the weimar republic Flashcards
what did extreme left wing parties want
They wanted Germany to be controlled by the people.
They opposed capitalism
wanted to abolish private ownership of land and business and put it in the hands of workers.
what happened when coalitions disagreed and decisions had to be made
article 48 was activated and the chancellor could ask the president to pass the law without going through parliament
why was article 48 becoming a problem
[hint -what year]
- by 1930 the chancellor relied heavily on the president due to coalitions disagreeing in parliament
what effect did article 48 have on the german people
- it encouraged them to think a single all-powerful leader was better as parliament became essentially redundant
who were the spartacists
a communist group supported by the soviet union lead by karl liebknecht and rosa luxemburg
who lead the spartacists
rosa luxemburg and karl liebknecht
were the spartacists far left or far right
far left/ left wing
what happened on janurary 1919
- the spartacists staged a revolt in berlin which they hoped would lead to a general strike
- the soldiers were armed and took over government buildings
what was the ultimate aim of the spartacist uprising 1919
to overthrow the weimar republic
how did ebert stop the spartacist uprising
- he employed a right wing group of former soldiers (the freikorps) to stop the uprising
why did ebert use the freikorps against the spartacists
he realised he needed to put extremist politaclal groups against one another
what happened between march 1920
the kapp putsch rebellion
what was the kapp putsch
in march 1920 the freikorps staged a rebellion lead by wolfgang kapp with the aim to seize control and end the weimar democratic system by bringing back the kaiser
why did the kapp putsch fail
german workers went on strike forcing kapp to flee
what happened when ebert employed the freikorps during the spartacist uprising
2,000 freikorps took down the spartacists and 150 were killed
outcome of the spartacist uprising
- failed as both leaders were killed and the government was not overthrown
- did lead to chaos in the street causing instability
- did challenge the newly formed weimar republic
when was the kapp putsch
march 1920
aims of the kapp putsch
- to restore the german kaiser and grow the german army
- to seize control and end the weimar democratic system
what was the short term cause for the kapp putsch
ebert threatened to disband the freikorps
what happened during the march 1920 kapp putsch
- ebert threatened to disband the freikorps
- 5000 freikorps marched into berlin to overthrow the weimar government
- the government asked army to help but they refused as they were “ex comrades”
- government had to flee berlin
- ebert asked te workers in berlin to go on strike which brought the city to a standstill
what were the outcomes of the march 1920 kapp putsch
- failed as freikorps could not run berlin while at a standstill
- wolfgang kapp (leader) was captured and imprisoned
- did force the government to flee the city
why did the german army refuse to help during the kapp putsch
the freikorps were their ex comrades
was the kapp putsch far right or far left
far right / right wing
what happened in november 1922
germany defaulted on their reparations payments
why did the french occupy the ruhr
- germany did not pay reparations november 1922
- The French believed Germany could make the payment but were choosing not to, however the German government argued they could not afford to pay.
what did france do when germany could not pay reparations in november 1922
- France and Belgium sent troops into Germany’s main industrial area, the Ruhr Valley.
- Their aim was to confiscate industrial goods as reparations payments as they didn’t believe Germany was unable to pay
- They occupied coal mines, railways, steel works and factories – all things that were important to Germany’s economy.
how did germany deal with the french occupation of the ruhr
they told german workers to follow a policy of ‘passive resistance’ and to not cooperate with the soldiers and they would still get paid their wages
how did france respond to the german workers policy of ‘passive resistance’
- workers refusing to take orders were shot at.
- Other people were expelled from the Ruhr region altogether.
- Overall, 132 were killed and approximately 150,000 expelled from the area.
how many people were killed during the french occupation of the ruhr
132
what did germany do to pay back the workers who striked at the rhur
they decided to print more money to pay the workers in the region, contributing to hyperinflation.
how did the occupation of the ruhr (1923) weaken germany
- took over a major industrial area weakening germany economically
- 132 german workers killed
- government printed more money contributing to hyperinflation
factors that lead to hyperinflation
- Germany was already suffering from high levels of inflation due to the effects of the war and the increasing government debt.
- ‘Passive resistance’ meant that whilst the workers were on strike fewer industrial goods were being produced, which weakened the economy still further.
- In order to pay the striking workers the government simply printed more money. This flood of money led to hyperinflation as the more money was printed, the more prices rose.
3 examples of hyperinflation in germany
- Prices ran out of control, for example a loaf of bread, which cost 250 marks in January 1923, had risen to 200,000 million marks in November 1923
- By autumn 1923 it cost more to print a note than the note was worth
- During the crisis, workers were often paid twice per day because prices rose so fast their wages were virtually worthless by lunchtime.
how often were workers payed during hyperinflation
During the crisis, workers were often paid twice per day because prices rose so fast their wages were virtually worthless by lunchtime.
what was the price of bread in january compared to november 1923
a loaf of bread, which cost 250 marks in January 1923, had risen to 200,000 million marks in November 1923.
when did it cost more to print a note than the note was worth
by autumn 1923
who benefited from hyper inflation
- Borrowers, such as businessmen, landowners and those with mortgages, found they were able to pay back their loans easily with worthless money.
- Farmers coped well, since their products remained in demand and they received more money for them as prices spiralled.
how were people on wages able to manage hyperinflation
- People on wages were relatively safe, because they renegotiated their wages every day. However, even their wages eventually failed to keep up with prices.
who lost from hyperinflation
- people on fixed incomes, like students, pensioners or the sick, found their incomes did not keep up with prices.
- People with savings and those who had lent money, for example to the government, were the most badly hit as their money became worthless.
what was the effect of hyperinflation on the weimar government
the german people blamed them and it became very unpopular
what happened november 8 1923
the munich putsh
why did hitler choose to revolt in munich
In Bavaria, (capital – Munich) the majority of the population were Catholic and things were quite traditional. This meant that many within that state intensely disliked the new Weimar government and saw them as weak. Hitler thought he would take advantage of this
events of the munich putsh
On the night of 8 November 1923, Hitler and 600 SA members burst into a meeting that Kahr and Lossow were holding at the local Beer Hall. Waving a gun at them, Hitler with the support of general ludendorff forced them to agree to rebel - and then let them go home. The SA took over the army headquarters and the offices of the local newspaper.
The next day, 9 November 1923, Hitler and the SA went into Munich However, Kahr had called in police and army reinforcements. There was a short scuffle in which the police killed 16 members of the SA.
Hitler fled, but was arrested two days later.
who led the munich putsch
hitler and general ludendorff (a german war hero)
consequences of munich putsch
The Nazi party was banned, and Hitler was prevented from speaking in public until 1927.
Hitler was tried for high treason (betraying his country) and sentenced to five years in prison.(but only served 9 months)
