Unit 1 (The establishment of the weimar republic and its early problems) Flashcards
What triggered the start of World War I?
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914.
Which alliances were involved in World War I?
The Allies (including Britain, France, Russia) and the Central Powers (including Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire).
Why did the war cause political instability in Germany?
Prolonged suffering, food shortages, economic collapse, and military defeat led to widespread unrest.
Who was the Kaiser during World War I?
Kaiser Wilhelm II
How did World War I lead to the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II?
As Germany faced defeat in 1918, public protests and pressure from military leaders forced Wilhelm to abdicate on November 9, 1918.
What was the result of the Kaiser’s abdication?
The establishment of the Weimar Republic and the end of the German monarchy.
What role did the military have in the abdication of kaiser
They mutinied and would not follow orders from him.
Carried out protests and strikes
What role did the public have in the abdication of kaiser
Carried out protests and strikes.
Blamed Kaiser for the country’s defeat
What role did the Allies have in the abdication of kaiser
Insisted there would be no peace unless the Kaiser abdicated
Who was Friedrich Ebert
-Head of social democratic party
-First president of the Weimar republic
What was Friedrich Ebert’s approach to governing the country?
Friedrich Ebert’s aims were idealistic and ambitious, as he sought to balance workers’ demands with business interests while keeping both the left and right satisfied
Proof that the Weimar republic was popular at the start
-Ebert’s party won 40% of seats- he was the new president
-there was 82% turnout for the first election
-Moderate parties got the most votes
Proof that the Weimar republic was unpopular
wanted the Kaiser back
-Politicians like Ebert who signed the armistice were called the November criminals (seen as traitors)
-Erzberger who signed it was assassinated
-Senior figures (judges, army leaders) were opposed to the government
-many germans
#wanted a communist revolution
#felt Germany should not have lost the war
Exam tip How do you answer a 6 marker
2 marks- Answer the question generally, overview
3 marks- quotations explaining your prev. judgement (overall)
1 mark- Something that opposes the writers statement or quote from your knowledge
What was stated in the Weimar constitution
-The president
Elections for the head of state happened every 7 years
-The chancellor
Appointed by president, must hold support of the Reichstag majority
-The Reichstag
Political parties allotted seats according to the % of votes gained proportional representation
-The german people
All adult women and men could vote
-Article 48
In an emergency the president held powers to pass laws without Reichstag approval
-State governments
Were kept but had more limited power
Strengths of democracy
-more inclusive
-voting represents all germans
weaknesses of democracy
-faced opposition from public as some did not believe in its benefits
-They did not fully understand how it worked
strengths of president’s role
-Stability for the nations
-elected- democratic
weaknesses of president’s role
-Ultimately did not hold much power
-most power held by the chancellor- threat, danger
Strengths of Chancellors role
-Holds power and strength-stability
-elected democratically, comes from biggest (most popular) party
Weaknesses of Chancellors role
-Might have to appease president
-power could be exploited
Strengths of proportional representation
-All parties therefore all voices were represented
Weaknesses of proportional representation
-clashing views between parties- very hard to achieve majority
-extreme parties holding power due to major party’s dependence on them for coalitions
Strengths of Article 48
In emergencies, government can still function
Weaknesses of Article 48
-Vague definition of emergency- can be exploited
Strengths of States rights
-Local issues can be addressed better
-different states can express themselves
Weaknesses of states rights
-richer states may outperform poorer states
-Germany may not feel united
What was proportional representation
A system whereby political parties get seats in the Reichstag based on the percentage of votes they get.
What was the Reichstag
A parliament, government building
What was the peace treaty of WW1 called
Treaty of Versailles
Why did most germans believe the treaty would not be harsh
- they believed all countries should accept responsibility
-They expected some mercy
-They expected the treaty to be based on Wilson’s 14 points
-The kaiser was no longer involved
What did Clemenceau want from the treaty
-vengeance
Germany caused suffering, deaths and destruction of france
-reparations
Wanted to rebuild france
-Taking away military power
Stops germany from invading again
-Breaking apart Germany
-territories
What did Lloyd George want from the treaty
-German colonies
more power
-German navy
Control the seas
-Not too harsh of a punishment
As Germany could be kept as a valuable trade partner
Reparations
to please the enraged public
-Balance of power
What did Woodrow wilson want from the treaty
-Peace
America to be safe (avoidant)
-league of nations
-disarmament
-self determination
What was germany not invited to
The treaty of versaille discussion
What were the terms of the treaty of versailles
G- guilt
Article 231 stated that germany had to accept blame for starting the war
A- arms
limited to 100,000 soldiers, 6 battleships, no air force, no submarines, no tanks
R- Reparations
6.6 Billion pounds had to be paid
G-German territory
Alsace lorraine to france, Eupen and malmedy to belgium etc
L- league of nations
germany not included
E- extra
Germany and Austria not allowed alliance, some territories given independence
What were some of the notable 14 points of Wilson’s
-disarmament
-advocated for less colonislaism
-self determination
the principle that people have the right to choose their own government, free from external powers
-league of nations
What were German’s reactions like to the treaty of versailles
-Shocked by the harshness
-Unaware as they hadn’t been allowed in negotiations
-Humiliated by reduction in army, territory loss
-Humiliated and angered by article 231
-Angered by high reparations
-Blamed Weimar for signing the armistice
What are some things the allies justified the harshness with
-In 1917 when Russia left the war Germany gained a lot from the Brest-Litovsk treaty which essentially treated them similarly if not worse
-The germans “wouldve done much worse to the allies if they’d lost” they believed
