Weimar Germany Flashcards
1
Q
What were the 3 main types of impacts of WWI on Germany
A
- economical
- social
- political
2
Q
During WWI by how much had prices + wages increased
A
- prices inc by 100%
- wages inc by 50%
(Economical)
3
Q
Why was Germany close to bankruptcy after WWI
A
- 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)
4
Q
How many soldiers had died + wounded from WWI
A
- died = over 2 million
- wounded = over 6 million
(Social)
5
Q
How many civilian deaths were there by 1918 + what caused them
A
- 293,000 civilian deaths
> caused by starvation + effects of winter cold
(Social)
6
Q
Why was there food shortages after WWI and what did Germans have to resort to eating
A
- serious food shortages after failure of potato crops
> left Germans depending on turnips which were usually grown to feed livestock
(Social)
7
Q
After WWI when + why did the kaiser abdicate (step down)
A
- 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)
8
Q
After the Kaiser gov had collapsed what were Germany left with
A
- a weakened experimental gov during end of WWI + the peace negotiations which followed
(Political)
9
Q
After WWI there was serious political divides between what groups + explain what they wanted for Germany
A
- 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
10
Q
Why was the new government known as the Weimar Republic
A
- 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
11
Q
When was the the Weimar Constitution created + what did it contain + any benefits?
A
- 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
12
Q
How long would the president (head of state) stay in power for
A
- 7 year term
13
Q
Who were the electorate
A
- men + women over the age of 20
> they elected the Reichstag
14
Q
What was the Reichstag
A
- the parliament
15
Q
Who would appoint the chancellor + how would they get a chance to being elected
A
- 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
16
Q
What was proportional representation (pr)
A
- the % of votes a party would receive would equal to the % of seats/deputies the party would have in the Reichstag
17
Q
What is coalition
A
- when parties compromise + work together
18
Q
What were some problems with proportional representation
A
- 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
19
Q
How was the president elected
A
- by the electorate
20
Q
Why would the president’s long term have been seen as a flaw of the Weimar constitution
A
- the president could change over that long period of 7 years + you would be stuck with them
21
Q
What is article 48 + any problems it may have caused
A
- 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
22
Q
What would a benefit of the Weimar constitution be
A
- it gave democracy to the German people + for the first time they could vote for their leader
23
Q
Who was the Treaty of Versailles decided by
A
- the victorious Allies
> Britain + France + USA
24
Q
Why couldn’t Germany resist the Allies when proposed the treaty of Versailles
A
- Germany’s army had been defeated + their economy weakened
25
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
26
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
27
List the main terms of the Treaty of Versailles
- war guilt
- reparations
- loss of land
- military terms
28
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)
29
How much in reparations did Germany have to pay + to who
- £6.6 billion
> payed to the Allies
30
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
31
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
32
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
33
Because of the treaty of Versailles how much was the army reduced in size
- down to 100,000 volunteers
34
How much was the navy reduced to because of treaty
- 6 old battleships
- 6 light cruises
- few smaller craft
+ NO SUBMARINES
35
What happened to Germany’s airforce because of treaty
- not allowed to have an airforce
36
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
37
What could the terms in the Treaty of Versailles also be referred to as
LAMB
- land
- army
- money
- blame
38
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
39
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
40
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
41
What threat was given to Germany regarding reparations + by whom
- new french president, Raymond Poincaré
> insisted that unless Germany pay reparations, French + Belgian troops would occupy the main German industrial area, the Ruhr, which produced 80% of Germany’s coal, iron, steel
42
When did the invasion of the Ruhr happen
- 11th January 1923
> French + Belgian troops moved into supervise reparation payments + took resources from the Ruhr
43
How did the new German gov respond to the invasion of the Ruhr
- they ordered German people to carry out a campaign of passive resistance
> for some this meant going on strike / refusing to go to work
> for others it meant sabotage - damaging machines so they couldn’t be used
44
How did hyperinflation come about
- due to workers on strike, government still has to pay them which meant printing more and more money
