Topic 1 The Impact Of The First World War Flashcards
What event led to the collapse of the German Government?
The Kiel Mutiny
Who became Chancellor and took power over Germany after the kaiser abdicated?
Friedrich Ebert (leader of social democrat party)
When was the armistice with the allies agreed?
11 November 1918
Who was the first president of the Weimar Republic?
Friedrich Ebert
When did Germany sign the Treaty of Versailles?
28 June 1919
What was article 231?
The war guilt clause (Germany accepted blame for ww1)
How much was the reparations bill?
£6.6 billion
How many men were allowed in the German army?
100,000
How many battleships and submarines were Germany allowed?
Battleships = 6 Submarines = 0
Which area was demilitarised?
The Rhineland
What was Germany banned from forming with Austria?
Anschluss (union)
Who were German colonies given to?
The allies
Who were the Sarr Coalfields given to for 15 years?
France
What were the 3 strengths of the Weimar Republic?
- Bill of Rights
- Representative Democracy
- The Reichstag
Why was proportional representation a weakness of the Weimar Republic?
Lots of small parties meant it was difficult to pass laws and led to weak coalition governments
What was article 48?
The President could act without parliamentary approval in an emergency, an ‘emergency’ was not clearly defined so the power was overused and weakened democracy
What percentage of land did Germany lose due to the Treaty of Versailles?
13%
How many German citizens were absorbed into other countries?
Over 6 million
What did German people think the Treaty of Versailles was?
A diktat (dictated peace)
How did the German people feel about the government signing the armistice?
that Germany and the German army had been stabbed in the back (dolchstoss) by politicians
What did the government become known as by the German people?
The November criminals
Who did the Weimar Republic face threats from due to its unpopularity?
Both left and right wing groups
Who were the leaders of the spartacists?
Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht
When did the Spartacist Uprising take place?
January 1919
What was the Spartacist Uprising?
50,000 members of the Spartacists rebelled (led by leaders) in Berlin and attempted to overthrow the government
How was the Spartacist Uprising defeated?
Easily crushed by the Freikorps
When did the Kapp Putsch take place?
March 1920
Who led the Kapp Putsch?
Wolfgang Kapp
What was the Kapp Putsch?
Wolfgang Kapp led a Freikorp takeover in Berlin in attempt to overthrow the Weimar Republic
Why did the army refuse to attack the freikorps?
The freikorps were made up of ex soldiers (army had to be reduced due to Treaty of Versailles)
Why did the Kapp Putsch collapse?
The government encouraged German workers to go on strike
In what year did Germany fail to make its reparations payment that led to the occupation of the Ruhr?
1922
When did the French and Belgian troops occupy the Ruhr?
January 1923
How did the German Government respond to the occupation of the Ruhr?
- ordered the workers to follow a passive resistance and refuse to cooperate with foreign troops
How did the government continue paying the striking workers in the Ruhr?
By printing more money
When did hyperinflation occur?
1923
What were the reasons why hyperinflation occurred?
- Germany was already suffering from inflation due to war and increasing government debts
- passive resistance in the Ruhr meant production of industrial goods fell
- the gov continued paying striking workers by printing more money
- as the value of the German mark decreased, prices increased
Which people/groups benefited from hyperinflation?
- rich businessmen- could takeover small bankrupt businesses
- borrowers - could pay back loans and debts easily
Which groups/people were the worst affected by hyperinflation?
- people on fixed incomes
- pensioners and those with savings - these became worthless
How were workers affected by hyperinflation?
Workers were relatively safe as they were just payed higher and higher wages
How were farmers affected by hyperinflation?
There produce remained in demand so received more money as prices increased
How were the rich affected by hyperinflation?
Had land, possessions and foreign currency so were able to protect their wealth
