The weimar republic 1918-1929 Flashcards
what happened to the kaiser?
He was abdicated and fled to Holland
who became Germany’s first president?
Friedrich Ebert (leader of the social democratic party)
when was the German republic declared?
9th of November 1918
strengths of the weimar constitution
Women able to vote
voting age reduced
presidential election every 7 years
weaknesses of the weimar constitution
It was not the choice of the choice of the people
Proportional representation led to coalition governments
war reparations for Germany
6.6 billion
military restrictions
army to 100,000
all planes were destroyed
no military was allowed in the Rhine land
land lost
Alsace and lorraine
Rhine land
Posen
West Prussia
opposition against the weimar republic
the Sparticists(left-wing) the freikorps(right-wing)
who were the Sparticists?
led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht
Came from the independent socialist party
who were the Freikorps?
made up of ex-soldiers
had 250,000 men in march 1919
what was the sparticist revolt?
In January 1919, the sparticists took over the governments newspaper and tried to organise a general strike in Berlin.
what was the Kapp Putsch?
March 1920, Freikorp troops fearing unemployment, marched into Berlin with the leader Wolfgang Kapp in charge.
what was hyperinflation?
when the price of goods increased rapidly
negative effects of hyperinflation:
- some people couldn’t afford the essentials like bread
- wages rose but bot as quickly as prices
- some businesses went bankrupt
positive effects of hyperinflation:
- farmers benefited, as they were paid more for food
- some people and businesses could pay of loans and mortgages
- fixed rents for rooms or shops became very cheap
what was the new currency that Stresemann set up?
the Rentenmark
when was the new currency set up?
November, 1923
when was the Dawes plan?
1924
improvements of the Dawes:
- instalments were temporarily reduced to £50 million a year.
- US banks agreed to make loans to German industry which made the allies more confident they would pay the reparations.
when was the Young plan?
1929
improvements of the young plan:
- reduced the total reparations debt from 6.6 billion to 2 billion.
- the payments could be payed until 1988.
