Weimar and Nazi Germany Textbook - Topic 1 Flashcards
how many germans died WW1
2 million
what happened to Germany’s debts 1914-1918
tripled
50 billion marks to 150 billion marks
over how many germans died due to food shortages in WWI
750 000
why did many germans starve in wwi
British navy blockaded German ports creating food shortages
by __1918 Germany was crumbling
November
when did the German navy mutiny
October 1918
when did workers in Munich declare a general strike and protest in the streets
7 November 1918
when did the kaiser Wilhelm abdicate
9 November 1918
where did Wilhelm go to in exile
holland
what were the SPD fearful of in the early days after the abdication of the kaiser
armed rioters announcing a commuist government in berlin
how did the SPD take control of Germany after the abdication of the kaiser
10 nov - Friedrich Ebert made an agreement with general groener of the army to work to keep communists out of pwoer
and suspended the old reichstag
and made a council of people’s representatives as an interim government
when was armistice signed
11 Nov 1918
explain how Ebert increased people’s confidence in the new republic -
(army - economics - governmental structure/keeping normal)
civil servants under kaiser stayed in office - Ebert arranged this
Ebert reassured general groener the army wouldn’t be reformed and soldiers would keep their ranks - in return for groener agreeing to use the army to keep the republic in power
reassured leaders of industry he wouldn’t nationalise and confiscate land - to ensure the businesses kept going
won support of trade unions and promised 8 hour working day
when was the new constitution created by the National Assembly (which had been voted in)
31 July 1919
how often was president elected
every 7 years
did the president play a part in day to day politics
no
who chose the chancellor
the president
who could vote
men and women over 21
what was the chancellors role
head of government
chose all ministers
what were the 2 house so the parliament
reichstag and reichsrat
which house was more powerful
reichstag
how often was the reichstag elected
every 4 years
which house was directly elected by the people and which sent representatives from regions of Germany with numbers of representatives proportional to size of region
reichstag
reichsrat
give 2 general strengths of the constitution
democratic
checks and balances
what system was the reichstag using for elections
proportional representation
every party had one seat for each ____votes in its favour
60 000
explain 3 checks and balances in the weimar constitution
president could choose chancellor
dismiss reichstag
assume control of army
chancellor decided which laws could be passed but only if majority or reichstag and reichsrat voted for them
local parliament called land - plural Lander controlled police, schools etc
give 3 weaknesses of the weimar constitution (general)
coalitions + PR
weakness in crisis
based on division and violence
how many coalition governments were there 1919-1923
9
what was the article number which said that in a crisis the president could rule by decree without reichstag support
48
give an example of how the weimar constitution was based on division and violence
government relied on army to subdue riots - such as feeling to weimar during the creation of the government due to riots in berlin
some parties were anti democratic
when was the treaty of versailles signed
28 June 1919
what is the word for the German people’s dislike of the treaty of versailles as the allies refused to let German representatives into the treaty discussion
diktat - germany had 15 days to make comments and the germans asked for concessions but all were refused
what article of the T of V said Germany had cause the war
231
how much money in reparations did Germany have to pay to the allies
6.6 billion £
how many German colonies were given to the allies
11
what was the Germany army limited to
100 000men
how many battleships in the navy
6
how many submarines allowed in the navy T of V
0
was there an air force allowed
nope
what area was demilitarised(German army not allowed in)
rhineland
the output of ___was to go to France for ___years as part. of T of V
the rich saar coalfields
15
give an example of Germany losing territory T of V
alsace and Lorraine lost to France
what % of Germany’s population did it lose as part of T of V
10%
what % of its iron and what % of its coal reserves did Germany lose in T of V
50 15
what is Dolchstoss
stab in the back - the army was retreating not defeated
the T of V made the republic __and___weak
economically and politically
what did the leaders of the German republic become known as
