Weimar Germany Flashcards
What were the 3 main types of impacts of WWI on Germany
- economical
- social
- political
During WWI by how much had prices + wages increased
- prices inc by 100%
- wages inc by 50%
(Economical)
Why was Germany close to bankruptcy after WWI
- war had lasted longer than expected
- German factories were focused on making weapons for war but other industries + businesses had suffered when foreign trade was cut off by Allied naval blockade of Germany
(Economical)
How many soldiers had died + wounded from WWI
- died = over 2 million
- wounded = over 6 million
(Social)
How many civilian deaths were there by 1918 + what caused them
- 293,000 civilian deaths
> caused by starvation + effects of winter cold
(Social)
Why was there food shortages after WWI and what did Germans have to resort to eating
- serious food shortages after failure of potato crops
> left Germans depending on turnips which were usually grown to feed livestock
(Social)
After WWI when + why did the kaiser abdicate (step down)
- 9 November 1918
> because outbreak of naval mutiny in part of Kiel led to violent protests in several German countries which persuaded the Kaiser to step down
(Political)
After the Kaiser gov had collapsed what were Germany left with
- a weakened experimental gov during end of WWI + the peace negotiations which followed
(Political)
After WWI there was serious political divides between what groups + explain what they wanted for Germany
- socialists + communists
- socialists wanted to make Germany a more democratic society + fair country
- communists believed in violent revolution to share wealth of the country among workers + nationalists
> this division led to violent protests in the new German republic
Why was the new government known as the Weimar Republic
- after the jan 1919 elections for the new constituent assembly there was so much unrest + violence in Berlin
> it was decided that the new gov should meet outside of Berlin in a town called Weimar
> the new gov therefore became known as the Weimar Republic
When was the the Weimar Constitution created + what did it contain + any benefits?
- August 1919
- contained the rules of how the Weimar Republic gov would function
> made Germany one of the most advanced democratic countries of the world
How long would the president (head of state) stay in power for
- 7 year term
Who were the electorate
- men + women over the age of 20
> they elected the Reichstag
What was the Reichstag
- the parliament
Who would appoint the chancellor + how would they get a chance to being elected
- the president would appoint the chancellor
> the chancellor would usually be the leader of the largest party in the Reichstag
> so they would need the support of the Reichstag
What was proportional representation (pr)
- the % of votes a party would receive would equal to the % of seats/deputies the party would have in the Reichstag
What is coalition
- when parties compromise + work together
What were some problems with proportional representation
- too many parties were formed (dangerous to the Reichstag)
- small parties could be a danger to the gov
- coalitions were often seen as unfair + would cause conflicts
> because often parties would form coalitions, allowing small parties to heard + giving them a chance but parties with higher votes wouldn’t have a chance at being elected - most parties in pr are against Weimar Republic so they wanted to be voted to destroy it
> but the gov would still allow these parties as they wanted democracy
How was the president elected
- by the electorate
Why would the president’s long term have been seen as a flaw of the Weimar constitution
- the president could change over that long period of 7 years + you would be stuck with them
What is article 48 + any problems it may have caused
- Article 48 gave the president the power when the Reichstag were having trouble
> this might be troublesome as the president is given too much authority + could abuse their power + take control in most of their term
What would a benefit of the Weimar constitution be
- it gave democracy to the German people + for the first time they could vote for their leader
Who was the Treaty of Versailles decided by
- the victorious Allies
> Britain + France + USA
Why couldn’t Germany resist the Allies when proposed the treaty of Versailles
- Germany’s army had been defeated + their economy weakened
What were each of the Allied members want from the Treaty of Versailles
- USA - Woodrow Wilson wanted moderate peace
- France - Georges Clemenceau wanted revenge for destruction of France
- Britain - David Lloyd wanted peace but in winning the election he promised to make Germany pay for the war
What was the Diktat
- the dictated peace which was presented to Germany by The Allies
> this diktat meant that German gov had to take the terms of the treaty on offer or refuse + face the war starting again
List the main terms of the Treaty of Versailles
- war guilt
- reparations
- loss of land
- military terms
What was the war guilt term in the treaty of Versailles + why was it given
- Article 231
> made Germany accept responsibility for causing WWI
> this was so that the Allies could justify Germany paying for the war (reparations)
How much in reparations did Germany have to pay + to who
- £6.6 billion
> payed to the Allies
How much population + territory was Germany to lose under the treaty
- lose 10% of population
- lose 13% of territory
> included valuable regions of coal, iron, steel production
What were some of the land lost by Germany in the treaty
- The Saar Region given to France for 15yrs
- Alsace-Lorraine returned to France
- Belgium gained Eupen and Malmedy
- Denmark gained Schleswig
- upper Siberia given to Poland + a portion of German land called polish corridor so Poland could access the Baltic Sea
> German colonies in Africa were divided between Britain + France + Belgium + Portugal
> German pacific colonies give to China + Japan + New Zealand + Australia
What was Anschulus
- the union of Germany + Austria
> there was a ban on this idea (from treaty)
> Germans saw this as a great betrayal of self determination
Because of the treaty of Versailles how much was the army reduced in size
- down to 100,000 volunteers
How much was the navy reduced to because of treaty
- 6 old battleships
- 6 light cruises
- few smaller craft
+ NO SUBMARINES
What happened to Germany’s airforce because of treaty
- not allowed to have an airforce
What was the Rhineland + how was it affected by the treaty
- Rhineland was an important area of Western Germany
> it was demilitarised + meant no German soldiers were allowed within 50km of the right bank of the River Rhine
> the Allies occupied the zone for 15yrs
What could the terms in the Treaty of Versailles also be referred to as
LAMB
- land
- army
- money
- blame
How could the war guilt cause have had an impact on the German people
- it would injure their pride as they were such a strong + powerful nation
> it would also be humiliating
How would the military terms in the treaty be a blow to Germany
- it would be a blow to the prestige of a country which previously had a powerful army + navy
Why was Germany economically weak after WWI + signing of the treaty
- they lost many valuable areas / land where iron + coal were mined, which affected Germany’s industrial output
- they had a currency which was declining in value + also inflation
- payed reparation of £6.6 billion