Unit 1: The weimar republic 1918-29 Flashcards
What is the definition of abdication?
When a monarch leaves the throne
What is the definition of republic?
A country without a king or queen
Who was Elbert?
The first president of the republic
Who was stresmann?
The chancellor of Germany from the summer of 1923 he had a plan to solve hyperinflation
What was Article 48
The president could use this to ignore the reichstag and rule as he saw fit
What is the definition of the Kaiser?
The king
What is the definition of Armistice?
An agreement to end war
What’s Weimar?
The new government could not meet in Berlin as it was so dangerous, so they met here instead
What’s the definition of constitution?
This is an agreement about how the country would be ruled
What is the definition of reichstag?
The german parliament
What’s the definition of Gewaltfrieden?
An enforced peace
What’s the definition of Freikorps?
Ex military soldiers who wanted to overthrow the republic
What is the definition of Rentenmark?
The currency of Germany after november 1923, the supply was limited but the currency had real value. People trusted this however people who had savings lost them
What is the definition of Hyperinflation?
When money looses its value
What was the Dawes plan?
In 1924 Charles Dawes an American banker had been asked to resolve germanys non-payment of the reparations. Under this plan;
-reparations were reduced to £50 million per year
-us Banks agreed to give £25 billion in loans
-employment, trade and income from taxation increased
-extreme political parties were furious that they had agreed to reparations
-germanys economy depended on US loans
What was the young plan?
In 1929 This lowered the reparations payment and gave Germany longer to pay
-lower reparations allowed taxes to lower
-less taxes gave ordinary Germans more spending money
-adolf hitler said “passing in the penalty to the unborn”
-annual payments were still £50 million
-reparations were now stretched to 1988
What was the Treaty of versailles?
This decided how Germany was going to be treated after WW1
What was the Locarno pact?
An agreement on borders signed by Britain, France, Italy and Belgium. It made war in Europe less likely, Germany was treated as an equal this increased Germans confidence in the Weimar Republic
What was the Kellogg pact?
In 1928 61 countries including Germany agreed to resolve conflict peacefully, this promised that states would not use war to achieve foreign policy aims. This showed that Germany was now included amongst the main powers, however some Germans still hated the terms of the treaty od Versailles
What is the definition of Coalition?
A government of two or more political parties
What did America want after the war?
To ensure Germany was not destroyed and not to blame Germany for the war (he hated the guilt clause)
What did Britain want after the war?
Wanted to please those who wanted Germany to pay whilst also leaving Germany strong enough to trade
What did France want after the war?
Destroy Germany, make it weak so it could never attack, demilitarise and huge reparations
The clauses of the treaty of Versailles
B- Germany took the blame and had to bear most of the consequences
L- Germany lost land and supplies
A- army was limited and they were not allowed tanks or planes
M- Germany was forced to pay 6.6 billion in reparations
E- Germany’s colonies were taken away so didn’t have much power
D- Germany was excluded from a world peace organisation
What was the stab in the back theory?
The Germans believed they did not lose the war but betrayed
What was the kapp putsch?
In march 1920 the soldiers (freikorps) were due to be disbanded and fearing unemployment they turned their arms on the republic. Five thousand men marched into Berlin.
What was the Ruhr?
- due to reparations Germany went bankrupt and couldn’t pay anymore
- Germany failed to sent coal to France and in retaliation 60,000 French and Belgium troops marched into Ruhr
- they planned to take the resources by force, they seized control of machinery and raw materials
-they even took money from the banks - Germany had been demilitarised so they couldn’t resist instead workers went on strike
What were the consequences of the Ruhr?
- the government printed more money to pay workers on strike
- many workers were shot and French arrested the entire Ruhr police force
- increased German hatred for French
- resented government for doing nothing
- extreme shortages in food and goods
Causes of hyperinflation (1923)
-the reparations and Ruhr had crippled germanys economy. This and printing more money let to financial crisis known as hyperinflation
Consequences of hyperinflation
-food shortages and stealing became common
-many Germans lost savings and sold their houses to survive
-prices increased rapidly
-banks and businesses closed
-workers were paid twice a day
-Germans were angry at the government
Who benefited of hyperinflation?
Middle class doctors and building site workers
Who didn’t benefit of hyperinflation?
Retired lawyers and factory worker
What did stresemen impose?
The Rentenmark, stresemen set up a new bank and issued a new currency (the rentenmark). The notes were limited and the currency was temporary
August 1924 the Reichmark
Where was germanys economy in 1924
Money was now trusted and hyperinflation was at an end. Unfortunately the new currency could not bring back the losses of those who were ruined by hyperinflation
What was the League of Nations 1926
At the end of the First World War the allies founded the League of Nations. This was set up so powerful countries could discuss how to solve problems. Germany was excluded
Why was Germany loosing ww1 in 1918?
-The war had dragged on for 4 years and was very expensive, Germanys debts tripled
-The British blockade of German coastal towns which meant food wasn’t getting through to Germans
-out of 11 million German soldiers 2 million died and 4 million were injured
-Germans allies let them down
-soldiers left the army causing riots
-the USA entered the war
-the Germans had tried a ‘spring offensive’ which failed
What was the German revolution 1918?
People were unhappy with the conditions in Germany, this caused people to start striking, refusing to go to work and protesting. Due to this and loosing the war the kaiser had to abdicate now that many army officers were refusing to listen to him
Who was Phillip scheidemann?
He was quick to proclaim Germany a republic because he was hoping it would bring peace and by making Germany a republic means citizens have a say
Why did the new parliament meet in Weimar instead of Berlin?
Berlin wasn’t safe
What were the strengths of the constitution?
-Each state had its own traditions
-All Germans had equal rights
-Political parties were allocated seats in parliament in proportion to the number of votes they got
-A strong president was necessary
What were the weaknesses of the constitution?
-There could never be a strong government because of the amount of party’s
-The president had too much power he could turn himself into a dictator
-States could over throw the government
-Article 48
-The republic had many enemies
In what ways did Weimar Germany change for the better?
Night clubs were introduced, new culture and new art. There was new designs of artitecture and new inventions. There was people who questioned and insulted the government
What was the golden era?
The nickname that was given to the period between 1924-1929 Germany where there was peace and prosperity
What did the left wing in German politics want in 1919?
They wanted to change society rapidly, aim to treat all people as equals and abolish all private ownership of land and business. They wanted cooperation.
What did the right wing in German politics want in 1919?
They wanted to keep society stable and and strong government dominated by powerful leaders. They also supported private ownership of land and business, they stressed traditional values
What improvements was there in standards of living during 1924-1929?
-increase in value of real wages
-lawyers and teachers remained high unemployment but Germany had some of the best paying workers
-2 million homes were built
-homeless reduced by over 60%
-benefits for veterans, wifes, single mums and disabled people
What was the Spartacist revolt -left wing uprising-?
The German communist party was set up in 1918 and were supported by the spartacist league who were extreme socialists. On 4th January 1919 someone sacked the police chief in Berlin who was popular amongst workers. The next day thousands of workers protested they saw this as their chance to undermine the government. They seized the governments new papers and telegraph offices and the government was loosing control of the capital.
How did the status of women change during 1924-1929?
-they started working outside the home
-There was new areas of employment
-100,000 women teachers
-3,000 doctors
-married women were criticised for neglecting homes
What ways did culture change during 1924-1929?
-architecture flourished
-cinema went through a golden age
-Walter grapiur developed buildings and furniture with unusual material