the November criminals - as they signed armistice in November
give the main right wing party in 1919
DNVP
what did extreme right wing groups want
return to strong government and army headed by dictatorial leader
what was the main communist party 1919
KPD
in 1920 what % of the seats in the reichstag did the main moderate. parties have
45
what were the 3 main moderate parties called
SPD - social democrats
democrats - DDP
centre party - ZP
give a slightly right wing moderate party backed by upper middle classes which sometimes supported Weimar Republic
DVP - people’s party
who backed the DDP
intellectual middle classes
which was more left wing - SPD or DDP
SPD
who supported the DNVP
landowners and wealthy people
why was the KPD well funded
backed by the Soviet Union
give the leaders of the spartacists
ROSA LUXEMBURG AND KARL LIEBKNECHT
when did over ____workers take to the streets of berlin as part of the spartacist uprising and take over government newspaper offices and why
6 January 1919
100 000
Ebert sacked the police chief in berlin on 4 January who was popular with the workers
ebert ordered demobilised soldiers who had kept weapons and were very right wing and opposed the communists to form what
the Freikorps
how many men in the freikorps by march 1919
250 000
to quell the spartacist revolt what did Ebert do
sent in the freikorps (as the army weren’t in any shape to do so)
when were rosa luxemburg and Karl leibknecht killed by freikorps
16 January
when were freikorps units near berlin due to be disbanded
march 1920 - they feared unemployment
how many men marched on berlin in the Kapp Putsch and why
fearing unemployment and being disbanded 5 000
who did the freikorps declare as leader of a new government in the kapp putsch
Wolfgang Kapp
who did the freikorps invite back from exile when they took over berlin
kaiser
where did the government flee to in the app putsch
weimar
how did the government end the app putsch
the government urged Berliners to go on strike
as many didnt want the kaiser to return they. did so
gas, electricity and water stopped
so after 4 days app realised he couldn’t govern
give 3 examples of political assassinations
Hugo haasse - 1919
Matthias Erzberger - 1921 a singer of armistice
Walter Rathenau - 1922 foreign minister
how many political murders 1919-1922
376
what was the ideology of most of those murdered 1919-1922
left wing or moderate
judges were sympathetic to ___wing people and not a single ___wing murderer was convicted
right
right
what was the KPD’s army called
red front fighters
what were the DNVP supported by (an army)
Stanhelm - steel helmets
what army did the SPD have
Black red Gold Flag
Germany’s reserves of __had been spent in the war
gold
give 2 reasons Germany couldn’t pay reparations
gold reserves spent in war
deprived of wealth providing areas
when did Germany fail to send coal to France from the Ruhr (part of the reparations agreements)
December 1922
when did France send troops into the Ruhr area
January 1923
what did the French do while occupying the ruhr
confiscated raw materials and manufactured goods
how many soldiers in the French army
750 000
what % of Germany’s coal, oil and steel reserves were in the Ruhr
80
what was caused by the government printing lots more money to pay off debts and pay workers striking in the ruhur
hyperinflation
how much was a loaf of bread by 1923
2 000 000 billion marks
give 3 effects of hyperinflation
workers were paid twice a day so they could buy goods before prices rose further - some shops refused to take money and some raided shops as they couldn’t afford food - normal living impossible
suffering - foreign suppliers refused to accept German marks so shortages of food as imports dried up
people with savings - middle classes - lost all of it
give 3 people who benefited from hyperinflation
people who had loans could pay them off
some hoarded goods and sold for large profit
foreign visitors benefitted - and Germans resented this
when was Gustav Stresemann made chancellor and foreign sec
august 1923
when did Gustav stresemann resign as chancellor
November
when did stresemann end his premiership as foreign sec
1929
when was a new bank and currency introduced and what were they called
Rentenbank (state owned) and rentenmark - november 1923
how was the new currency different
it was tied to the price of gold
when was the reichsbank introduced and what was the currency then renamed as
august 1924
reichsmark
when was the Dawes plan agreed to
April 1924
give 2 agreements under the Dawes plan
reparations reduced to £50 million per year
American banks loaned 25 billion dollars 1924-30
what did stresemann end in the Ruhr
passive resistance of workers
