The Weimar Republic

Question 1

Who temporarily became the leader of Germany after the Kaiser abdicated?

Answer 1

Friedrich Ebert, the leader of the SPD.

Question 2

What was one of the first actions Friedrich Ebert took as leader?

Answer 2

He signed an armistice to end the First World War.

Question 3

What is an armistice?

Answer 3

An agreement, or truce, to stop fighting.

Question 4

Give 5 orders Ebert gave after signing the armistice:

Answer 4

-Improvements to working conditions
-Help for the unemployed
-Improved housing
-More food supplies
-Freedom of speech and religion

Question 5

What type of Republic did Ebert declare Germany would be?

Answer 5

A democratic republic.

Question 6

What was the Spartacus League?

Answer 6

One of the political groups in Germany.

Question 7

What political idea did the Spartacists believe in?

Answer 7

Communism.

Question 8

Other than communism, what else did the Spartacists want?

Answer 8

They wanted Germany to be run by small councils of soldiers and workers, not by a large parliament.

Question 9

When did the Spartacists try and take over Berlin?

Answer 9

6th January 1919.

Question 10

How did Ebert respond to the Spartacist’s revolt in Berlin?

Answer 10

He sent in a group of 2000 ex-soldiers, known as the Free Corps, to attack the Spartacists.

Question 11

How many days of brutal street fighting was there during the fight between the Spartacists and Free Corps?

Answer 11

3 days.

Question 12

Who did the Free Corps arrest?

Answer 12

They arrested Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, the Spartacist leaders.

Question 13

What did the Free Corps do to the arrested leaders?

Answer 13

They beat them then murdered them.

Question 14

What ended the Spartacist revolt?

Answer 14

When the 2 leaders, Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, were murdered.

Question 15

When did Ebert become the new German President?

Answer 15

In late January 1919

Question 16

Give 3 beliefs in Communism:

Answer 16

-Everyone is equal
-No private property and the government (or council) runs farms and businesses
-Little need for money and laws because everyone lives a simple life, sharing all they have with others

Question 17

Who were the Free Corps?

Answer 17

A group of ex-soldiers who had recently come home from the First World War.

Question 18

Who did the Free Corps hate?

Answer 18

They hated the Spartacists (and all communists) as they blamed them for stirring up trouble near the end of the war.

Question 19

When did Germany’s politicians draw up the Weimar Constitution?

Answer 19

1919.

Question 20

What was the Weimar Constitution?

Answer 20

A formal set of rules for how Germany should be governed

Question 21

What was proportional representation?

Answer 21

Lots of different political parties were able to win seats in the Reichstag.

Question 22

Why did proportional representation not work?

Answer 22

It made it difficult to make decisions and introduce laws as sometimes there were over 20 different political parties all arguing over a single issue. With no majority, the leading party had to do deals with smaller groups in order to get anything done, again, this made law-making a very slow process.

Question 23

Give an example, with dates, of proportional representation being a negative thing:

Answer 23

Between 1919 and 1933, no political party ever won more than half the votes in any election

Question 24

What was another weakness of the new system of government?

Answer 24

Many groups didn’t like this.

Question 25

What kind of groups didn't like this new democratic system of governing?

Answer 25

Some of the older army generals, judges, upper-class families, rich factory owners and university professors

Question 26

What was the nickname given to the politicians who surrendered during the First World War?

Answer 26

The November Criminals.

Question 27

Giver 5 terms of the Treaty of Versailles:

Answer 27

-Reparations of £6.6 billion -Germany's army was limited to 100,000 men, 6 battleships in their navy, no submarines, tanks or an airforce -Germany must hand over its colonies to the winning countries -Anshluss banned -The Rhineland was to be demilitarised

Question 28

What were the main 3 reasons why Germany hated the Treaty of Versailles?

Answer 28

-They felt it was too harsh -They hated that it had been forced on them -Many felt they had not really lost the war at all.

Question 29

Why did Germans feel the Treaty was too harsh?

Answer 29

It took away large areas of land which meant losing people, factories, farms and mines. Also because they had to pay a large amount of money to the winners.

Question 30

What did the Germans call the Treaty as they were ordered to sign it with no discussion?

Answer 30

A 'diktat'.

Question 31

Which year did Germany say they could not afford to pay reparations?

Answer 31

1922.

Question 32

What was the Ruhr?

Answer 32

A rich, industrial area of Germany.

Question 33

What did French and Belgian soldiers do as a result of Germany not paying reparations?

Answer 33

They marched into the Ruhr, taking control of every factory, mine and railway in the region.

Question 34

How many French and Belgian soldiers marched into the Ruhr?

Answer 34

60,000.

Question 35

When did French and Belgian soldiers marched into the Ruhr?

Answer 35

January 1923.

Question 36

What was the main consequence of the French and Belgian soldiers marching into the Ruhr?

Answer 36

The hyperinflation crisis of 1923.

Question 37

When was the hyperinflation crisis?

Answer 37

1923.

Question 38

What did the German government order its workers to do against the French and Belgian soldiers?

Answer 38

To not fight back, but instead go on strike, and not help the soldiers remove goods from the country. This was known as passive resistance.

Question 39

How many strikers were killed by the French and Belgian soldiers?

Answer 39

Over 100.

Question 40

How many people were thrown out of their homes as punishment by the French and Belgian soldiers?

Answer 40

15,000.

Question 41

What did the German government promise the strikers?

Answer 41

They promised to continue paying the workers on strike, because they were only doing what the government had told them to do.

Question 42

What was a reason, regarding the Ruhr, why Germany was running short of money?

Answer 42

The Ruhr wasn't producing coal, iron and steel to sell to other nations.

Question 43

What did the government do to pay striking workers?

Answer 43

They printed large amounts of money.

Question 44

What did shopkeepers do in response to the striking workers spending their money quickly?

Answer 44

They began to put up their prices.

Question 45

How did the government respond to shops rising their prices all over Germany?

Answer 45

They printed even more money to help people buy things.

Question 46

What was the relationship between the government printing money and prices in shops?

Answer 46

The more money the government printed, the faster prices went up.

Question 47

What was the relationship between prices in shops and people's wages?

Answer 47

The faster prices went up, the faster people spent their wages.

Question 48

Give an example of how quickly prices could rise:

Answer 48

The price of goods even rose between joining the back of a queue and reaching the front.

Question 49

Why did the German government and Weimar politicians lose a lot of support in 1923?

Answer 49

People looked for someone to blame for the hyperinflation crisis.

Question 50

What happened to people's saving by the end of 1923?

Answer 50

They became worthless.

Question 51

Define passive resistance:

Answer 51

Protesting against government or laws by using non-violent acts.

Question 52

What was the impact of hyperinflation on money?

Answer 52

Money became worthless

Question 53

How did the price of a loaf of bread change from 1918 to November 1923?

Answer 53

In 1918 it cost 0.6 marks, by November 1923 it cost 201,000,000,000 marks.

Question 54

How did the price of one egg change from 1914 to November 1923?

Answer 54

In 1914 it cost 0.9 marks, by November 1923 it cost 320,000,000,000 marks.

Question 55

What are 3 negative impacts of hyperinflation on German people?

Answer 55

-People's savings became worthless -Elderly people on fixed pensions found their income couldn't buy them what they need -Small businesses collapsed

Question 56

What caused small businesses to collapse as a result of hyperinflation?

Answer 56

Normal trade became impossible because of the daily price changes.

Question 57

What is 1 positive impact of hyperinflation on German people?

Answer 57

People who borrowed money found it very easy to pay off their debts.