The Weimar republic Flashcards
1
Q
Why was there such an issue of starvation and poverty at the end of WWI?
A
The government had geared the economy to war effort, prioritising military efforts over civilians.
Poverty, starvation and malnutrition were common. 80,000 children died of starvation in 1916
2
Q
Give a statistic that shows poverty in germany towards end of ww1
A
80,000 children died of starvation in 1916. This was worsened by harsh winter of 1916-17, turnip winter
3
Q
Was there social discontent in Germany towards end of ww1?
A
yes, there was a wave of strikes
4
Q
When did the Russian government admit defeat against Germany?
A
1917
5
Q
When was the Brest-Litovsk signed?
A
Spring 1918
6
Q
What was the Brest-Litovsk treaty?
A
Peace treaty between Russia and the countries involved in WWI
7
Q
When was the Bolshevik revolution?
A
1917
8
Q
Why did the Bolshevik revolution cause fear for elitists in Germany?
A
Showed that it was possible for civilians to overthrow an autocratic monarchy and the army could not stop them
9
Q
how much value did the mark lose 1913-1918?
A
75%
10
Q
What was the USPD and when was it founded?
A
Formed by radicalists in 1917, Independent socialist party
11
Q
What were 5 terms of the armistice in 1918?
A
- Allied naval blockades would remain
- Germany would withdraw troops from alsace lorraine and other invaded lands
- Germany to hand over prisoners of war
- Treaties of Bucharest and Brest-Lietovsk to remain
- Most of German armament to be handed over to allies
12
Q
When was the Kiel sailors mutiny?
A
October 1918
13
Q
What party was Ebert the leader of?
A
SPD
13
Q
When did Ebert become chancellor?
A
1918
13
Q
when was the armistice signed?
A
Nov 11, 1918
13
Q
who was the first weimar chancellor only for a few months?
A
Ebert
14
Q
What was Pinfield (2015) view of Ebert?
A
He could reconcile the radicals to a process of reform and prevent mass support of the revolutionaries
15
Q
Give a historian supporting the view Ebert was a succesful chancellor
A
Pinfield, (2015) Ebert could reconcile the radicals and prevent mass support being given to the revolutionaries
16
Q
What is a historians view suggesting the republic was not popular in society?
A
Carr (1987) The weimar republic was widely accepted by many Germans, as a convenient means of filling the void left by the collapse of the monarchy’
17
Q
what were 3 left wing parties at the start of the weimar regime?
A
-SPD (moderate)
- USPD (radical)
- KPD (communist)
-supported by working class, view of equal distribution of wealth
18
Q
What were Germanys centre parties at the start of the weimar regime?
A
-DDP
-Zentrum
- Supported by catholics, supporters of weimar regime generally, liberal ideas
19
Q
Who were the right wing parties at the start of the Weimar regime?
A
-DVP
-DVNP
held views of low taxation, less equality, most supporters were monarchists
20
Q
When did the USPD leave the weimar gov?
A
December, 1918
21
Q
What was the spartacist revolt and what was the reaction from the left?
A
Took place Jan 1919, 4-15th. Supressed by army and Freikorps with Ebert’s full support, over 100 workers were killed. The KPD reacted very negatively to the actions of the SPD and Ebert. USPD split, some joined KPD some joined SPD.
22
Were the spartacists or SPD more moderate?
SPD were more moderate, both were left but spartacists were more extreme
23
What were 4 features of the weimar constitution?
- men and women over the age of 20 could vote every 4 years for a new parliament
- Proportional representation, aiming to give representation to minority parties
- Coalition government was usually the outcome of elections
- Changes of government happened more than once every four years
24
when did Ebert become president?
1919
25
how often was the president elected in weimar republic?
every 7 years
26
what were presidential powers in the weimar gov?
- appointing or dismissing the chancellor
- dissolving the reichstag
-recalling elections
-commanding the army
27
What was article 48 of the constitution?
-presidential decree powers, the president could pass legislation without consulting the reichstag, they just had to be made aware of it
28
give 4 strengths of the weimar constitution
- highly democratic
- no one could dominate without over 50% of the vote
-more peoples views were reflected in government
-the presidents emergency powers could be checked by the reichstag
29
give 2 weaknesses of the weimar constitution
- Germany was inexperienced with this kind of democracy
- PR made it a long process to pass legislation and often resulted in short lived governments
30
Give a historians assesment of weimar republic
Hide and Hinton (2000) the constitution has been described both as the most democratic in the world, and a major reason why the weimar republic failed
31
what did germany expect from the paris peace conference?