give 2 benefits to the weimar economy from the Dawes plan of April 1924
industrial output doubled 1923-28
employment and trade and income from taxation all increased
give 2 weaknesses of the Dawes plan
fragile economic recovery that depended on loans from US
extremists furious about paying reparations
give 2 foreign policy benefits due to the Dawes plan
allies reassured about getting payments
French left the Ruhr
when was the young plan
august 1929
give 2 agreements from the young plan
reparations reduced from 6.6 billion pounds to £2billion
government given further 59 years to pay
give 3 strengths of the young plan
lowered taxation increasing public spending, industry and employment, boosting government revenue and economic growth
French left Rhineland in 1930
increased confidence in Weimar Republic
what % of germans were in favour of the young plan
refurendum = 85%
give 2 economic policies of stresemann that strengthened economic recovery
young plan and Dawes plan
give 3 foreign policies of stresemann that helped Germany recover
Locarno pact 1925
League of Nations 1926
kellog Briand pact 1928
Live Love Kill
when was the Locarno pact signed
1 dec 1925
give 3 things from the Locarno pact
Germany accepted the 1919 border with France and France promised peace
Rhineland permanently demilitarised
agreed to talks about Germany becoming part of League of Nations
Germany had talks on equal terms with the other countries
when was stresemann given the Nobel peace prize
1926
what did some extremists dislike about the Locarno pact
that the T of v borders had been confirmed
when was Germany accepted as a member of League of Nations
September 1926
when was the Kellogg briand pact signed by 61 countries
1928 august
what did the Kellogg brand pact say
states would go to war to achieve foreign policy aims
between 1924-1928 how much did moderate parties support increase by
8% - from 50-58%
when did Ebert die and why was this good
1925 - he was a November criminal
who replaced Ebert
Paul von hindenburg
what group did Hindenburg reassure
middle classes
when did stresemann die
3 October 1929
how much did unemployment improve 1926-28
2 million to 1.3 million
give an example of help for the unemployment improving in the years 1924 to 28
unemployment ensurance act of 1927 = 60 marks per week in unemployment benefits
real wages rose by how much 1925-28
25%
what did the working week decrease to and from in the golden years
50-46 hours per week
how was the housing shortage changed in the golden years
it was decreased as 37 000 new homes were built by private companies - encouraged by the government
how did number of students in university increase in the golden years
70 000- 110 000
what % of members of the reichstag by 1932 were women
10%
what was turnout for female voters in weimar elections
90%
what did article 109 of the weimar constitution say
women had equal rights with men
what were women paid compared to men on average
33% less than men
women were expected to give up what once married
work
how many female judges in Germany 1933
36 - not many
the number of female what rose in golden age
doctors - it doubled
what was a double earner
both women and men who were married bringing wages in - trade unions were very hostile to these
what were new women
women who went out more, more independent, short hair, makeup, revealing clothes, jewellery, smoke and drank
the birth rate was ___ in golden age
falling
divorce rate in golden age was —
increasing (27-60 per 100 000 people)
give 3 new ways if looking at the arts
new objectivism
modernism
expressionism
give 2 factors that helped new ideas about the arts to spread
the bauhaus movement
government support
what was new objectivism
art shouldnt be romantic but should show the world as it truly is
what was modernism
arts should embrace the future and see beauty in cities and tech
what was expressionism
art should express the thoughts and feelings of the painter not show things exactly how they are
give an example of an expressionist artist
Otto Dix - his art was very critical of German society
give an example of a bauhaus influenced artist
Erich Mendelsohn
designed the Einstein tower looking like a rocketw
what was bauhaus and who headed it
Walter Gropius
beauty in tech, simple lines and careful craftsmanship
how did the government support arts
gave money to galleries and theatres
how many cinemas showing films with sound by 1932
3 800
give 2 examples of films - science fiction and horror - in the Weimar Republic golden age
The cabinet of Dr Caligari
Metropolis by Fritz lang
how did the communists dislike the new explosion of culture
thought it should be spent on helping working people
