Topic 1 -Weimar Flashcards
What was German leadership pre WW1
Kaiser was an empower who ruled the Second Reich. He chose and sacked ministers, declared war and controlled foreign policy
What was the German economy like pre WW1
Rapidly growing, in 30 years international trade quadrupled and between 1880-1913 coal production increased by 400%
What was the German military like pre WW1
Trying to compete with GBs navy and build Dreadnoughts to combat Britain building one. 1864-71 military might of Prussia defeated France and Austria to create an empire, Army grew by over 200,000 in 10 years
Human impact WW1
2 million Germans died and 4 million were wounded out of 11 million
Financial cost on Germany WW1
Trebled governments debt from 50 billion to 150 billion marks
What impact did food shortages have on Germany after WW1 (4 points)
-British navy prevented ships bringing food to Germany
-750,000 Germans died from shortages
-After farmers drafted 50% of milk and 60% of meat produced at end of the war
-Potato supply ran out in the Winter of 1916-17
How were attitudes changed after WW1
-War experience made German bitter and angry, looked for someone to blame for the defeat
-During Autumn 1918 unreal spread and locals set up soldiers and workers councils to take over cities
How did opposition change in Germany after WW1
-Increased but not tolerated and group leaders imprisoned
-7th Nov 1918 Munich workers declared general strike and protested by announcing they were separate from the rest of Germany
When and who formed a new government
October 1918 formed by Prince Max of Boden
Why did the Kaiser have no choice but to abdicate
-Navy refused to follow orders
-General strike/protest in Munich
-War could not end till the Kaiser was out of power
-Lost support of army
-Lost support of the German people and government
Why could the war not end until the Kaiser abdicated
When Prince Max approached Woodrow Wilson about ending the war Wilson said he would not discuss peace terms with Germany until the Kaiser and military were out of power
After the Kaiser abdicated who become Chancellor, and who did that Chancellor give his power to.
-Prince Max became chancellor
-Gave his power to Friedrich Ebert (Leader of the Social Democratic Party)
On the 10th November 1918 what did the Chancellor and army agree
Ebert made an agreement with the General Groener that the army would work with the government to keep the communists out of power
What was the Council of People’s Representatives
Group of 6 politicians chosen by Ebert who would head government till a new constitution was constructed.
When were elections held for the Constituent Assembly and what was their purpose
19th January 1919 to create a new constitution
What is a coalition government
A government made up of different parties when none had a majority
Why was there a coalition government
The Social Democratic only had 40% votes rather than majority vote which was 50%
Why was the Weimar Republic given its name
The constitution was agreed on in the town of Weimar due to unrest/violence in Berlin
Name Democratic features of the Weimar Republic (2)
-President elected every 7 years
-Men and women over 20 can vote
Name undemocratic features of the Weimar Republic (3)
-President was supreme commander of the army
-Presidents could dismiss and and call new elections
-Article 48 : President can make laws without gov support
Why was Article 1 a strength for the Weimar constitution
-Confirmed Germany was a democracy
-Stated that political authority derives from the people
Why was proportional representation a strength for the Weimar constitution
-Meant the smaller parties had a fair share of seats in the Reichstag. If a party won 10% of votes it was given 10% of seats.
How was the constitution constructed so no person/group could have too much power
Under normal circumstances laws could only be made if the majority of the Reichstag and Reichsrat voted for them
Why was Article 48 a weakness for the German constitution
-It said in a crisis the president could pass a law by decree without the support of the reichstag.
-By 1930 this was regularly relied on by the chancellor, giving him and the president too much power
-Gives president more power than the people therefore is an undemocratic feature
How was voting changed in the Weimar Government
The age was reduced from 25 to 20 and women now able to vote on same terms as men
Why were Coalition governments a weakness to the Weimar constitution
They often argued and fell apart. Between 1919-23 there were 9 different coalition governments showing a lack of political stability.
Why was local governments retaining some power a strength
-Each of the 18 regions of Germany kept its own local government called a land.
-This controlled key services such as police, courts and schools.
How did Ebert work to win over further support for the new government
-Allowing civil servants and judiciary who had worked under the Kaiser to keep their jobs
-Reassuring nationalist leaders of industry that they could keep control of their business
-Promising trade unions that at an 8 hour day working would be introduced
When was the Treaty of Versailles signed
28th June 1919
What were the 14 points in relation to the Treaty of Versailles
-Woodrow Wilson had 14 points to guide negotiations of TOV.
-1 point was to move away from empires, therefore the German people would stay being ruled by Germany
Who wanted Germany to have a really harsh punishment from the TOV and why?
Clemenceau, the French Prime Minister. This is because most fighting was done in France and they needed money to help rebuild. Also second time being invaded by Germany in the last 50 years.
What is Germany told will happen if the TOV wasn’t signed and how did the German people react
They were told if it wasn’t signed they would go back to war.
The German people were shocked and upset.
Consequences of the Treaty of Versailles for Germany
-Lost 13% of land
-Lost huge portion of its colonies
-Had to pay a lot of reparations
What did Article 231 in the TOV state
Said Germany was the only blame for WW1, therefore they had to take all of the punishments
TOV Terms that affected Land areas in Germany - Alsace, Posen and Eupen
-Alsace Lorraine returned to France
-Posen and West Prussia lost to Poland, putting 1 million Germans under Polish rule. Also divided Germany in two, cutting off East Prussia from the rest of the country
-Eupen and Malmedy were lost to Belgium
TOV Terms that affected land areas in Germany - Plebiscites,
-Plebiscites had to take place in upper areas to see whether they should leave Germany. Upper Silesia voted to become part of Poland and Northern Schleswig voted to become part of Denmark
TOV Terms that affected land areas in Germany Colonies, Saar and Danzig
-The output of the rich Saar coalfields went to France for 15 years
-11 German colonies in Africa and Far East given to victorious countries
-German port of Danzig was made an international city (not gov by Germany)
TOV terms that affected the army (5)
-The Rhineland, land which bordered France, was demilitarised
-Army limited to 100,000 men
-Navy limited to 6 battleship + no submarines
-No air force
-No tanks, armoured cars or heavy artillery allowed
TOV terms that affected money
-Germany had to pay reparations of £6.6 billions to the allies
-Cattle and sheep given to France and Belgium as reparations
What does “Dolchstoss” mean and how does this relate to TOV
A stab in the back, the treaty was considered to be a betrayal to the army who had not yet lost the war, and had been screwed by the politicians.
Diktat meaning and relation to TOV
A dictation, as the terms were not agreed on by Germany as they weren’t allowed to influence them
Who were the Spartacists
-Radical Communist group led by Rosa Luxembourg and Karl Libknecth
-Formed German Communist Party after 16 spartacists killed after demonstration against the gov
-Backed by Soviet union and had 400,000 members
