Weimar and Nazi Germany Flashcards
What issues did war cause
- German people were suffering sever hardship
- Allies set up naval blockades which prevented imports of food and essential goods. By 1918 people faced starvation
What did the Germans do
They turned against Kaiser Wilhelm II who ruled the German emperor like a king
What did the Germans want
They wanted democracy
Why and when did Kaiser resign
Kaiser resigned on the 9th November 1918 because of a huge protest in Berlin and members of the social Democratic party called for Kaisers resignation
What did Kaisers resignation lead to
- Declared a republic
- The monarchy had been abolished and Germany had the chance to become a democracy
What does republic mean
A country ruled without a monarch
What was signing of the Armistice
- 11th November 1918, a ceasefire to end World war I was agreed
- Allies (Britain, France, USA) signed an armistice(truce) with Germany
- New republic under pressure to sign
- Government didn’t think Germany could continue fighting as its people were starving and military morale was low
- Armistice wasn’t supported by some right-wing Germans, who saw the truce as betrayal, believed Germany could still win war
Who was the first president of the Weimar Republic
Fredrich Ebert
When was the Weimar Republic formed
February 1919
How did the Weimar Republic form
Members of the new Reichstag met at Weimar and created a new constitution for Germany this is called the Weimar Republic
What was the Reichstag
Parliament of Germany
What could German people now do
Men and women over the age of 20 had a right to vote
What were the features of the Reichstag
- Elected every 4 years using proportional representation
- In control of the new laws and budget
Who and what could the chancellor do
The chancellor was the equivalent to the prime minister and had the power to propose new laws
Who and what could the president do
- Elected every 7 years
- Appoints and dismisses army generals
- Head of state
- Equivalent to king
What was article 48
In an emergency the president can rule on their own
What was proportional representation
Each party got the same percentage seats in parliament as the percentage of votes it received in an election
What were 3 strengths of the new constitution
- Laws of Weimar Republic very democratic. Men and women has equal voting rights at age 20
- Head of government (The Chancellor) needed the support of most people in the Reichstag
- Voting by proportional representation was arguably fairer
What are the 3 main weaknesses of the new constitution
- Article 48 allowed a president to rule on his own without parliament
- Proportional representation produced a large number of small political parties which meant no party could not agree and make decisions to help Germany recover
- Strong president necessary to keep control over government and to protect the country in crisis
What does diktat mean
order imposed on someone
What does dolchstoss mean
myth of stab in the back
What was the French leader, George Clemmenceau’s aim
- Stop Germany ever fighting another war and punish them
- Cost a lot of money so Germany should pay
- Want economy weakened so they can’t afford more war
- Army away from boarder and land back they took in 1871
What was the USA leader, Woodrow Wilsons aim
- Encourage peace
- Emperors of Europe cause the war so wanted to encourage democracy
- Want a way countries can talk to each other without having to start wars
Shouldn’t be harsh on Germany as it might start a war
What was the British leader, Lloyd Georges aim
- Keep public happy and want to blame Germany for deaths of many
- Need money from Germany to pay war debt
- Wants empire to be safe so wants Germany’s navy to be small and for Germany to lose their African colonies
- Shouldn’t be harsh
What were the 4 key terms of the Treaty of Versailles
- Land
- Armed forces
- Money
- Blame
What were the land key terms
- 10% of land lost and 13% of its population lost
- 50% of iron and 15% of coal reserves
- The Saarland where most of German’s coal and iron is gave to France so they could use it’s resources to restore their economy
