Weimar and Nazi Germany Flashcards
What was Germany in following WW1?
Terrible. They had suffered many deaths, much of it’s infrastructure was destroyed and they were is masses of debt
What happened to Kaiser Wilhelm?
He abdicated and then fled to Holand
When did Kaiser Wilhelm abdicate?
9 November 1918
When was the German Republic declared?
9 November 1918
When was armistice signed?
11 November 1918
What was armistice?
A peace agreement, between Germany and the Allies
Give 2 features of the President
- Head of the Weimar republic
- Elected every 7 years
- Had important political powers e.g. choosing he chancellor
- Could suspend the constitution and pass laws by decree
Give 2 features of the Chancellor
- Head of the government
- Chose all government ministers
What was the role of the cabinet?
It was the main decision-making body of the government
What was the Reichstag?
The Reichstag, elected for a four-year term, was the central legislative body under the Constitution of the Weimar Republic. It is the more powerful of the 2 houses
What were the strengths of the Weimar constitution?
- Proportional representation meant all parties had their fair share of seats
- Women were able to vote
- Voting age reduced to 21
- No one group or person had too much power
What was the Reichsrat?
The less powerful than the Reichstag, however had the power to veto Reichstag bills
What were the weaknesses of the Weimar constitution?
- Proportional representation led to coalition governments, which were unstable and found it difficult to have strong policies/make strong decisions
- Lack of strong government led to weakness and indecisiveness in crisis
- It was not the choice of the people, so was unpopular
What was the ‘November Criminals’?
A label given to the leaders of the German republic, due to their signing of the Treaty of Versaille, which was viewed as a criminal act of betrayal to the country
How much did Germany have to pay in reparations?
£6,600,000,000 (6.6 billion)
What did the Treaty of Versailles force Germany to do?
- Pay reparations
- Limit their army massively
- Take full blame for WW1
- Lose a lot of land
What is the stab in the back theory?
The belief of the German people that the German army hadn’t been defeated in war, rather were forced to surrender by politicians, when they could have won
Who were the Spartacists?
- Left-wing
- Led by red Rosa and Karl Liebknecht
- Based in Berlin
What was the Spartacist Revolt?
The Spartacists took over the government’s newspaper and telegraph bureau, and tried to organise a general strike in Berlin. The government sent Freikorps to put down the revolt
Who were the Freikorps?
- Right-wing
- Made up of ex-militants who had kept their weapons
- 250,000 men
- Organised by regular army
What was the Kapp Putsch?
Freikorps marched on Berlin. Ebert asked the head of the army to resist them but he refused. A nationalist politician (Wolfgang Kapp) was put in charge, and the Weimar government fled Berlin.
The government organised trade unions to go on strike, and they did, which caused such chaos that Kapp could not rule Germany and fled. The Weimar government returned
How many political assassinations was there from 1919-1923?
376
Why did France invade the Ruhr?
To take reparation payment in goods and materials
What did the government tell workers to do when the France invaded the Ruhr?
Go on strike
What was the effect of the French occupation of the Ruhr
As 80% of German coal, iron and steel reserves were in the Ruhr, the occupation was devastating for the economy
What did the government do to try and solve the problem of the dying economy due to the French occupation of the Ruhr?
They printed more money to pay striking workers and make up for the loss of iron, coal and steel production
What was the impact of the government printing more and more money?
Hyperinflation
How did the price of a loaf of bread change from 1919 to 1923?
It went from costing 1 mark, to costing 200,000 billion marks
What were the impacts of hyperinflation?
- Some people could not afford essentials
- Many businesses went bankrupt
- Lifetime savings became useless
- It made the public hate the Weimar government even more
What was the Rentenmark?
A new currency introduced by Stresemann, which solved the problem of hyperinflation
When was the Rentenmark introduced?
November 1923
What was the Dawes Plan?
Reparations installments were reduced temporarily to £50 million per year
US banks agreed to make large loans to German industry
When was the Dawes Plan?
1924
What was the Young Plan?
- Reduced total reparation payment from £6.6 billion to £2 billion
- The payments could be made over a longer period of time
When was the Young Plan?
August 1929
What was the Nazi reaction to the Young Plan?
Saw it as passing on the burden to future generations
What was the problem with Germany’s economic recovery?
It was almost entirely dependent on the US loans, therefore was very fragile
What did Stresemann do to improve Germany politically?
- Strengthened confidence of the German people in the Weimar Republic
- Reduced the support for extremist parties
- Increased support for moderate parties
What was the Locarno Pact?
- Germany agreed to it’s new border with France
- The Allies and Germany agreed to the permanent demilitarisation of the Rhineland
- Germany’s membership in the League of Nations was up for discussion
When was the Locarno Pact?
1925
Why was the Locarno Pact a success for Germany?
- It improved relations with France
- It was not imposed upon Germany, unlike the TofV
- It increased the status and popularity of the Weimar republic
- It helped boost confidence in moderate parties
What was the League of Nations?
A new international body that hoped to discuss world problems to avoid resorting to war
When was Germany allowed to join the League of Nations?
1926
Why was joining the League of Nations a success for Germany?
- It showed that Germany’s views were counted and respected
- It showed that Germany was once again a powerful and respected influence
- It boosted the confidence of most German people in the Weimar government
What was the Kellogg-Briand Pact?
An agreement between 62 nations. It committed countries to avoiding the use of war to achieve objectives
Why was the Kellogg-Briand Pact a success for Germany?
- It showed that Germany was once again a powerful and respected influence
- It increased the popularity of and confidence in the Weimar government, as it showed that these moderate political parties could make change and build Germany’s strength internationally
What were still some areas of discontent during the Golden 20s?
- The hated terms of the Treaty of Versailles were still in place
- Some didn’t like the new border with France
- There were still extremist parties around
Give 2 improvements to work during the Golden 20s
- Reduced working hours
- Improved working conditions
- Wages rose