Weimar and Nazi Germany (The Weimar Republic - pages 1-9) Flashcards
When did WW1 end? (pg. 1)
1918
Who declared Germany a Republic? (pg. 1)
Friedrich Ebert
What party did Ebert belong to? (pg. 1)
Social Democratic Party (became first German President)
What was the impact of WW1 on Germany socially and economically? And what did it lead to? (pg. 1)
- 2 million German troops died
- Government debts increased from 50 billion marks to 150 billion
- 750,000 Germans died due to food shortages
__ - Led to many revolting by striking and rioting
What did Kaiser Wilhelm II do? (pg. 1)
Got abdicated on 9th November 1918
What does ‘Kaiser’ mean? (pg. 1)
Emperor
What was agreed at the armistice? (pg.1)
The Treaty of Versailles - this would become a huge burden for the country
What is in the Treaty of Versailles? (pg. 1) (Think: LAMB)
Land reduced
Army reduced
Money - forced to pay reparations
Blame accepted for starting the war
When was the Weimar Constitution set up? (pg. 2)
31st July 1919
What were the 3 levels of the Weimar Constitution? (pg. 2)
- Head of State (President)
- Government (Chanceller, Cabinet)
- Parliament (Reichstag, Reichsrat)
What did the Chancellor do? Give 2 things (pg. 2)
- Head of government
- Chose all government ministers
What did the Cabinet do? (pg. 2)
-Main decision making body
What did the Reichstag do? (pg. 2)
Control taxation
Give 4 strengths of the Weimar Constitution (pg. 2)
- Women could vote
- Voting age reduced from 25-21
- Proprtional representation ensured small parties had fair share of seats
- No one group or person could hold too much power
Give 3 weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution (pg. 2)
- Unpopular as it wasn’t the choice of the people
- Lack of strong government led to weakness in a crisis that ended up passing laws without Reichstag consent
- Proportional representation led to unstable governments, often falling apart
What made the Weimar Republic weak from the start? What were they nicknamed because of this? (pg. 3)
Treaty of Versailles - many Germans felt betrayed that they signed it
__
- ‘November Criminals’
Who were the left-wing opposition group? Where were they from, led by and backed by? (pg. 4)
The Spartacists
__
- Came from Independent Socialist Party, Berlin, led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, backed by USSR
What did the Spartacists do January 1919? (pg. 4)
Took over governments newspaper and telegraph bureau to attempt a strike in Berlin
Led to street fighting for a few days, however Weimar government stopped it and shot leaders
Who were the right-wing opposition group?
Who were they made up of? (pg. 4)
The Freikorps
__
- Made up of armed ex-soldiers, had up to 250,000 men
What did the Freikorps do March 1920? (pg. 4)
Marched onto Berlin due to unemployment fears
A nationalist politician, Kapp, was in charge of the revolt, making the Weimar government flee Berlin to seek safety
To stop the Kapp Putsch, Weimar ordered workes to go on national strike. This would make such chaos Kapp couldn’t rule Germany, forced to flee
How many political assassinations took place in the early years of Weimar? (pg. 4)
376
What occured in 1923? (pg. 5)
Hyperinflation
What is hyperinflation? (pg. 5)
When the prices of goods increase a vast amount
How did Germany get into hyperinflation? (pg. 5)
During WW1, Germany printed more money to pay for the war, then after the war, printed more to pay for reparations (they were bankrupt)
January 1923 - French invaded Ruhr to take materials to take payments in goods, where 80% of coal, iron, steel was
Weimar printed even more money for strikers and to make up for the loss of these resources
All this made German mark worthless
Give 6 negatives about hyperinflation (pg. 5)
- Many couldn’t afford essentials like bread
- Wages rose, not as quick as prices
- Some businesses went bankrupt
- Pensioners suffered most
- Savings became worthless, affected middle classes most
- People blamed Weimar Republic, making them more unpopular
Give 4 positives about hyperinflation (pg. 5)
- Farmers benefitted, paid more for food
- Some could pay off loan and mortgages
- Foreign visitors could buy more for their money
- Fixed rent became very cheap
What years did Germany recover? (pg. 6)
1923-39
Who was the new chancellor that changed Germany for the better? (pg. 6)
Gustav Stesemann
How did Stresemann end hyperinflation? (pg. 6)
He introduced the Rentenmark (August 1923)
These were tightly controlled, as their value was tied to the price of gold
In August 1924, Reichsbank given control of the currency, renamed to Reichsmark
What was the Dawes Plan 1924? (pg. 6)
Charles Dawes, American banker, planned for Germany to pay reparations over a long period of time
- Instalments reduced to £50 million a year
- US banks agreed to give loans to Germany to help them pay
- Made Allies more confident they would get their reparation payments
What was the Young Plan, 1929? (pg. 6)
Set up by Allies and American banker Owen Young
- Reduced reparations from £6.6 billion to £2 billion
- Payments could be made over longer period of time until 1988
-Lower reparations led to lower taxes
- However, a lot of opposition who felt it was extending the burden for future generations
Give 2 improvements of German economy (pg. 6)
- Employment and trade increased
- Industrial output doubled by 1928, finally passed pre-WW1 levels
Give 2 problems from improvements of German economies (pg. 6)
- Extreme political parties were against Germany paying any reparations
- Economic recovery depended on American loans, making it fragile
What was the Locarno Pact, 1925? (pg. 7)
Germany agreed to its new border with France
German membership of the League of Nations up for discussion
- This improved relations between France, and with allies all around
- Increased status and popularity of the Weimar Republic, and confidence
What was the League of Nations? When was it set up and when did Germany join? (pg. 7)
International body hoping to discuss world problems to avoid war
__
- Set up in 1920, but Germany excluded
- They joined in 1926
What did Germany joining the League of Nations mean for Germany? (pg. 7)
- Showed Germany’s views counted
- Boosted confidence in Germany
What was the Kellogg-Briand Pact, 1928? (pg. 7)
An agreement between 62 nations, committed to avoiding war to achieve better relationships
Why was the Kellogg-Briand Pact a success for Germany? Give 2 things. (pg. 7)
- Showed Germany was now a major power
- Increased public confidence on how Germany was led
Give 4 things that showed Stresemanns policies weren’t all successful (pg. 7)
- Despised Treaty of Versailles policies still in place
- Extremist parties still around
- Some didn’t approve of the new border with France
-For some, LON was a symbol of the Treaty of Versailles
When did living standards begin to improve? (pg. 8)
1924
Give 2 positives and negatives regarding wages and work (pg. 8)
- Working conditions improved
- Wages rose
- Hyperinflation made employment insecure
- Well-off Germans resented seeing others benefiting
Give a positive and negative regarding housing (pg. 8)
- Between 1925-29, 101,000 houses were built
- There was still a housing shortage
Give 2 positives and negatives for women at work (pg. 8)
- Some jobs, like teaching/medicine, offered new oppurtunities
- Women were encouraged to go to university
- Most women gave up work after marriage
- Drop in women working from 75% in 1918 to 36% in 1925
Give a positive and negative for women at leisure (pg. 8)
- Greater earning power led to more independence among younger, single women
- New behaviour of ‘new women’ disliked by some men and women who felt tradition was eroded
Give 2 positives for women at politics (pg. 8)
- 90% attended elections
- Article 109 stated women and men had equal rights, enter professions on equal basis