> this resulted in hyperinflation
45
What happened as wages increased + so did prices
- value of money was decreasing
> even if more money was printed the money had no value
46
What did hyperinflation lead to
- savings of Germans becoming worthless + wages losing all value
- starvation + malnutrition were common
- at one stage conditions had become so bad that people turned to bartering of goods by exchanging anything for food
47
Who were not as badly affected by hyperinflation + why
- landowners benefited, as value of land kept pace with prices + so many could pay off mortgages
- large industrialists were able to repay loans + farmers benefitted from the rise in food prices
48
Who were most badly affected by hyperinflation
- middle class Germans whose savings were destroyed
- Germans on fixed incomes such as pensioners were badly affected
- serious shortages of food + widespread hunger + outbreaks of stealing
49
What was the political effect of hyperinflation
- Germans lost faith in Weimar Republic
> they turned to more extreme political parties to provide solutions to Germany’s problems
50
Who was Gustav Stresemann
- chancellor in 1923
> succeeded in creating a coalition of parties to support him + pass laws
- Foreign Minister in 1924
- all in all he brought Germany to its golden age
51
How was the economy in 1923 Germany
- extremely bad
> low production because of invasion of Ruhr (industrial heartland - 80% c + s + i )
> hyperinflation - people were suffering
52
How was politics in 1923 Germany
- there was political unrest - Nazis tried to seize power - Munich Putch
- many Germans were critical of the Weimar Republic
> they hated the treaty of Versailles
- declining support for Weimar Republic
53
How was foreign relations in 1923 Germany
- hostility because of treaty
> anger towards the treaty because of war guilt clause
- humiliation - invasion of Ruhr - rlly tense with France
- lost of land + colonies
> felt weak compared to other nations
- trade damaged by treaty
- Ruhr invasion
- Anschluss banned
- not allowed in League of Nations
54
What is Stresemann’s term of office as chancellor also referred as
- ‘hundred days’
55
How was the Ruhr crisis of 1923 ended by Stresemann
- by calling off passive resistance in the Ruhr
56
How was the hyperinflation crisis of 1923 ended by Stresemann
- abolished the old currency + replaced it with new
> Rentenmark
> Rentenmark wasn’t backed by gold (G didn’t have anyway) but by a mortgage on all industrial + agricultural land
- also refused to print more money when needed + instead cut gov spendings + inc taxes + reduced salaries
- eventually there was confidence in Germany + abroad + so hyperinflation disappeared
57
What was the new currency established by Stresemann and what was it backed by
- Rentenmark
> backed by mortgage on all industrial + agricultural land
58
List the things that Stresemann did to solve the problem of reparations
- Dawes plan 1924
- agreed in future Germany not repay in reparations more than it could afford
- loans from US
- reparations spread over long time
- Young plan
59
What was Dawes plan + what did it help do
- Dawes Plan (1924) - is when USA loaned Germany 800 million marks to help recover from its economic difficulties
> this established the German currency + balanced Germany’s budget
60
How did loans from US help with problems of reparations
- helped generate economic growth in Germany
+ back up its currency
61
Why were reparation pavements spread over a long period of time under Stresemann
- so that they wouldn’t lead to further inflation
62
When was the young plan introduced + what was it
- in 1929 the Young plan replaced the Dawes plan
> this reduced reparations by 2/3
> and allowed reparations to be paid over a long period of time - 59yrs (until 1988)
> this meant that Germany was very dependant on US loans
63
What was the result of Stresseman’s success
- the Weimar Republic enjoyed a period of political stability
> in which coalition government lasted longer
> and more extreme political parties like the Nazis did less well in elections
64
When did Stresemann suddenly die
- October 1929
> which combined with the start of the ‘Great Depression’ in the same year
65
What did Stresemann’s death lead to
- the ending of the period of prosperity + stability
66
What were left wing parties based on
- freedom
- equality
- fraternity
- rights
- progress
- reform
- internationalism
67
Give an example of a left wing party
The German Communist Party (KPD)
68
What were right wing parties based on
- authority
- hierarchy
- order
- duty
- tradition
- reaction
- nationalism
69
Give an example of a right wing party
The Nazi Party (NSDAP)
70
Who were the spartacists + what did they believe in
- members of the Spartacus league
> they were communists who had broken away from social Democratic Party at beginning of WWI
> they believed in violent revolution to seize power for working class
71
Who were the leaders of the spartacists
- Karl Liebknecht
- Rosa Luxembourg
72
