The Weimar Republic Flashcards
1
Q
What was the background to the German Revolution of 1918?
A
- Farming was disrupted as many farm workers were drafted into the army. By 1918, Germany was only producing 50% of the milk amd 60% of the butter and meat it had been producing before the war
- Germany faced starvation and harsh winters due to the Allied naval blockade stopping anything enter Germany. As a result an estimated 750,000 Germans died due to disease and famine
- Germany’s status as a proud and ambitious country was ruined and made German’s bitter and angry
- The German people started looking for someone to blame for their loss of the war
- Kaiser Wilhelm II was seen as the person who was to blame for Germany’s loss and this led to an attempted armed revolution and overthrowing of the Kaiser
2
Q
What were the key events that led to the German Revolution in 1918?
A
- By 1918, Germany was facing mounting problems, Germany’s Spring Offensive had failed, the Allies were on the offensive, Germany had lost 2 million soldiers and there was a feeling the army would collapse. In addition the Allies had blocked ports meaning no food could get into Germany causing food shortages
- As a result, many civilians and soldiers become very angry with Kaiser Wilhelm II who had total control of Germany for the failures and hardships
- On the 25th October 1918 Naval commanders at Kiel decided to send their ships out to fight the British fleet in one last suicidal bid for glory. Sailors mutinied
- The Kaiser and the Army didn’t send the army in to crush the mutiny and it was quickly followed by strikes and demonstrations against the war and the Kaiser all over Germany. Soldiers mutinied and joined the protests
- By the 6th November soldiers and Workers Councils had taken control of many cities with the am of ending the war
- On the 7th November the Social Democratic Party (SPD) which was traditionally who workers voted for sent an ultimatum to the Kaiser that unless he abdicated they would join the revolution
- On the 9th November there was a general strike in Berlin. Kaiser Wilhelm II realises he has lost control of Germany and under pressure from his own Ministers and the Allies decides to abdicate and flee to the Netherlands
- On the 10th November power is given to Friedrich Ebert from the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and he becomes Chancellor of the new government called the Weimer Republic. Germany now has a democracy for the first time in its history
- On the 11th November The Armistice was signed to end WW1
3
Q
What were the Strengths of the Weimar Constitution?
A
- All German’s had equal rights, including the right to vote
- The voting age was reduced to 21 and women were given the right to vote
- Proportional representation made sure that political parties were allocated seats in Parliament in proportion to the number of votes they got
- No one person or group could have too much power
4
Q
What were the Weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution?
A
- Proportional representation made it extremely difficult for one party to win a majority. During the Weimar Republic no one party gained 50% of the vote
- Coalition governments were unstable, short lived and often fell apart
- Article 40 allowed the President in times of emergency to make laws without the consent of the Reichstag. This was only supposed to be used in an emergency but became a way to get around disagreements undermining democracy
- The German people were not used to a democracy and so there was uncertainty as to whether they would engage with it
5
Q
How did the “Land” terms of the Treaty of Versailles make the Weimar Republic unpopular?
A
- Surrender of all German colonies to the League of Nations
- Return of Alsace Lorraine to France
- Germany forbidden to unite with Austria
- Rhineland to be occupied by Allied Troops for 15 years
- Poland given a “corridor” to the sea, cutting East Prussia off from the rest of Germany
- Germany’s economy depended on the export of coal and other natural resources. With less agricultural land it would have to increase food imports. This would make it more difficult to pay reparations
6
Q
How did the “Military” terms of the Treaty of Versailles make the Weimar Government unpopular?
A
- The German armed forces were restricted to 100,000 men
- Conscription was prohibited
- Germany naval forces were limited to 15,000 men, 6 battleships, 6 cruisers and 12 destroyers
- Armed aircraft, tanks and armoured cars prohibited
- The Rhineland was demilitarised
- Germany had always been proud of its military and so the restriction of the armed forces was shameful. It was now surrounded by enemies and unable to defend itself. The military restrictions led to unemployment
7
Q
How did the “Reparations” terms of the Treaty of Versailles make the Weimar Government unpopular?