Why might the treaty (factually) not have been as harsh
-for reparations Germany had not suffered much damage during the war and its economy boomed in the 1920s. The allies had debts as well
-As for army, It was not so necessary for germany to have a large army anyway
-It was not unfair compared to the terms imposed on russia by germany and intended to impose on the allies if germany won the war
Who did the left want to hold power in germany
-Workers should hold power
-everyone treated equally
Who did the right want to hold power in germany
-Strong authoritarian leader
-capitalism (private businesses and land owners)
Who did the left promote the interests of
workers
Who did the right promote the interests of
capitalism- private businesses and land owners
What was the main left political party
KPD communist party
What was the main right political party
National people’s party
Who were the left inspired by
-Marx
-Russian bolsheviks
What was the right inspired by
Hatred towards the communists whod opposed the kaiser
What was the spartacists uprising
The Spartacist Uprising was a 1919 communist revolt in Berlin, led by the Spartacist League, aiming to overthrow the Weimar government and establish a socialist state
What was the Kapp putsch
The Kapp Putsch was a 1920 right-wing coup attempt by Wolfgang Kapp and the Freikorps to overthrow the Weimar Republic and restore authoritarian rule
Who led the Spartacists uprising
Rosa luxembourg, Karl liebknecht
Causes of the spartacists uprising
-power vacuum
-1917 russian revolution
Causes of the Kapp putsch
-The terms of the treaty of versailles
-Humiliation, need for new leader
Initial successes of spartacists uprising
-Occupied headquarters of Government
-took control of newspaper and telephone office headquarters
Initial successes of Kapp Putsch
-Took over Berlin
Reasons Weimar gov. found it hard to put down Spartacists uprising
-Weimar gov, was new and lacked stability
-Weak army
Reasons Weimar gov. found it hard to put down Kapp putsch
-The soldiers refused to fight the friekorps as they were both in the army
How did the spartacists uprising end
-the friekorps were former soldiers from WW1 who hated communism.
They were paid to put down the communists
How did Kapp Putsch end
-The army refused to partake in the fighting but the people of Berlin refused to support Kapp putsch and went on a strike
Positive and negative consequences for the Weimar gov. after SP uprising
Negative
-people didn’t feel protected and the government seemed week
Positive
-Proves that majority of people did not want a communist revolution
Positive and negative consequences for the Weimar gov. after Kapp putsch
Negative
-Weimar shown to be weak again
-Does not have army’s support
Positive
-The majority of people aren’t in support of friekorps or the two extremes for that matter
Why was Germany close to bankruptcy by the end of 1918?
due to the cost of WW1.
How did the treaty of versailles exacerbate germany’s economic state
-The allies insisted on huge reparation payments (6.6 Billion pounds)
- Took away Germany’s income generating areas. (coal and iron reserves)
Why did the allies need the payments from Germany?
To repay the money they owed to countries such as US
When did Germany fail to pay reparations which led to French retaliation?
In December of 1922
When did Belgian and French troops march in the Ruhr
January of 1923
What was the Ruhr to Germany
The centre of Germany’s production of iron, steel and coal.
Why did the French and Belgians barge into the Ruhr
Germany failed to pay the reparations due during that time so they decided to take industrial products instead of cash.
How did the Weimar government attempt to stop the invasion of the Ruhr?
Because they had no military power, it encouraged workers to go on a strike to cut off production and carry out passive resistance
What did some germans do in the Ruhr to sabotage the French
-arson and sabotage to damage the factories and mines so that production had to stop
What was France’s response to the strikes in the Ruhr? What did this cause
-to bring in their own workers
-conflict between the French and Germans
When did French and Belgian forces leave the Ruhr
in July of 1925 after the Dawe’s plan was signed
what did the germans government’s reaction bring it
temporary popularity and in a way, people were united against the invading forces
What were the consequences of the government supporting the strikes
-To support and pay the striking workers, Germany had to print more money.
-The more notes were printed, the more the value fell and Germany entered a period of hyperinflation.
What was the income during the years 1919-1923 for Germany?
What did the German government do to compensate for this deficiency?
-only 1/4 of what it needed.
-The government decided to print more notes
What was Germany’s state of economy through 1919-23
The government experienced a significant decline in revenue and struggled with a shortage of funds.
What system did countries use to determine the value of money
At this time countries linked the value of their banknotes with gold.
-If the government has 10 million marks in gold, it should only have 10 million marks in banknotes in circulation . More banknotes reduce value.
What happens if there are 20 million marks worth of banknotes and 10 million of gold?
Each banknote is worth half as much so that the total value still adds up to 10 MIL
Why did hyperinflation hit germany
Because the government had started to print more money during WW1 as well as reparations and to pay the striking workers. This accumulated to an economic disaster.
What were the effects of hyperinflation
-it forced millions of Germans into poverty
-millions of middle class germans were thrown into poverty
Who did hyperinflation affect the most
People on fixed incomes (who received the same amount of money each week or month) such as pensioners
Why was it not as bad for people who worked?
their wages rose as well, but the increases in wages were always slower than the price raises.
Which groups benefitted from hyper inflation?
-People with loans and mortgages could pay them off more quickly because the value of the loans had fallen so much
-people who owned possessions such as land or buildings were protected as the value of these rose in line with inflation
-Farmers could sell their produce at higher prices.
Who did the people blame for their struggles?
The Weimar government (even though these struggles had started before the republic was formed).
There was a real danger of the government being overthrown if this wasn’t resolved
what did Germans call the Treaty of versailles?
diktat
Who were the friekorps?
Armed, right wing paramilitary groups of ex-soldiers