Who + when was the German Communist Party formed
- formed by Karl Liebknecht + Rosa Luxembourg
- formed in December 1918
73
What revolts did the KPD lead
- Jan 1919 in Berlin
- 1920 Berlin
74
How did the President Ebert’s government respond to the spartacists’ revolts
- with the help of army, volunteers were recruited + trained to attack the communists
75
Who were the Freikorps
- (Free Corps)
> they were recruits, mostly war veterans + junior army officers who were violently anti-communist
> they help put down the communists
76
What happened to the leaders of the KPD
- in Berlin they were arrested + executed
> thousands of others were also killed
77
Why did Right winged Germans oppose the Weimar Republic
- they bitterly resented the treaty of Versailles
- blamed Weimar Republic for humiliation of the treaty
- strongly opposed socialism + democracy
78
What was the Kapp Putch + who carried it out
- Kapp Putch was an attempt by rebels under Dr Wolfgang Kapp to disobey the government’s order to disband + tried to seize power in Berlin
79
Was the Kapp Putch successful
- although badly organised, they managed to seize power for 4 days
+ Elbert's gov fled Berlin
- however, a general strike of workers in Berlin + refusal of civil servants to obey Dr Kapps destroyed the 'Kapp Putch'
80
Although the Freikorps were broken up after Kapp Putch, some members formed assassination squads to do what
- to murder politicians they disagreed with
> Matthias Erzberger - prominent social democrat
> Walther Rathenau - Foreign Minister
> they were both murdered in 1921 + 1922 for supporting Treaty of Versailes
81
how did serving in WWI change Adolf Hitler's life
- he won medals for his bravery (such as iron cross) - was selected by the army after war to take part in a propaganda unit to prevent spread of communism in the army
82
did Hitler support the ToV
- NO
83
how did Hitler become involved in right-winged politics
- because of his work in the propaganda unit
84
when + who founded the German Workers' Party
- 1919
- Anton Drexler founded it
85
what was the German Workers' Party
- a nationalist socialist party for working class
> the party had shortened its name to the Nazi Party
86
when did Hitler take control of the Nazi Party
- 1921 when Drexler was removed
87
what was the Treaty of Rapallo 1922
- a treaty between Germany + Russia which restored relations with the Soviet Union (USSR)
88
what was the foreign policy of Weimar Republic mainly concerned with
- attempting to revise the Treaty of Versailles + restore Germany's status as a world power
89
what were Stresemann's aims as a Foreign Minister
- make Germany a great power
- reduce burdens of ToV, in particular to end occupation of German land by foreign troops + to recover the lost territory + remove war guilt clause
- to find solution to issue of reparation payment
- make Germany a member of the League of Nations
90
when + what was the Locarno Agreement
- 1925
- declared that France + Germany + Belgium would never go to war over Germany's western borders
91
when did Germany get accepted into the League of nations
- 1926
92
what was the League of Nations
- the international body set up after WWI to peacefully settle international disputes
93
why was Stresemann given a Nobel peace prize
- because of his efforts in restoring Germany as a major power
94
when was the Kellogg-Briand Pact signed + by who
- 1928
> signed by 62 countries
95
what did the Kellogg-Briand Pact agree
- that war was not to be used to settle disputes in the future
96
what were the main aims of the Nazi Party
- to overturn the ToV
- unite all German speaking people, especially those in lands lost by the treaty in a greater Germany
97
who are the SA (storm troopers ) + what's their role
- they're a paramilitary unit
> they have to protect the Nazi party's meetings + disrupt those of other parties
> they attacked all who might oppose Nazi + quickly gained reputation for thuggery and menacing behaviour
98
what were the SA commonly known as + who was their first leader
- brownshirts
- first leader was a young air force hero, Hermann Goering
99
when was the Munich Putsch
8 November 1923
100
what was the Munich Putsch + did it work out accordingly
- 8 Nov 1923
- Hitler + General Ludendorff + SA interrupted meeting of Bavarian gov in Munich
> they fired pistol at ceiling + bullied Bavarian leaders to join the 'national revolution'
- 9 Nov 1923 they marched into the capitals but H + L were fired on by police + put on trial
> 16 nazis were killed
101
how did Hitler's trial for Munich putsch prove to be a superb propaganda platform
- he took this opportunity to make himself very well known throughout Germany
> made log speeches which appeared in newspapers
102
what is Mein Kampf + what key ideas does it talk about
- (my struggles) a book written by Hitler in prison
- key ideas include:
> volksgemeinschaft - people's community - strongest race would dominate weaker race in Germany
> overturing ToV
> Lebensraum - living room - all German people would live here
> all Jews eliminated from Germany
