topic 1 -Weimar republic early political threats Flashcards
the political spectrum of the left-wing:
the USPD in 1920 disbanded leaving left-wing sympathizers to choose between radical and moderate (KPD and SPD)
KPD wanted a bolsheviks inspired revolution by using propaganda, workers stikes,a nd violence
LEFT THREAT spartacist uprising events
5th January 1919 100,000 communists went on strike in berlin
lasted for three days; occupied public buildings and created revolutionary committees.
however, stikes made berlin unsafe for the gov and had to move to Weimar, strikes disabled the country
LEFT THREAT red Bavaria
march-may 1919 after the collapse of the Bavarian monarchy in the November revolution USPD leader Eisner took the political leaders but was executed in febuary 1919
‘red army’ of workers set up by Levine proposing radical communist changes
after a month of brutal fighting 1000 were killed by freikrops creating WHITE TERROR
left-wing fighting made Bavaria a right-wing- extremist haven
(nazis come from Bavaria and when the Bavaria judiciary put Hitler on trial after Munich putsch they were very lenient)
LEFT THREAT ruhr army
march 1920 formation of the army from 50,000 workers to oppose the Kapp putsch
crushed by army and freikorps
LEFT THREAT march operation
March 1921 uprising of strikes organized by KPD
LEFT THREAT german October
summer of 1923 KPD and SPD created local coalitions in saxony and thungria
however, communists went further and began military preparations to uprising by creating ‘proletarian hundred defence units.
stressmanns gov foiled plan with using army to put it down
regional gov were re-created without communists
CONTEXT used issue of hyperinflation and Weimar instability to take Weimar when they were weak
were the left-wing a threat for Weimar Germany?
- bad co-ordination that left the groups incapable of mounting a unified attack on Weimar due to the spd and kpd not coming together
- poor leadership meant the left suffered at the hands of the frikorps and removed some of its best leaders (l and l after Spartacists)
- concessions. Weimar gov played on the differences withing extreme left but making concessions that split it
- repression. the authorities systematically repressed the rebels with brutality
what does the term volkish mean
used to describe a person or ideology associated with aryan fascism
RIGHT THREAT organisation consul
an ultra-nationalist paramilitary group essentially terrorists
fromed by ex freikrops after the kapp putsch
notorious for killing Mattias ertzberger (finance minister who signed armistice) and rathenau (foreign minister who drew up the treaty of Rapallo)
PHYSICAL THREAT TO GOV
state within a state
authority and gov of state threatened by the rival power base
RIGHT THREAT freikorps
200 paramilitary units around Germany by 1919
although they were employed by gov to put down threats they threatened gov but due to their anti-republican stance, they had no respect for the Weimar governments.
seekt army remodelling
- strict military discipline and recruited new troops at expense of the freikrops
- determined to uphold the independence of the army as he believed they served a higher purpose to the nation over the government
- turned a blind eye to TOV and continued to build the amry
kapp putsch aftermath
- success- berlin people supported the putsch and withstood it to begin successfully
- lack of army support shows weakness of Weimer government
- amazing seekt was made chief of thermy due to confidence from army command!
- seekts army remodelling and the FAILURE TO REFORM THE ARMY MADE A ‘state within state’
out of 705 people prosecuted for the kapp putsch how many were sentenced
1 and to only 5 years of imprisonment
right wing sympathetic judicary
how long did the kapp putsch last?
4 days (6 overall)
how many troops were involved in kapp putsch?
12,000
what date was the kapp putsch
13 march 1920
kapp putsch events
kapp and ludwitz exploited the uproar over the proposed disbanding on two brigades of the army after TOV
13th march 1920 12,000 troops to march in belin sensing main buildings and were unstopped, created a new government
Germany’s army didn’t stop the putsch and seise commanded the army to put its interest before their obligation to the government (ebert gorener)
gov had to flee to but before doing so ordered working to strike, paralysing the capital and after 4 days the kapp failed and they fled
what did Hitler believe in?
forming a herrenvölk (mater race)
pan german (germans should join together)
social Darwinism
RED THREAT Munich putsch causes
long term causes:
stab in back
reparations
1919-1923 nazi support growing from bavarian state government
medium term causes.
nazi party influenced by fascists in Italy
occupation of ruhr
short term.
hyperinflation 1923
why Munich putsch was a failure
- nazi party banned
- humiliating for hitler
- 14 killed
- public didn’t take nazi’s seriously
why did khar and lossow pull out
fear of failure
what dates was the munich putsch?
8 - 9 november 1923
who were khar and lossow (munich putsch)
khar controlled bravaria and lossow was the commander of the bravarian uprising
what issues does the sentencing of the munich putsch exemplify
hitler only senteded to 5 years but ws cut down to 9 he used his right wing sympathies to get off
ludendorff was simply ‘let off’ becuase he argues he was there ‘by accident’
why was the munich putch a succsess for weimar republic
- seekt withstanded the putsch and put it down which meant that the rubliec were able to withstand this very large threat
why Munich putsch was a succsess
- only 9 months in prison and gav him time to write mein kamf and policies
- judiciary sympathised
- hitler got publicity and became well known
- forced hitler to rethink how to gain power
SPARTACISTS outcome
- they were detaches from political realities and had no real strategy
army lead by defense minister noske had army and 400,000 Frei Korps to put it down
however unsuccessful they did have stong leadership and ideology
100 died including leaders Luxemburg and leibernicht
right wing ideology/aims?
- agressive nationalism
- anti democratic
- anti marxist
- authoritarian
these principles unite the rights
DNVP
nationalists. coservate pan- german league.
very broad for right-wing appeal
attracted landowners and middle class
what % of votes did DNVP get in 1920 election
15.1%
german workers party
ultra-right-wing party founded by Drexler
after 2 years of being a a member Hitler became leader in 1921
in the years 1919-22 how many political murders were there?
376 overall:
22 by left and 354 by right
all 22 left are punished, however barely any right-wing assassins were punished (right wing sympathetic judiciary system)
munich putsch events
- khar was leader of right wing Bavarian government and lossow, commander of the Bavarian army, came under his spell and wanted to create a independent bravaia
- decided to help hitler in putsch
- 8th novemebr 1923 hitler seised a beer hall where jhar was speeking declaring a national revolution
- khar and lossow pledged allegance to putsch and escaped telling seekt to ithdraw army sopport
- lack of support meant that the army put donw the putsch
- 14 nazis died