- they had hoped woodrow wilson 14 points would lead to a fair outcome
32
what were woodrow wilsons 14 points that germany expected to be followed?
- wilsons 14 points included league of nations, reduced armament, free trade and self determination
33
what was the paris peace conference of 1919?
the meeting with usa, britain, france and italy, where the treaty of versailles was established
34
Give 3 land+foreign terms from the treaty of versailles
- Anschluss (unification) with austria was forbidden
- alsace lorraine was returned to france
- Poland got parts of West Prussia
-control of germanys overseas colonies was given to britain and france
35
What were Germanys military clauses in treaty of versailles?
- conscription was banned
-army limited to 100,000 men
- rhineland was demilitarised
- navy could only have 6 battleships
36
What was article 231 of the treaty of Versailles?
- War guilt clause, germany accepted full responsibility for the war and had to pay £6.6 billion in reperations as punishment.
37
What was the British attitudes towards the treaty of versailles?
- Lloyd-George wanted severe punishment for germany, but not as severe as what france wanted because they were an important trading partner
- The british people wanted a severe punishment, and Lloyd-George was facing re-election so had to conceed to this as well
38
what was the result of German land lost in treaty of versailles?
7 million Germans were now living as minorities in other countries
39
what were the impact of shortages in 1919?
- led to price rises, an increase in poverty
- worsened by influenza epidemic
40
why did weimar government expenditure rise?
weimar had introduced welfare benefits as well as widows and veterans pensions to compensate war victims
41
how did the weimar government respond to the economic issues? (debt from war expenditure, reperations, food shortages, welfare benefits etc.)
they printed more money, leading to hyperinflation
42
give a statistic about hyperinflation in 1923
by nov 1923, 4.2 trillion marks was equivalent to a US dollar
43
How did France respond to Germany missing reperation payments?
They invaded the Rhur, an industrial region in 1923, this worsened hyperinflation.
44
How did Weimar gov respond to invasion of the Rhur?
Ordered the workers to go on strike, this is called passive resistance
45
What was the new currency introduced in Nov 1923?
The Rentenmark
46
When was the Rentenmark introduced?
November 1923
47
How many marks were exchanged for 1 rentenmark?
1 trillion
48
What were negative consequences of hyperinflation?
- Cash savings became worthless
- Monthly salaries didn't hold their value
49
Who benefitted from hyperinflation?
- people with fixed rents
- people with money in foreign currencies
50
What events took place in the occupation of the Rhur?
- Jan 1923 French and Belgian troops invaded the Rhur
- The troops took control of factories, mines, railways etc.
51
who was chancellor after ebert?
Gustav Stresseman
52
what was an issue with proportional representation?
no party ever had a majority, disagreements made it difficult for the reichstag to govern
53
what were the local governments called in the weimar republic?
lander- it was part of a federal system
54
what welfare benefits did the Weimar government put in place?
- health insurance was extended in 1919 to all groups of people
- Youth welfare act, 1921 all children had right to education
- unemployment benefits were provided during rhur crisis
- gov set working hours at max 48 hours a week
55
Did the Weimar government have much expenditure on welfare reforms?
yes, such as education, pensions, unemployment benefits, youth groups
56
what happened during the 1919 spartacist uprising?
Communist revoluntaries tried to seize parts of Berlin
57
how long did the 1919 spartacist uprising last for?
6 days before it was put down by the Freikorps, the leaders, rosa luxemberg and karl liebknecht, were shot in line with eberts request.
58
when was the spartacist uprising in 1919?
9-15th January
59
what was the soviet republic of bavaria?
soviet revolution in bavaria 1919 put down by 30,000 army and freikorps
60
give an example of right wing violence between 1919-1923
1921- Erzberger was assassinated by right wig revolutionaries, he was a politician involved in signing the treaty of versailles
61
who was walther rathaneu, when and why was he assasinated?
assassinated in 1922, Jewish German liberal assassinated by the right wing because he was pro republic and they wanted to destabilise the weimar. he had also signed 1922 treaty of rapallo
62
when was the kapp putsch
1920
63
who was assassinated in 1921
erzberger-politician who signed treaty of versailles
64
who was wolfgang kapp?
right wing civil servant, pro monarchist and nationalist
65
how many Freikorps troops into berlin in the kapp putsch?
12,000 Freikorps troops
66
Why was Ebert unsuccessful at putting down the kapp putsch immediately?
because the army, who were supposed to be supporting him, refused to fire on the freikorps
67
how was the kapp putsch ended?
the left wing SPD and trade unionists organised a general strike in berlin and an uprising in the rhur
68
when was the munich putsch?
