Threats to the Weimar Republic: 1919-1923 Flashcards
What was the Weimar Republic?
The government set-up in Germany in 1918, it was very unpopular.
What two agreements did the WR sign that made them very unpopular?
The armistice and the Treaty of Versailles.
What government almost took control of Germany instead of a democratic one?
A communist government.
Name the ways the constitution of the Weimar government made Germany weak? (3)
A proportional representation voting system was used, small parties could now gain seats in the Reichstag.
No political party could have complete control, the government was weak and it was difficult for anything to ever get done.
The government was indecisive in a crisis
What was the attitude of nationalists towards the Weimar Republic?
They wanted the democracy to end and be replaced with a strong autocratic government with a singular leader.
What sort of government did extreme left-wing communist rebels want? (2)
They wanted the workers to be in control of the government.
All private land and property was to be shared out equally.
What happened during the Spartacist revolt? (2)
100,000 workers went on strike and rebelled against the government.
The rebels took control of communications in Berlin.
What type of uprising was the Spartacist revolt?
Communist : Left-wing
What events caused the end of the Spartacist uprising?
Luxemburg and Liebknecht were killed.
The government used Freikorps to crush the the communist rebels as they couldn’t do it themselves.
What sort of government did extreme right-wing nationalist rebels want? (2)
A strong autocratic leader like the Kaiser.
A leader who wanted to ‘make Germany great again.’
What happened during the Kapp Putsch uprising? (3)
Freikorps turned against the Weimar government and marched on Berlin.
They demanded the return of the Kaiser.
The tearing up of the treaty of Versailles.
How was Dr. kapp stopped? (2)
Ebert appealed to the German people to go on strike and not cooperate with Kapp.
The German people agreed with the Weimar government because they were sick of rebellions and uprisings.
How many political murders occurred between 1919 and 1922?
376
Which high profile members of the government were killed? (2)
Hugo Hasse and Matthias Erzberger.
What effect did the private political armies have?
They often caused violence at political meetings and marches.
