topic 1- Weimar Republic early years key facts Flashcards
how many germans died in WW1
2 million
what was inflation like between 1914-1918
average prices doubled
wages rose by 50-75%
aims of the October reforms
- secure Germany best possible peace terms from allies
- prevent a revolution from below
who made October reforms
Ludendorff
when did prince max of Baden become chancellor
3rd October 1918
What were Prince Max’s constitutional reforms?
- kaiser give up powers over the army to reichstag
- chancellor accountable to reichstag not kaiser
- wrote to president Wilson to make an armistice
What role did Fredrich Ebert Play
- 1st chancellor of democratic Germany November 1918
- Elected 1st President January 1919
How many votes did the Weimar constitution get in Reichstag July 1919?
262 votes for : 75 votes against
How many parties in the Reichstag?
20
How many representatives in the reichstrat?
67 representatives from 17 länder
How many Coalitions were there between 1919-1923
9
How many votes did the embittered reichstag accept with the Treaty of Versailles with
237 for : 138 against
Who signed the Treaty Of Versailles?
Muller
Territorial arrangements of TOV?
- 13% territory lost
- 12% German population lost
- Polish corridor lost 1 1/2 million Germans
- Anchluss forbidden with Austria
How much of Germany’s resources were lost TOV?
- 48% iron ore
- 16% coal
- 15% agricultural production
War guilt article TOV?
231
Disarmament terms TOV?
- 100,000 men in army
navy limited to: - 6 battle ships
-12 destroyers and no submarines
TOV reparations?
132,000 million gold marks over 30 years
Who was Matthias Erzbergher?
finance minister who adopted deficit spending
War expenditure figures?
1918 16% raised from taxation. 84% had been borrowed
How much was a loaf of bread in January 1923 and November 1923?
January- 250 marks
November- 200,000,000 marks
What was 1 rentnemark equivalent to
1 rentenmark- 1,000 billion marks
How many votes did the DNVP get in the 1920 election?
15.1%
ebert- gorener pact
10th November 1918
army wouldn’t be democratised in return for support
giving ebert support against ferikorps
but angered the lefts as they saw it as a betrayal of revolution
stignnes-leigen pact
15th nov 1819
gave workers 8 hour working days and workers legal rights and comittees
good because it prevented workers from supporting communism
bad as it angered right with factor owners
what was the turnout of the january 1919 election
83%
who were the largest part after the 1919 election january
SPD with 38%
when was the constiution ratified
11th august 1919
strengths of the weimar constiution
- democratic, allowed everyone over 21 to vote
- restrat could retrain reichstrag with a 2/3 maj to block laws
- each 18 reigions had won parliament controlling police, courts and schools (power to the locals)
- PR gave smaller parties a say and their voice be heard
- need a maj in reichstag and reistrat to make laws
- proportional rep represented the split of political views in germany at the time which didnt allow for tyrnny of one party
how many votes were needed to get 1 seat
60,000 votes
weaknesses of Weimar constitution
- coalitions make decisions difficult creating unproductive and slow governemnt, could lead to consitional gridlock
- reichstrat needing 2/3 maj to block a law is hard due to many different views from differnt parties giving the reistag lots of power
- article 48 was relied on too heavilty my predients to pass laws to bypass reichstag
- was born out of political violence not political enthusiasm so was destiend to fail
aims of the november revolution
- soldiers and workers organisations wanting democracy and workers rights such as an 8 hour day (which was given in the sitggens leigen agreemtn on 15th november)
events of november revolution
29th october- sailors and workers started to uprise in wilhelshaven
2nd- keil mutiny against suicide mission
6th novemeber- schiedmann declares germany a republic
8th march- Bavarian monarchy are disposed (leading to red bravaria)
9th november- Berlin workers striking which is encouraged by the SPD 24 hour strike.
SPD give ulitmatum to max to make kaiser abdicate which max said he would abdiacte without consulting the kaiser
10th november groener says the army cant fight any more and then kaiser abdicates
when did article 48 get used in a positive way?
to put down the munich and kapp putsch
what did the issues of the undemocratisation of the judicary cuse
un democratisation cuase rw to be let off elniantly whilst lw were treated warfully
for example hitler only got 5 months in prison for conspiring to overthrow governemtn but lebernicht and luxemborg were killed
arguments that judicary was ‘democratises’
aticle 54 of the constiution guarenteed independnece of judges to uphold democracy
issues from ebert groener
army being undemocrtaised led to the army supporing rw uprsiigns such as kapp and heavily penalised lw uprisers
argument that the army being undemocratised was good
army supported ebert as they wernet going otbe refromsed and in turn helped to uphold democracy from communism and overall left wing consipiracy
how many times did ebert use article 48?
136 times
by 1930 this was the only way to pass laws
what insitutions remained undemocratised?
- the army
- the judicary
- the civil service
this was an issue and under the 2nd reich these institutions were chosen from the right wing aristocracy who looked down at democracy in disitain.
in trying to keep stability this proved a large downfall for the consitution
how many men were demobilised from the army?
1.5 million
why did max force kasier to abdicate
- becuase SPD encouraged a 24 hours strike in berlin and give max an ultimatum of the kaiser resigning