1923
69
what was bavaria like in the early 1920s?
Quite independent, its own nationalist, monarchist, anti-weimar government. Opposed Stressemans ending of passive resistance in the rhur and thought him too weak to deal with left wing threats.
70
what did the bavarian government do september 1923?
declared martial law
71
where is munich?
capital of Bavaria, where hitler is from
72
who was leading the Munich Pustch with hitler
General von ludendorff
73
when was the munich putsch?
8th november 1923
74
what happened in the munich putsch?
hitler and the SA took control of a right wing meeting being held in a Munich beer hall being run by Losso and Kahr who promised loyalty to the putsch and were released
75
what were events of 9th november 1923?
-Ebert called a state of emergency
- Losso and Kahr warned the government about the Putsch
-Ludendorff persuaded Hitler to march on Munich, convincing him the army would support him because of ludendorfs army status
- hitler, ludendorff and 2000 armed nazis met the police in munich, where ludendorff and hitler were arrested
76
who were the leaders of the meeting at the munich beer hall who warned the government about the putsch?
-losso and kahr
77
What happened to Hitler following the munich putsch?
he was given a 5 year sentence in prison but released after 10 months, during which time he wrote mein kampf
78
in the 1924 elections how did the Nazis come out?
3rd biggest party in Germany
79
how many chancellors were there in the weimar regime?
11 chancellors in 6 years
80
give a statistic that shows the instability of the weimar government politically
11 chancellors in 6 years
81
when was ebert chancellor and when was he president?
chancellor nov 1918-feb 1919, resigned to become president, until his death in office in 1925
82
who was scheidmann
chancellor for 4 months in 1919 who resigned because he refused to sign the treaty of versailles
83
give 3 examples of 1923 political unrest
munich pustch in november
october german troops overthrew government of saxony
october right wing uprising in hamburg
84
what was an issue with PR
- Weimar government was weak and its authority undermined
- Different political parties different aims would clash and it was difficult for chancellors to find a compromise
85
what percentage of votes did SPD get in 1919?
38%
86
what percentage of the vote did get SPD in 1924 elections?
20%. It had dropped by 18% from 1919, due to hyperinflation
87
what were commonly opposing views in the coalition governments?
left wing parties wanted increased social welfare, higher taxes for the rich and workers rights
right wing parties wanted to support land owners and business owners
88
what was an issue with coalition gov
what people voted for and what they actually got were very different, even if the party they voted for had the most power
89
what were some strengths of the weimar government?
- democratic and allowed individual freedom, right to free speech, right to equality and right to religeon
- PR was a fair voting system, all adults over 21 could vote
- had economic stability from 1924 onwards
90
what were weaknesses of the weimar gov?
- PR was democratic BUT it allowed lots of parties to be voted in, no one was ever elected as a majority, coalition was used to rule. It was difficult to govern decisively because of their opposing views
- Article 48 wasn't clearly defined as what constituted as an emergency and was overused by h
Hindenberg and lead to hitler taking control of Germany
- reliance on foreign loans lead to a severe economic depression
91
when was gustav stresseman chancellor?
1923-1924
92
how did stresseman stabilise the currency?
he replaced the new temporary currency, rentenmark with the reichsmark as a more permanent currency for the long run. he limited the money supply and kept interest rates high.
93
when did gustav stresseman become foreign minister?
1923-1929
94
what were some agreements of the Dawes plan? (negotiated by stresseman)
800 mill mark loan from america to stabilise german banks.
allies maintained control of the railways.
95
when was dawes plan?
1924
96
when was the young plan written
1928
97
what did the young plan do?
reduced the amount of reperations germany had to pay by 20%
98
why did the young plan fail to materialise?
1929 wall street crash meant the money had to be recalled
99
what was agriculture like in the late 1920s in germany
agricultural prices fell sharply between 27 and 29, farmers often had demonstrations which became riots
100
what was unemployment like in 1926 in germany
2 mill unemployed
101
what were some social reforms in 1920s germany
- 1927 national unemployment welfare scheme
- weimar education policies meant education was focused on equality of opportunity not gender or race
-art and cultural developments such as the bahaus architecture style
- cinema with themes of gender ambiguity
- jazz and radio was very popular
102
what was the response from the right in response to the 1920s golden age social reforms
- negative from traditional conservative germans, felt family values and traditional gender roles were under threat
-zentrum party spoke of traditional german culture being under threat
103
between 1924-31 what were housing improvements like?
over 2 million new homes built, homlessness reduced drasticaly
104
how did the role of women change in the golden years?
36% of german workers were women
women were active in politics
the 'new woman' was sexually liberated and independant
