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Weimar Germany Flashcards

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1
Q

Who led Germany in ww1? And when did he abdicate?

A

Kaiser Wilhelm II

9th November 1918

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2
Q

Why did the Kaiser abdicate?

A

Only way to restore order

Initially refused, but had lost the support of the army and people.

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3
Q

What party declared Germany to be a republic?

A

Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD)

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4
Q

What was the extreme left communist group in germany after ww1? And what did they want?

A

KPD- wanted a workers’ revolution

Many Germans feared this

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5
Q

What was the moderate left group in germany after ww1?

A

SPD - wanted more rights for workers, but not a communist revolution

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6
Q

What was the extreme right nationalist group in germany after ww1? And what did they want?

A

NSDAP (1920+)

Wanted a right-wing dictatorship

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7
Q

Who became the chancellor after ww1 and when?

A

9th November 1918

The leader of the SPD became the new Chancellor.

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8
Q

What were the steps in declaring the weimar republic?

A

A council of people’s representation was created to draw up a new constitution

With support of the army and other politicians moderates were in charge

Agreed to end war (armistice) on 11th November 1918

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9
Q

How did Ebert establish stability?

A

The army promised to be loyal

He told big businesses there would be no state takeover of industry

Workers and Trade unions were promised reforms (8 hour working day)

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10
Q

Who was the president of germany between 1919 and 1925

A

Friedrich Ebert (SPD)

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11
Q

What is a constitution?

A

A set of rules by which Germany would be governed

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12
Q

What were the features of the the president in the Weimar Constitution?

A

President = head of state

Elected every 7 years.

No role in day-to-day politics

Chose chancellor

Could rule in crisis

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13
Q

What is Article 48?

A

The president could rule by decree in a crisis

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14
Q

What were the features of the government in the Weimar Constitution?

A

Chancellor = head of government and chooses government ministers

Cabinet = most important decision makers

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15
Q

What were the features of Parliament in the Weimar Constitution?

A

Bicameral (Two houses):

REISHSTAG
REICHSTRAT

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16
Q

What were the features of the REICHSTAG in the Weimar Constitution?

A

Elected every 4 years

Controlled tax

Voted on key laws

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17
Q

What were the features of the REICHSRAT in the Weimar Constitution?

A

Elected every 4 years.

Represented regions

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18
Q

What were the features of the Electorate in the Weimar Constitution?

A

Electorate = voters

All men AND women over 21 could vote

Elected Parliament and President

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19
Q

What were the STRENGTHS of the Weimar Constitution?

A

Article 1 confirmed Germany was a democracy

Voting age reduced from 25

Elected by PR- small parties are represented

Checks and balances

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20
Q

What were the checks and balances within the Weimar Constitution?

A

President chose chancellor

President and Parliament = elected

Chancellor proposed laws- Reichstag voted on them

Reichsrat could challenge and delay new laws

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21
Q

What were the WEAKNESSES of the Weimar Constitution?

A

Use of PR = Coalition Governments causing…

Failing governments (9 govts in 4 years)
Slow action
Disagreements

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22
Q

How did the lack of decisive action lead to weakness when responding to a crisis?

A

Hard to pass laws- chancellor increasingly relied on president’s emergency power from 1930 (ARTICLE 48)

Constitution looked weak- use of article 48 made president seem autocratic

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23
Q

What does autocratic mean?

A

A ruler that has absolute power

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24
Q

How had the weimar government been established?

A

By violence, despite being a democracy.

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25
Q

What were the aims of the treaty of versailles?

A

Allied leaders wanted to punish Germany

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26
Q

What were France’s aims of the treaty of Versailles?

A

Punishment
Blame
Reparations
Weakened military
Land

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27
Q

What were GB’s aims of the treaty of Versailles?

A

Punishment
Blame
Security for empire

German trade to be restarted

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28
Q

What were USA’s aims of the treaty of Versailles?

A

No future wars for US
League of nations

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29
Q

What were the Land terms of the treaty of Versailles?

A

German land distributed

Not allowed to unite with Austria

Gave Sudetenland to Czech

Rhineland = demilitarised

Captured land and resources returned to France

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30
Q

What were the military terms of the treaty of Versailles?

