Weimar Germany Flashcards

1
Q

What were the 3 main types of impacts of WWI on Germany

A
  • economical
  • social
  • political
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

During WWI by how much had prices + wages increased

A
  • prices inc by 100%
  • wages inc by 50%
    (Economical)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
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)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

How many soldiers had died + wounded from WWI

A
  • died = over 2 million
  • wounded = over 6 million
    (Social)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
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)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
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)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
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)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
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)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
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
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
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
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
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
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

How long would the president (head of state) stay in power for

A
  • 7 year term
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Who were the electorate

A
  • men + women over the age of 20
    > they elected the Reichstag
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What was the Reichstag

A
  • the parliament
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
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
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
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
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What is coalition

A
  • when parties compromise + work together
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
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
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

How was the president elected

A
  • by the electorate
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
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
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
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
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
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
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Who was the Treaty of Versailles decided by

A
  • the victorious Allies
    > Britain + France + USA
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
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
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

What were each of the Allied members want from the Treaty of Versailles

A
  • 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
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

What was the Diktat

A
  • 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
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

List the main terms of the Treaty of Versailles

A
  • war guilt
  • reparations
  • loss of land
  • military terms
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

What was the war guilt term in the treaty of Versailles + why was it given

A
  • Article 231
    > made Germany accept responsibility for causing WWI
    > this was so that the Allies could justify Germany paying for the war (reparations)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

How much in reparations did Germany have to pay + to who

A
  • £6.6 billion
    > payed to the Allies
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

How much population + territory was Germany to lose under the treaty

A
  • lose 10% of population
  • lose 13% of territory
    > included valuable regions of coal, iron, steel production
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

What were some of the land lost by Germany in the treaty

A
  • 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
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

What was Anschulus

A
  • the union of Germany + Austria
    > there was a ban on this idea (from treaty)
    > Germans saw this as a great betrayal of self determination
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

Because of the treaty of Versailles how much was the army reduced in size

A
  • down to 100,000 volunteers
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

How much was the navy reduced to because of treaty

A
  • 6 old battleships
  • 6 light cruises
  • few smaller craft
    + NO SUBMARINES
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

What happened to Germany’s airforce because of treaty

A
  • not allowed to have an airforce
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
36
Q

What was the Rhineland + how was it affected by the treaty

A
  • 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
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
37
Q

What could the terms in the Treaty of Versailles also be referred to as

A

LAMB
- land
- army
- money
- blame

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
38
Q

How could the war guilt cause have had an impact on the German people

A
  • it would injure their pride as they were such a strong + powerful nation
    > it would also be humiliating
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
39
Q

How would the military terms in the treaty be a blow to Germany

A
  • it would be a blow to the prestige of a country which previously had a powerful army + navy
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
40
Q

Why was Germany economically weak after WWI + signing of the treaty

A
  • 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
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
41
Q

What threat was given to Germany regarding reparations + by whom

A
  • 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
Q

When did the invasion of the Ruhr happen

A
  • 11th January 1923
    > French + Belgian troops moved into supervise reparation payments + took resources from the Ruhr
43
Q

How did the new German gov respond to the invasion of the Ruhr

A
  • 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
Q

How did hyperinflation come about

A
  • due to workers on strike, government still has to pay them which meant printing more and more money
    > this resulted in hyperinflation
45
Q

What happened as wages increased + so did prices

A
  • value of money was decreasing
    > even if more money was printed the money had no value
46
Q

What did hyperinflation lead to

A
  • 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
Q

Who were not as badly affected by hyperinflation + why

A
  • 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
Q

Who were most badly affected by hyperinflation

A
  • 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
Q

What was the political effect of hyperinflation

A
  • Germans lost faith in Weimar Republic
    > they turned to more extreme political parties to provide solutions to Germany’s problems
50
Q

Who was Gustav Stresemann

A
  • 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
Q

How was the economy in 1923 Germany

A
  • extremely bad
    > low production because of invasion of Ruhr (industrial heartland - 80% c + s + i )
    > hyperinflation - people were suffering
52
Q

How was politics in 1923 Germany

A
  • 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
Q

How was foreign relations in 1923 Germany

A
  • 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
Q

What is Stresemann’s term of office as chancellor also referred as

A
  • ‘hundred days’
55
Q

How was the Ruhr crisis of 1923 ended by Stresemann

A
  • by calling off passive resistance in the Ruhr
56
Q

How was the hyperinflation crisis of 1923 ended by Stresemann

A
  • 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
Q

What was the new currency established by Stresemann and what was it backed by

A
  • Rentenmark
    > backed by mortgage on all industrial + agricultural land
58
Q

