(U1) Weimar Republic 1919-29 Flashcards
Who was the leader of Germany during WW1
The Kaiser (Wilhelm II)
When and Why did the Kaiser abdicate (2)
- 9th November 1918,
- because he lost the support of the people during the war
Why was it called the Weimar Republic
Named after the town it was formed in
What groups opposed the new Weimar republic (2)
- Communists (Sparticists),
- Conservatives
Who led the first post-kaiser German government?
When did he come to power and when did he lose it?
Who then took control and how?
- Prince Max of Baden
- 3rd October 1918 - 9th November 1918 (37 days)
- the SPD (Social Democratic Party), they withdrew support for his government
Who was the first:
- chancellor
- President
of the Weimar Republic after Prince Max was ousted? (first 2 in order)
- Friedrich Ebert - chancellor and
- Phillip Scheidemann - president
They then switched roles after the election
What party split from the SPD
and
why (4)
- USPD,
- anti war unlike SPD,
- more left wing,
- anti republic
What revolts/mutinies happened in 1918 (Weimar Germany) (4)
Give dates
- 29th October: Naval mutiny in Wilhelmshaven
- 2nd & 3rd November: Sailors took control of multiple towns e.g Bremen, Hamburg, Kiel
- 8th November: Major riots in cities e.g Dortmund, Berlin, Leipzig
- 8th November: Bavaria declared a socialist republic
Who were the spartacists (Weimar Germany)
and
what did they want? (4 aims)
- Group of communists lead by Karl Liebknect and Rosa Luxemburg,
Aims:
- revolution in Germany similar to Russia in 1917, followed by alliance with USSR
- cancellation of Assembly - power given to soldier and worker councils
- state nationalization of industry and agriculture
- police and army disarmed - replaced by worker’s militias
When was the sparticist revolt (Weimar Germany)
and
what happened?
- 5th January 1919,
- poorly organised; quashed by the Freikorps led by General Walther von Lüttwitz
Who were the Freikorps
and
Why was their use bad for the Weimar republic? (3)
- Volunteer, anti-communist group made up of former soldiers bitter at Germanys defeat,
- often used by the state against left wing mutinies
- They were pro-monarchy and led to more political violence in Germany.
How is the German army described by General Hans von Seeckt
and
what does it mean?
- ‘A state within a state’
- meaning the needs of the army were more important than those of the state
When were the first Weimar elections
and
what were the results (4)
- 19th January 1919
- New president = Friedrich Ebert
- Coalition government = SPD, Centre and DDP
- Chancellor = Phillip Scheidemann (SPD)
What did each Allied power want from the Treaty of Versailles (6)
USA (leader: President Wilson):
- Creation of the League of Nations, to maintain world peace through compromise,
- outlined 14 points for world peace
France (leader: Georges Clemenceau):
- for security, aimed to limit German power by confiscating land and restricting German military,
- also wished to strengthen Poland (at German expense) to be a buffer between Germany and Russia
UK (leader: David Lloyd George):
- Concerned over French power, argued against France taking Saar (coal rich) or the industrial Rhineland which was instead demilitarized.
- Huge pressure from home to support heavy reparations and put war guilt on Germany to make them liable to pay reparation
What was the German reaction to the Treaty of Versailles? (3)
- Horrified due to the war guilt clause (much harsher than was expected)
- Foreign minister Ulrich von Brockdorff-Rantzau suggested open refusal of the treaty
- Rather than accept the treaty, Scheidemanns cabinet resigned replaced by Gustav Bauer (SPD)
What land was lost due to the Treaty of Versailles for Germany? (8)
Territorial losses:
- Germany lost important industrial lands (up to 20% of coal production and 15% of agricultural resources)
- Lost land of symbolic importance (such as west Prussia, Alsace Lorraine, Memel and Poznan)
- Rhineland demilitarized,
- Danzig now a free port under the League of Nations, (no tax revenue)
- Saar placed under League of Nations - controlled coal going to France
- Kiel canal open to any nations warships or merchants ships
- Anschluss (Unification) with Austria was forbidden
Colonial losses:
- all German colonies handed over to the Allies
How was the German military restricted by the Treaty of Versailles? (3)
- Army limited to 100,000 men
- Navy limited to 6 battleships, 6 cruisers and 12 destroyers but no submarines
- no air force
Which General urged Germany to make peace (WWI) ?
When?
- General Ludendorff
- in September 1918
Who led the Munich revolt which led to the proclamation of a republic in Bavaria?
Kurt Eisner
How did the German Chancellor convince the Kaiser to abdicate?
- Seeing the mutinies and uprisings across Germany,
- Prince Max told the Kaiser he had to abdicate to avoid civil war
How did the government react to the Spartacists?
Used Freikorps to bring order
When did the Spartacist Revolt begin and end?
How did it end?
- 1st Jan 1919 - 15th Jan 1919
- Karl Liebkneckt and Rosa Luxemburg murdered
What reparations did Germany have to pay the allies? (5)
When were they announced?
How was this justified?
- Reparations set in 1921:
- they had to hand over all merchant ships of more than 1,600 tons,
- half of their ships between 800 and 1,600 tons
- and build 200,000 tons of ships in 5 years for the allies
- Germany had to pay the cost of army occupation
- Germany had to pay 20 trillion gold marks (London payments agreement) 2 billion a year plus 26% of German exports
- This was justified by placing war guilt onto Germany
What was the ‘stab in the back’ belief?
- Paul von Hindenburg gave evidence that the Treaty of Versailles shouldn’t have been signed
- he believed the military had been sold out by anti-patriotic leftist politicians
What were the features of the Weimar constitution?
- parliamentary democracy with the chancellor and cabinet needing majority support in the reichstag
- federation of 18 states (Länder)
- president elected in a seven year term with strong counterbalances
- article 48 allowed the president to suspend the reichstag and rule by decree in a “national emergency”
- Reich chancellor led being accountable to the reichstag
- parliament made up of two houses:
- the Reichsrat: power to delay laws, members chosen by the parliaments of the länder and
- the reichstag: elections every 4 years with proportional representation
- bill of rights e.g freedom of speech etc.
How did the constitution weaken the republic? (2)
- Many features weren’t accepted by all parties (such as proportional representation, parliamentary government or civil liberties)
- negotiated by parties who didn’t stay popular
How did the constitution strengthen the republic? (2)
- The compromise reflected a broad spectrum of opinions, even right wing parties
- reflected successful constitutional practice at the time and had built in checks and balances
Why did article 48 exist?
As a counterbalance to any potential ‘elected parliamentary dictatorship’
What were the positives of article 48?
Ebert used it to give power to the military to protect the republic by putting down the Munich putsch
What was the background to the Kapp Putsch? (3)
- 28th June 1919 - Treaty of Versailles signed, with it, Germany was to have its military restricted
- October 1919: National association founded by Ludendorff and Kapp
- General von Lüttwitz (leader of the Freikorps) joined, army discontented with demands to downsize
When and how did the events of the Kapp Putsch occur? (5)
- March 1920 Government orders disbanding of the Ehrahrdt marine brigade and Baltikum stationed in Berlin
- 13th March 1920: 5000 troops from the brigade tried to seize government buildings in Berlin
- commanders refused to release troops to stop the putsch
- the government fled to Stuttgart
- the putsch collapsed after trade unions (linked to the SPD) called a general strike and Kapp fled to Sweden with no authority
What was the aftermath of the Kapp Putsch?
- the Putsch led to major communist uprisings across Germany and
- led to more division between the right wing groups and the republic
- the ‘Weimar coalition’ suffered heavy losses on having 45% of the seats