A

Navy limited to 6 battleships, 6 cruisers, 6 destroyers

No air force

Army limited to 100,000 men

No tanks

No troops in Rhineland

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31
Q

How much money did Germany initially have to pay in reparations? And why?

A

6.6 Billion

ww1 caused mass destruction to cities in europe.

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32
Q

What were the effects of reparations on germany?

A

In 1923-24 Germany was printing a lot of money

Caused HYPERINFLATION

German money lost all of its value

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33
Q

What was the Dolchschloss theory?

A

New government had stabbed the germany army in the back by surrendering and accepting blame

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34
Q

What was Article 231 of the ToV?

A

The war guilt clause

Total blame for starting the war

35
Q

What caused the Spartacist uprising?

A

KPD wanted a communist revolution, funded by USSR and supported by the SPARTACIST LEAGUE

Ebert sacked a popular left-wing police chief in Berlin

36
Q

Who led the Spartacist League?

A

Rosa Luxembourg and Karl Liebknecht

37
Q

Who were the Freikorps?

A

Ex-soldiers in germany who still had their weapons

They were very right-wing and were happy to take down communists

37
Q

What were the events of the spartacist uprising?

A

W100,000 workers and the spartacist league took over Berlin

They controlled the govt’s newspaper

German army was unable to restore order

Ebert used the Freikorps units to take down the communists

38
Q

Why did the Spartaist Uprising fail?

A

Unarmed workers vs battle-experienced men

On 13th Jan streets were cleared of rioters

On 16th Jan Liebknecht shot dead

Luxembourg was beating with a rifle and dumped into a canal.

39
Q

What were the outcomes of the Spartacist Uprising?

A

Ebert secured Weimar Republic, but used violence

The Freikorps and right-wing groups were encouraged

40
Q

When was the SPARTACIST UPRISING?

A

6th Jan - 16th Jan 1919

41
Q

What were the causes of the Kapp Putsch?

A

Ebert disbanded Freikorps as stability had returned

Paramilitaries wanted to keep power and influence

42
Q

What were the events of the Kapp Putsch?

A

5000 Freikorps marched on Berlin

Army ordered to stop them but refused and sided with former comrades

Kapp installed as stand-in leader of a new govt

Kaiser invited back

43
Q

What were the outcomes of the Kapp Putsch?

A

Left-wing workers went on strike

Gas, electricity, transport, and water stopped

After 4 days Kapp realised he wasn’t popular and tried to flee.
He was arrested and died.

44
Q

How many politically motivated murders occurred between 1919- 1922?

A

376

45
Q

What caused the French occupation of the Ruhr?

A

German govt was bankrupt, but owed France reparations

France owed debts to USA

In 1922 German govt refused to pay

46
Q

What happened during the French occupation of the Ruhr?

A

ToV allowed France to take reparations by force

750,000 heavily armed French and Belgian troops invaded the Ruhr and German army was limited

France took coal, steel and other products

47
Q

What was the German govts response to the French occupation of the Ruhr?

A

Passive resistance - workers in the ruhr went on strike
(Govt still had to pay them increasing debt!)

German govt increased their printing of money to pay wages- HYPERINFLATION

Propaganda

48
Q

When did the occupation of the ruhr end and why?

A

August 1925

Stresemann agreed a new deal to pay reparations

49
Q

What factors caused hyperinflation?

A

Passive resistance against occupation- Money printed to pay workers

German industry lost money

Lost income from taxes

50
Q

How was hyperinflation directly caused?

A

Germany’s wealth based on gold reserves- spent in WW1

Value of German currency plummeted- because money printed to compensate

51
Q

What is hyperinflation?

A

Out of control price rises

And a drastic fall in the value of currency

52
Q

What were the consequences of hyperinflation?

A

1 loaf of bread = 1 million marks in February 1923

In September 1 loaf > 50 MILLION Marks

53
Q

Effects of hyperinflation?

A

Everyday life = impractical

People lit banknotes on fire instead of buying kindling

Money had to be carried in large amounts on trollies

54
Q

Who benefited from hyperinflation?

A

People with debts- interest rates couldn’t keep up with inflation

Businesses who took out bank loans

Foreign visitors had huge buying power in Germany.

55
Q

Who suffered from hyperinflation?

A

Workers- wages couldn’t keep up with prices

Shopkeepers now exchanged goods instead of taking money

Those with savings

56
Q

What were the outcomes of hyperinflation?