A
- Germany was required to pay £6,600 million in reparations to the Allies to pay for the rebuilding of their countries
- France was given the coal producing region of the Saar for 15 years after which a plebiscite would be held
- The reparations bill was huge and would take Germany until the 1980’s to pay off
8
Q
How did the “Guilt” terms of the Treaty of Versailles make the Weimar Government unpopular?
A
- Article 231 assigned blame for the war to Germany and its Allies as was known as the “War Guilt Clause”
- By making Germany admit guilt the other punishments could be enforced
- This was the most humiliating of the terms
- Germany felt they should share the blame for starting the war with other countries
9
Q
Why did German’s refer to the Treaty of Versailles as a “Diktat”?
A
- The German’s believed the Treaty of Versailles would be based on Wilson’s 14 points
- They were not allowed to attend the discussions on the Treaty to discuss the terms
- They were surprised and furious at the harsh terms of the Treaty
- They were forced to sign the Treaty, they were told that if they didn’t then the Allies would restart the war
- German’s referred to the Treaty of Versailles as a “Diktat”, a dictated peace
10
Q
Who were the “November Criminals”?
A
- People who hated the Treaty of Versailles believed the German Army could have won the war and the politicians pulled out too early
- German Military Generals supported this myth as it pointed blame elsewhere rather than at the failures of the military
- The German politicians who agreed the Armistice were referred to as the “November Criminals” and accused of “Stabbing Germany in the back”
11
Q
Who were the Spartacists?
A
- The Spartacist’s were a Left-Wing group led by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg
- They wanted to turn Germany into a Communist country
- In January 1919, 50,000 Spartacists attempted to overthrow Ebert and the Weimar Republic
- They captured the Government newspaper but failed to take anything else or get support from any other left-wing group
- Ebert used the Freikorps a right-wing group made up of ex-soldiers to put down the rebellion
- The Spartacists were defeated, and Liebknecht and Luxemburg were murdered. This removed the key leaders of the Communists, and the movement didn’t recover
12
Q
Who were the Freikorps?
A
- The Freikorps were right-wing and made up of ex-soldiers who had kept their weapons
- There were 250,000 Freikorps by March 1919
- They were extremely violent and were hated by the people
- They were organised by the regular army and were a way of getting around the military restrictions
13
Q
What was the Kapp Putsch?
A
- Right wing groups like the army hated the Weimar Republic for signing the Treaty of Versailles and supported the “Stab in the back” myth
- In 1920 after crushing the Spartacists and left-wing threat, Ebert tried to reduce the size of the army and disband the Freikorps which caused uproar
- The leader of the Freikorps and Berlin politician Wolfgang Kapp took government buildings using the army and declared a new right-wing government
- The Weimer Government ordered the army to stop the Putsch, but they refused
- Ebert then called on the workers of Berlin to not support the Putsch and go on strike, they agreed and supported a strike bringing the city to a standstill
- The Kapp Putsch failed but no-one involved was punished as the Government needed to retain the support of the Army
14
Q
What was the occupation of the Ruhr in 1923 and how did it lead to hyper-inflation?
A
- While Germany paid its reparations in 1921, they had fallen behind in 1922 and by 1923 the French and Belgian armies invaded the Ruhr valley and took what they felt was owed to them
- This led to the workers in the region going on strike in “Passive Resistance” (refusing to work), crippling the German economy and infuriating the French and Belgians
- The French reacted by killing 100 workers and expelling 100,000 workers from the region
- Now Germany was creating no goods and but still having to pay the workers
- This led to hyper-inflation in 1923 as the Government was printing more money to pay its debts and workers. German marks became worthless, and prices spiralled out of control
15
Q
How did hyper-inflation impact Germany and its people?
A
- The German government didn’t have enough money to pay the costs of the passive resistance in the Ruhr so it simply printed more money
- This resulted in the value of the money going down and prices going up….hyperinflation
- Workers and the unemployed were protected as their payments increased in line with inflation
- Older people with pensions or savings soon found these were worthless
- Those people who had debts paid them back at a fraction of the real cost
- The middle classes saw their savings and small businesses destroyed, they were the biggest losers during hyperinflation. Rich businessmen could buy bankrupt businesses cheaply
- The German people blamed the Weimar Government and the reparations needing to be paid because of the Treaty of Versailles