List the things that Stresemann did to solve the problem of reparations

A
  • 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
Q

What was Dawes plan + what did it help do

A
  • 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
Q

How did loans from US help with problems of reparations

A
  • helped generate economic growth in Germany
    + back up its currency
61
Q

Why were reparation pavements spread over a long period of time under Stresemann

A
  • so that they wouldn’t lead to further inflation
62
Q

When was the young plan introduced + what was it

A
  • 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
Q

What was the result of Stresseman’s success

A
  • 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
Q

When did Stresemann suddenly die

A
  • October 1929
    > which combined with the start of the ‘Great Depression’ in the same year
65
Q

What did Stresemann’s death lead to

A
  • the ending of the period of prosperity + stability
66
Q

What were left wing parties based on

A
  • freedom
  • equality
  • fraternity
  • rights
  • progress
  • reform
  • internationalism
67
Q

Give an example of a left wing party

A

The German Communist Party (KPD)

68
Q

What were right wing parties based on

A
  • authority
  • hierarchy
  • order
  • duty
  • tradition
  • reaction
  • nationalism
69
Q

Give an example of a right wing party

A

The Nazi Party (NSDAP)

70
Q

Who were the spartacists + what did they believe in

A
  • 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
Q

Who were the leaders of the spartacists

A
  • Karl Liebknecht
  • Rosa Luxembourg
72
Q

Who + when was the German Communist Party formed

A
  • formed by Karl Liebknecht + Rosa Luxembourg
  • formed in December 1918
73
Q

What revolts did the KPD lead

A
  • Jan 1919 in Berlin
  • 1920 Berlin
74
Q

How did the President Ebert’s government respond to the spartacists’ revolts

A
  • with the help of army, volunteers were recruited + trained to attack the communists
75
Q

Who were the Freikorps

A
  • (Free Corps)
    > they were recruits, mostly war veterans + junior army officers who were violently anti-communist
    > they help put down the communists
76
Q

What happened to the leaders of the KPD

A
  • in Berlin they were arrested + executed
    > thousands of others were also killed
77
Q

Why did Right winged Germans oppose the Weimar Republic

A
  • they bitterly resented the treaty of Versailles
  • blamed Weimar Republic for humiliation of the treaty
  • strongly opposed socialism + democracy
78
Q

What was the Kapp Putch + who carried it out

A
  • 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
Q

Was the Kapp Putch successful

A
  • 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
Q

Although the Freikorps were broken up after Kapp Putch, some members formed assassination squads to do what

A
  • 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
Q

how did serving in WWI change Adolf Hitler’s life

A
  • 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
Q

did Hitler support the ToV

A
  • NO
83
Q

how did Hitler become involved in right-winged politics

A
  • because of his work in the propaganda unit
84
Q

when + who founded the German Workers’ Party

A
  • 1919
  • Anton Drexler founded it
85
Q

what was the German Workers’ Party

A
  • a nationalist socialist party for working class
    > the party had shortened its name to the Nazi Party
86
Q

when did Hitler take control of the Nazi Party

A
  • 1921 when Drexler was removed
87
Q

what was the Treaty of Rapallo 1922

A
  • a treaty between Germany + Russia which restored relations with the Soviet Union (USSR)
88
Q

what was the foreign policy of Weimar Republic mainly concerned with

A
  • attempting to revise the Treaty of Versailles + restore Germany’s status as a world power
89
Q

what were Stresemann’s aims as a Foreign Minister

A
  • 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
Q

when + what was the Locarno Agreement

A
  • 1925
  • declared that France + Germany + Belgium would never go to war over Germany’s western borders
91
Q

when did Germany get accepted into the League of nations

A
  • 1926
92
Q

what was the League of Nations

A
  • the international body set up after WWI to peacefully settle international disputes
93
Q

why was Stresemann given a Nobel peace prize

A
  • because of his efforts in restoring Germany as a major power
94
Q

when was the Kellogg-Briand Pact signed + by who

A
  • 1928
    > signed by 62 countries
95
Q

what did the Kellogg-Briand Pact agree

A
  • that war was not to be used to settle disputes in the future
96
Q

what were the main aims of the Nazi Party

A
  • to overturn the ToV
  • unite all German speaking people, especially those in lands lost by the treaty in a greater Germany
97
Q

who are the SA (storm troopers ) + what’s their role

A
  • 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
Q

what were the SA commonly known as + who was their first leader

A
  • brownshirts
  • first leader was a young air force hero, Hermann Goering
99
Q

when was the Munich Putsch

A

8 November 1923

100
Q

what was the Munich Putsch + did it work out accordingly

A
  • 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
Q

how did Hitler’s trial for Munich putsch prove to be a superb propaganda platform

A
  • he took this opportunity to make himself very well known throughout Germany
    > made log speeches which appeared in newspapers
102
Q

what is Mein Kampf + what key ideas does it talk about

A
  • (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