, as it was rare for a chancellor to have over 50% votes, causing disagreements and an unstable government ( Germany had 7 chancellors between 1919-1923 showing how politically unstable Germany was) which often collapsed
-individual states could oppose the government and go against its policies
What caused the Treaty of Versailles?
Germany hoped for a fair peace deal, however both Britain and France eager for revenge, and needed a way to pay off their own war debts, whilst also ensuring Germany could not threaten them again. The result of the negotiations was the Treaty of Versailles, which was signed in June 1919. Germany had no choice but to sign the Treaty, if they had refused, then allies would have used their armies to take control of the country
What were the political effects of the Treaty of Versailles on Germany?
Germany had no day in the terms of the Treaty- humiliated Germany and damaged their great power status, led to resentment against the victorious power.
Germany had to accept the blame for the war (war guilt)- frustrated Germany + added to their resentment
All of Germanys 11 colonies and parts of Germany were given to the victorious power- made Germany even weaker, divided the country, it was no longer an empire, loss of great power status, loss of resources
What were the military effects of the Treaty of Versailles on Germany?
German military forces were cut, army limited to 100,000 men, no air forces permitted,navy limited to 6 battleships, no submarines, the Rhineland was demilitarised- making Germany unable to defend themselves, made them humiliated, weak and insecure
What were the economic effects of the Treaty of Versailles on Germany?
Germany had to pay reparations of 136,000 million marks (£6.6 billion) as a compensation for war damage- this placed a huge strain on German economy and made it hard to recover from war, failure to pay led to the occupation of the Ruhr and hyperinflation in 1923
Overall, Germany lost 10% of its population, 13% of its land, 50% of its iron reserves,15% of its coal reserves and 11 of their colonies- made it harder to pay the reparations +war debt
What was the German reaction to the Treaty of Versailles?
Resentment- the German government was unaware of the harsh terms and initially refused to sign
Humiliation- the treaty was seen as the “shameful diktat”, especially article 231 (war guilt), which fully blamed Germany for the war
Anger+ betrayal- many Germans felt the treaty was unfair aimed at weakening Germany the signers were called in “November criminals”
Political unrest- some politicians were assassinated for accepting the treaty. The belief group that Germany had been “stabbed in the back”
Why was the first Weimar government in the Weimar Republic unpopular?
They faced opposition, not only from those Germans angered by the Treaty of Versailles, but by left-wing and right-wing political parties and organisations.
Describe the extreme left wing
No clear leader
Big focus on equality
Nationalisation and government ownership- no private property, companies owned by the government
Describe the extreme right wing
Popular leader/dictator
Wealth inequality
Clear hierarchy
Private ownership
Dictatorship- string single leader
Nationalist- own nation+people first
What was the Spartacist uprising?
January 1919
Led by Rosa Luxenburg and Karl Liebknecht
Had communist views
The aim was to replicate the 1917 Russian revolution, overthrow the government, turn Germany communist and establish Soviet councils across the country ran by the workers
50,000 workers went on a strike + key buildings were seized
The government fled Weimar and left Berlin
Freikorps were used to kill the protestors
Caused instability of the German government and the division on the left wing
What was the Kapp Putsch?
March 1920
Led by Dr Wolfgang Kapp
Had extreme nationalist views
Believed in the “stab in the back” myth and hated the Treaty of Versailles
The aim was to make Germany a strong dictatorship state again, to destroy the threat of communism
Kapp+ the freikorps seized Belin and declared Kapp chancellor
The army refused to intervene
The government left Berlin
It showed that the government lacked authority and army support, but still had support form the workers
What was the Ruhr?
Key industrial region with lots of factories, which produced iron, steel and coal
Why did French and Belgians occupy the Ruhr in January 1923?
The Germans struggled to make the reparations payments, and the French and Belgians decided to take industrial products instead of cash payments
Why was Germany powerless to stop the occupation of the Ruhr and what did they do instead?
They couldn’t take military action as it was reduced but the treaty
Instead, it encouraged workers in the Ruhr to carry out campaign of passive resistance, which meant workers went on strikes and stopped producing goods that the French could seize. Some Germans tried to sabotage and damage factories and mines so that production had to stop. In response French brought thei own workers
What were the effects of the occupation of the Ruhr on Germany?
Short term positive- temporary popularity of the government, country united again the invaders, government provided strike pay to the workers
Long term negative- the occupation made the already struggling economy suffer even more, the government printed more money to pay the strike pay to the workers, leading to hyperinflation
What is hyperinflation?
When prices increase at a rapid out of control rate, money becomes effectively worthless
What caused hyperinflation?
The occupation of the Ruhr was the trigger cause that damaged the economy as it was a key industrial region and prompted the government to print huge amounts of money
Impacts if the WWl- damaged German economy due to wartime lawns and the loss of gold reserves
Treaty of Versailles- also damaged the economy as Germany couldn’t pay the reparations which led to them printing out more money
What are the negative effects of hyperinflation?
Those with fixed income (salary+pension) were hit particularly badly
People’s savings became worthless
People were angry at the government, as they blamed them for hyperinflation
What are the positive effects of hyperinflation?
People with debts could pay them off easily
People who produced necessities (farmers) could increase prices + make profit
People who owned land or properties avoided the worst effect as the value of their assets rose with inflation
