The Weimar government Flashcards
In what year was the Weimar set up?
August 11, 1919
What problems did Germany have when the Weimar Republic was first set up? (hint: effects of World War 1)
- people were starving
- Kaiser had fled
- it faced violent uprisings from both sides of the political spectrum during 1919 and 1920.
Who was the leader of the Weimar Republic when it was set up?
Friedrich Ebert
What was the role of the President in the Weimar government?
He could annul basic laws and rule with emergency law. These factors played a large role in Hitler’s rise to power.
What was the role of the Chancellor in the Weimar government?
were responsible to Parliament
Name four features of the Weimar constitution.
- president
- chancellor
- Reichstag
- bill of rights
What was the name for the German Parliament?
- Reichstag-most important
- Reichsrat-less important
What was the name of the left wing opposition groups?
During 5 – 12 January 1919, 50,000 members of the post-World War One Communist Party, known as the Spartacists, rebelled in Berlin, led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht.
What did the left wing opposition want to set up in Germany?
wanted Germany to be run by the working classes. They believed that power and wealth should be shared equally among the population.
Who were the leaders of the Spartacists?
Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg.
How many left wing opponents were killed during their rebellion of May 1919?
Red Bavaria-1000 deaths, became known as the white terror.
What was the name of the rebellion (putsch) in 1920?
-The Kapp Putsch
What was the name of the rebellion (putsch) in 1923?
-The Munich beer hall putsch
Why did the French invade the Ruhr in 1923?
The French aimed to extract the unpaid reparations and took control of key industries and natural resources.
Why did the French invade the Ruhr in 1923?
The French aimed to extract the unpaid reparations and took control of key industries and natural resources.
What was the role of the chancellor
- decision maker
- leader of the reichstag
Who were the right wing opponents of the government in 1920?
Dnvp
the KPD (communist party)
- extreme left, drew support from workers
- based ideas of communist revolution where workers rise up against ruling classes
- Karl Liebknecht and Rose Luxemburg
- Detested Weimar republic
SPD (social democrats)
- largely responsible for Weimar, party of Ebert
- left wing party
- drew support from workers/middle class
- supported Weimar republic
ZP (centre party)
- middle of political spectrum
- supported Weimar republic
- supported by conservatives
- arisen from catholic church
NSDAP (the nationalist socialist German workers party)
- extreme right of German politics
- hated Weimar republic + those who signed TOV
- wanted to avenge Germans WW1 defeat
- originally called German Workers Party, Adolf changed name when he took over
- initially supported by workers, eventually middle class too
DDP (German Democratic Party)
- protestant membership from middle class. Often Lawyers, Doctors ect
- supported Weimar Republic
- resented militarism + anti-Semitism
- Jews voted
DNVP (German nationalists peoples party)
- protestants, represented mix of landowners, industrialists, civil servants and farmers
- militaristic, resistant to republican govt
- anti-Semitic, opposed TOV
What were the main economic problems for Germany when Hitler came to power?
- reparations
- international debt
- unemployment
- agricultural stagnation
