WEIMAR EARLY YEARS 1919-33 Flashcards
WW1 political impact
Abdication of Kaiser- temporary govt under Ebert
WW1 impact on industrial production
Industrial production only 2/3 of that in 1913
WW1 no. of widows
600,000
Social impact of WW1
- Deepened class divisions- made worse by restrictions on workers wages during the war
- Many women worked during the war- family values disrupted
How much land did Germany lose under the Treaty of Versailles?
10%
How much of its population did Germany lose under the Treaty of Versailles?
12.5%
How much of its coal did Germany lose under the Treaty of Versailles?
16%
How much of its iron industry did Germany lose under the Treaty of Versailles?
48%
Examples of land lost under TOV
Upper Silesia, Alsace Lorraine, the Saar
How much was Germany’s army reduced to?
100,000 men
How much was Germany’s navy reduced to?
15,000
Spartacist Revolt
Jan 1919, Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg- put down by the Freikorps
Kapp Putsch
Mar 1920, led by Wolfgang Kapp. Defeated by a general strike
1923 Occupation of the Ruhr
French and Belgians occupied the Ruhr- late reparations.
Impact of occupation of the Ruhr
Put pressure on the economy, added to inflation
Hyperinflation
Value of mark fell, savings destroyed
Munich Putsch
Hitler planned to seize Munich and march Berlin- initlay successful but defeated by police
Stinnes- Legien Agreement
Between trade unions and businesses
Ebert-Groener agreement
Army agreed to support the republic, republic gave army authority
Why was the Weimar Republic economically strong ? (3)
Extensive natural resources
Advanced industry
Well educated population
1914-1918 world trade & impact on Germany
Slumped- Germany had always relied on exports
Short, medium and long term causes of hyperinflation (3)
Long- WW1
Medium- social reforms
Short- French occupation of the Ruhr
How much of Imperial Germany’s war expenditure was borrowed?
84%
What financial policy did Germany adopt after the war?
Deficit financing
Why did Germany choose a policy of deficit financing?
Did not want to alienate
Human consequences of hyperinflation (4)
Decline in law and order
Decline in morality
Increase in suicides
Increase in predjudice
What powers did the Weimar Constitution give the president?
Power to dissolve the Reichstag
Power to appoint the Chancellor
Power to rule by decree (Article 48)
Disarmament clause- impact on German army
Army reduced to 100,000 men
Only 6 battleships
Threats from the left
1919 Spartacist Uprising
1918 Red Bavaria
1923 German October
1918 Red Bavaria
Bavarian monarchy collapsed- set up a Bavarian Soviet republic
Freikorps brutally crushed a month later
1923 German October
1923 crisis- led to KPD and SPD coalitions in Saxony and Thuringia
Army crushed- communists excluded from regional governments
Stresemann’s policies (4)
Called off passive resistance and resumed reparations
Cut expenditure to reduce deficit
Rentenmark established
1924 Dawes Plan
Long term causes of the economic crisis
WW1 and war expenditure
84% of war expenditure had been borrowed
__% of WW1 war expenditure had been borrowed
84%
Middle term causes of the economic crisis
Social reforms and reparations
Caused the government to print more money
Short term causes of the economic crisis
French occupation of the Ruhr
Policy of passive resistance- still paying the workers
How many of those involved in the Kapp Putsch were found guilty?
1/705
