The Weimar Republic Flashcards
Post-war Germany
What were the economic issues?
Due to the effects of war, debts trebled from 50bn marks in 1914 to 150bn marks in 1918
Post-war Germany
What were the military issues?
Due to their defeat in WW1, 2 million troops were dead 4 million wounded, leading to public unrest
Post-war Germany
What happened to the government?
The Kaiser was forced to abdicate to avoid civil war so Friedrich Ebert, suspended the old Reichstag and formed the council of peoples representatives. The social democrat party took over, turning the country into a republic.
When setting up the new republic what happened to civil servants?.
They stayed on after the Kaiser left to ensure Germany would keep running
When setting up the new republic what happened to the army?
Officers kept their ranks and no changes in structure helped keep the republic in power.
When setting up the new republic what happened to leaders of industry/big businesses?
There was no confiscation of land or factories, no nationalisation meaning business and the economy continued as usual.
When setting up the new republic what happened to trade unions?
The new republic agreed with trade union leaders to try to achieve an eight hour working day.
What is nationalisation?
State control (Kaiser)
How did the local and central government work for the Weimar Republic?
The local government was run by the 18 regions of Germany, which all kept their local parliaments and the central government was given more power than before with the Reichstag as the dominant house of the new parliament.
What was the Reichstag?
It was one of the houses of parliament in which members were elected every four years. All men and women over could vote using a secret ballot. Proportional representation was used meaning the number of sets were directly proportional to the percentage of votes a party gained.
What was the Reichsrat?
It was the other house of German parliament, where a number of members sent by each region according to size. It could delay laws unless overruled by 2/3 majority of the Reichstag.
Who was the chancellor?
They head of the government, who chose ministers and ran the country. In order for them to pass laws though, they needed majority support in the Reichstag.
Who was the president?
He was head of state, directly elected by people every 7 years. He could chose the chancellor, dismiss the Reichstag, call new elections and assume control of the army.
What did article 48 enable?
The president to make laws without the consent of the Reichstag.
What was the problem with proportional representation?
It meant that parties that had small number of votes, gained seats in the Reichstag. In the 1920s there were 28 parties represented, meaning chancellors needed coalitions of several parties which all wanted different things. This meant the government was not strong or decisive?
In what way was the Weimar Republic built on division and violence?
It was built on shaky foundations, with extremist parties not supporting it, moderate Germans fearing it was too weak, the government relied on army enforcement and several parties disliked democracy.
What was the Treaty of Versailles?
It was a peace treaty that ended WW1, signed in November 1919.
What did the Treaty of Versailles say about Germany’s territory?
It would lose territory including: Alsace and Lorraine lost to France, Eupen and Malmedy lost to Belgium, Posen and West Prussia lost to Poland and public votes took place in other areas to see if they decide to leave Germany.
What were the impacts of the loss of land?
Germany lost 13% of its European territory including 50% of its iron and 15% of its coal reserves. This decreased jobs, wages, businesses…
and therefore money.
What did the Treaty of Versailles say about the military?
The army was limited to 100,00 and could only be used internally, the navy was limited to 6 battleships, 6 cruisers, 12 destroyers and 12 torpedo boats. The air force was no allowed and Rhineland was demilitarised.
