weimar birth Flashcards
give 2 impacts of ww1 on germany
- strikes
- political violence
why was Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated?
due to rebellions from the german navy leading to social outrage- the germans were upset at their loss of the war
as chancellor
who replaced Keiser Wilhelm?
Friedrich Ebert
leader of the social democratic party
what did Friedrich Ebert introduce in 1919?
a new constituion
what was the Sparticist uprising 1919?
a communist uprise in attempt to seize power.
what happened in the Sparticist uprising 1919?
- 50,000 communists attempted to violently overthow the central government
- in the centre of berlin, the workers went on strike and seized communication and news buildings
- The Freikorps put the uprising down, killing 100 people
who led the Sparticist uprising 1919?
Karl Liebkneckt and Rosa Luexmburg
they were brutally murdered by the Freikorps as a result
give 3 features of the Treaty of Versaille
- £6.6 bn in reparations
- 100,000 cap on german soldiers
- territory such as colonies seized
what was the munich Putsch 1923?
a nazi uprising attempted to overthrow the government
what happened in the 1923 munich Putsch?
1.Hitler and the SA raided a beer hall where a political meeting was occuring
2.they aimed to make General Ludendorff the leader of germany
3. the politicans were forced to publicly announce their support of the Nazis
4. Hitler left and Ludendorff freed the politicans, they renounced their support for the Nazis immediately
5. The nazis (including Hitler and Ludendorff) marched into Munich the next morning and were coonfronted by the army.
6. shots were fired and the SA and Nazis scattered
what happened to Hitler after the uprising?
he was sentenced to 5 years in jail (served 9 months) and wrote Mein Kampf as a result.
Mein Kampf contained his fascist ideas and plans for the German economy
give a consequence of the Sparticist uprising and the Kapp Putsch
The Weimar was put under threat as opposition to the government increased
give 2 strengths of the Weimar constitution
1919
- All Germans over 20 could vote for Parliament
- A bill of rights - all Germans were given freedom of speech, religion and equality
give 2 weaknesses of the Weimar constituiton
- Proportional representation- many small parties were represented in the Reichstag making it hard to pass laws
- Article 48- the president could pass laws without the parliament in the case of emergencys, however this was abused leading to faith being lost in democracy
what did Wolgang Kapp lead in 1920?
The Kapp Putsch. a freikorps takeover in reaction to the Freikorps being disbanded. However this was crushed as workers went on strike and refused to co-operate.
why did the French take over the Ruhr in 1923?
as Germany missed a reparation payment in late 1922.
why was the Ruhr important to Germany?
as it was an economic hub with coal mines, railways and factories
how did the government react to the French occupation of the Ruhr?
they ordered workers to follow a policy of ‘passive resistance’ where they woudl refuse to co-operate.
In return their wages would still be paid.
as a result the french responded firmly and expelled or killed workers
What did the German government do in order to continue to pay the Ruhr workers?
print more money, contributing to hyperinflation
how did 1923 hyperinflation impact society?
savings and people on fixed incomes became practically worthless, leading to high rates of poverty
farmers and business men benefitted as they were still in high demand and could pay off loans easily.
when was Stresseman elected into power?
1923
How did Stresseman combat hyperinflation?
- ended passive resistance in the Rhur, allowing goods to be back in production
- introduced the Rentenmark which was based on property and industry making it more stable
- reduced government spending by firing 700,000 government employees
what happened to Stresseman after 3 months?
he was released from chancellor and became a foreign minsiter instead
What did the 1924 Dawes plan state?
- Germanys reparations would drop to £2.2bn with 59 more years to pay
- The USA would loan Germany 800 million marks to help them financially recover
What did the 1929 Young plan state?
- reparations would be further decreased by 20%
- the US would loan more money to Germany
give a negative of the Dawes 1924 and Young 1929 plan
the US could withdraw loans at any time, leading to a lack of security
give 3 pieces of evidence that the Weimar economy never truly recovered under Stresseman
- unemployment in Germany reached 1.9 million by 1929
- Germany relied heavily on US loans
- agricultural production did not recover to its’ pre-war levels
what did the 1925 Locarno Pact say?
Germany would treat its’ border disputes peacefully and accept their loss of teritory
what happened in the League of nations 1926?
Germany was accepted into the treaty, imporving foreign relations- as a result of the Locarno pact being signed
what did the Kellog-Briand pact 1928 state?
Germany as well as 61 countries would settle disputes peacefully, further bettering foreign relations
give 3 ways the standard of living for Germans improved between 1924-29
- Wages rose above inflation
- pensions and sick schemes were introduced
- unemployment insurance was introduced in 1927, covering 17 million workers
how did womens position in society change in the years 1924-29?
- women were introduced into the workforce in the mid 1920s
- women increasingly took on white collar (professional) jobs
- women however were still pressured into conjugal roles
give 3 ways culture changed in the weimar government
- the cinema industry boomed
- art became more experimental due to less censorship
