Weimar Democracy Flashcards
where was the Republic set up? why?
politicians moved to Weimar to set up the republic away from Berlin’s unrest
how often was the president re elected
every 7 years
what did the president do
- head of Republic
- chose key ministers (eg chancellor)
- could overrule his government and make laws by decree using Article 48
what were the Cabinet
the government, beneath the President
who led the Cabinet
the chancellor
what did the Cabinet do
they made political decisions
who did the parliament consist of
the Reichstag and Reichsrat
‘proportional representation’
the number of seats reflected the received number of votes
how often were the Reichsrat/Reichstag re elected
every 4 years
the role of Reichstag
- more powerful
- controlled tax
the role of Reichsrat
represented each region of Germany
the electorate
all men/women 20+ were eligible to vote in elections
political stages of the Weimar Republic
- President
- Cabinet (government)
- Parliament
- Electorate
strengths of the Weimar constitution
- all Germans had equal rights (eg right to vote)
- no person/group could have too much power
- provided a strong leader to control the country in an emergency
weaknesses of the Weimar constitution
- Article 48 meant the President could bypass the democracy
- constitution was weak bc strong German states (eg Prussia) held power through the Reichsrat
- PR encouraged small parties, no one party ever had enough seats to form a majority gov
when were the years of political change/uprest
1919-1923
main revolts/rebellions
- The Spartacist Uprising
- The Kapp Putsch
- The Munich Putsch
leaders of the Spartacist Uprising
Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht
who supported the Spartacist Uprising
the Soviet Union
when/where was the Spartacist Uprising
January 1919 in Berlin
what kind of group were in the Spartacist Uprising
a communist, right wing group
what was the aim of the Spartacist Uprising
to overthrow the Weimar Republic
what did the Spartacists argue against
Ebert’s plan for a democratic Germany
who was in the Spartacists
rebel soldiers and sailors
who was murdered in the Spartacist Uprising
the leaders, Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht
how was the Spartacist Uprising stopped
Ebert used Friekorps, he had recognised he needed to use political extremist groups against each other
friekorp
anti-communist ex soldier, could’ve been forced into quitting
leader in the Kapp Putsch
Wolfgang Kapp
when/where was the Kapp Putsch
March, 1920 in Berlin
what group was in the Kapp Putsch
a group of Friekorps, who hated the Treaty of Versailles
what was the aim of the Kapp Putsch
the friekorps were helping President Ebert to put down the Spartacist Uprising
how many Friekorps were in the Kapp Putsch
5000
why did the Kapp Putsch fail
- army refused to fight the friekorps
- German workers went on strike, forcing the Kapp to flee
leaders of the Munich Putsch
Adolf Hitler and Field Marshal Erich Ludenorff
when was the Munich Putsch
November 1923
NDSAP
National Socialist Worker’s Party
who staged the Munich Putsch
NDSAP
what was aim of the Munich Putsch
to seize power
why is the Munich Putsch often known as the Beer Hall Putsch
at first, Hitler had stormed a local beer hall and forced Bavarian government to support him
who was killed in 1922
Ebert’s foreign minister Walther Rathenau, by extremists
who were arrested at the Munich Putsch
Hitler and Raathenau’s murderers
how long did Hitler get in prison
5 years
why did the arrested people in the Kapp Putsch get short sentences
they had contacts in high up places in the courts
what did Hitler decide in prison
the Nazis should seek power by election, not by putsch
when was the Nazi part formed? with what?
- formed in 1920
- with a 25 point programme
why did many people approve of the Nazi’s 25 point programme
it included left and right wing policies
Nazi stormtrooper
specialist soldiers
what did stormtroopers do in 1923
began taking over local police and army headquarters, the day after the Munich Putsch
what did Hitler use his trial for
he used it for publicity, ti gain support
when did Hitler write ‘Mein Kampf’
he wrote it whilst in prison, volume 1 was published in 1925 and volume 2 in 1926
what was the name of Hitler’s book
‘Mein Kampf’
what was in ‘Mein Kampf’
it outlined Hitler’s political objectives
when was the Stresemann era
1924-1929
when did Gustav Stresemann become chancellor
1923, he served for 102 days
when was Gustav Stresemann foreign minister from
1923-1929
how did Stresemann stop hyperinflation
- called off passive resistance in Ruhr
- created new mark with value
when did Stresemann create the new currency, what was it called?
when was it renamed
November 1923- created the ‘Rentenmark’
renamed ‘Reichsmarck’ in August 1924
when was the Dawes Plan signed
1924
what did the Dawes Plan do
- helped Germany pay reparations
- US banks loaned 800 million marks
- temporarily reduced reparation installments to 50 million a year
did economy recover in the Stresemann era
yes
what were industrial production levels like in 1928
higher than in 1913
what did the Weimar Republic set up in 1927
- pensions
- health schemes
- unemployment schemes
these all helped society
when was the Young Plan signef
1929
what did the Young Plan do
reduced reparations by 60%
when/why did the Young Plan stop
stopped in 1929 bc of the Wall Street Crash
what had happened to world tradde by 1933
it had fell by over 60% and got rid of German chance of success through exporting
reasons for insecurity in economy
- economic recovery depended on American loans
- unemployment was still a big issue
- trade deficits
trade deficits
Germany was spending more money on imports than they received on exports
what were the 3 main agreements made in the stresemann era
- locarno pact
- league of nations
- kellog-briand pact
why did Germans begin to become more confident in the Weimar Repoublic
domestic/foreign achievments
when was the Locarno pact made
1925
who was the Locarno pact with
- Germany
- Great Britain
- France
- Italy
- Belgium
what did the Locarno pact do
- Germany recognised its borders with France
- demilitarised the Rhineland
when was the League of Nations set up
1926
who set up the League of Nations
Woodrow Wilson, the president if USA
what was the League of Nations
international peace keeping body
when was the Kellog-Briand Pact made
1928
how man countries did Germany sign the Kellog-Briand pact with
68 other countries
what was the Kellog-Briand pact
countries agreed to disarm and not use war to dissolve disagreements
what happened in 1927 to improve living standards in Weimar Germany?
insurance schemes were set up to help the ill or unemployed
how many homes were built in 1925-29? who did this help?
100,000 homes were built for workers, although the Republic still suffered with house shortages
how did worker;s living standards improve
they got higher workers and could work for less hours
was there any censorship in Weimar Germany
no
How did architecture change? name an example
there was a new freedom, buildings such as the Bauhaus school in 1919 attracted new designs and artists
what was there a rise of in art
expressionism
how did artists show problems
many drew everyday life, showing problems in society
example of a film made under Weimar Germany
Metropolis in 1927 by Fritz Lang
what was made easier for women in Weimar Germany
divorce, became more common
how many women were in the Reichstag in Weimar Germany
112
how many women 21+ voted
90%+
which article of the Weimar Constitution aserted gender equality at work/home
Article 109
what were women gaining opportunities in
professions
what were women encouraged to do
go to university
what did the number of working women in 1925 drop to from 1918? why
dropped to 75% in 1918 to 26% in 1925 bc many women stopped working after the waR
why did not everyone agree withe the ‘new woman’
they feared traditional German values were being forgotten