A

In 1923 Stresemann appointed chancellor

Stresemann created ‘Rentenmark’ currency in 1923 temporarily

Permanently implemented the Reichsmark currency in 1924

57
Q

What was the exchange rate between the Rentenmark and the mark?

A

1 Billion marks = 1 Rentenmark

58
Q

Who was Gustav Stresemann?

A

German chancellor and Foreign minister between 1923 and 1929

Died one month before the wall street crash

59
Q

How did Stresemann solve Germany’s problems?

A

Reichsmark
Reparations reduced
Ruhr unoccupied
Relations improved
Rebuild Economy

60
Q

What was the Dawes plan?

A

(1924)
Reduced the reparations
Germany receives loans from USA
Germany repays GB and France
Allies repay usa for war debt

61
Q

What was the Young plan?

A

(1929) American banker Young and Stresemann

Reduces payment to 2 billion gbp.
Germany given 59 years to pay off.

62
Q

What two plans helped german reparations?

A

Dawes plan and Young plan

Reparations were now more manageable and less of a threat to german economy

63
Q

How did Stresemann influence France and Belgium to leave the Ruhr?

A

Allies were reassured reparations would be paid following Dawes Plan.

Passive resistance ended in 1925

Reparation payments restarted

64
Q

Why did people hate the Dawes and Young plan?

A

Many thought Germany shouldn’t be paying any reparations

Stresemann looked WEAK

65
Q

Why were people against stopping passive resistance and resuming reparation payments?

A

Extreme right saw this as giving into the French

Very unpopular!

66
Q

How did Stresemann improve German relations internationally?

A

1925 Locarno Pact

1926 Germany joined the league of nations

67
Q

What was the Locarno pact?

A

Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, and Germany.

They agreed not to invade each other

Europe = more stable

68
Q

What was the result of Germany joining the league of nations?

A

Stresemann got the Noble Peace Price

69
Q

What were the benefits of the LoN and Locarno Pact?

A

Germany back on good terms with former enemies

Easier to cooperate economically

War was less likely

70
Q

What were the drawbacks of the LoN and Locarno Pact?

A

Stresemann made no attempt to get back German land lost in treaty of versailles

Seen as weak

71
Q

How did Stresemann rebuild the german economy?

A

Big loans from USA (Dawes plan)

Boosted German business

Quality of life improved

72
Q

What were the 1920s referred to in Germany?

A

‘Golden Twenties’

73
Q

What were the drawbacks of getting loans from USA?

A

Germany was no economically dependant on the USA

Not everyone saw improvements

Taxes increased to pay loans

74
Q

What were the benefits of getting loans from USA?

A

Quality of life improved for Germans

New homes built

Trade started with European nations (e.g. Britain)

75
Q

What changes were there in Germany during the ‘Golden Twenties’?

A

Unemployment and working hours decreased

Wages, housing and war pensions paid to families increased

76
Q

What changes were there in Germany during the ‘Golden Twenties’ FOR WOMEN?

A

More women had part time jobs

Women working as doctors doubled between 1925 and 1932

77
Q

What changes were there in Germany since the Kaiser abdicated FOR WOMEN?

A

Women were given equal rights and equal voting rights

By 1932 10% of Reichstag deputies were women

WW1 encouraged women to work, women in workplace decreased.

78
Q

What CULTURAL changes were there in Germany during the ‘Golden Twenties’ FOR WOMEN?

A

Some maintained traditional roles

New concept of the ‘new Woman’

Role of men in society undermined

79
Q

What CULTURAL trends were there in Germany during the ‘Golden Twenties’?

A

Modern art
Art based on objects
Expressionist art

80
Q

What CULTURAL spreads were there in Germany during the ‘Golden Twenties’?

A

Government saw value of the arts to economy and happiness.
Money spent on theatres and cinema.

Modernist principles spread- Bauhaus design college popularised the use of simple lines in design.

81
Q

What NEW ART FORMS were there in Germany during the ‘Golden Twenties’?

A

Modernist +Expressionist made art more about deeper meanings.

Architecture was effected by Bauhaus design principles

Innovative cinema was encourage by government. By 1932 3,800+ cinemas showed these films with moving pictures and sound.

82
Q

What backlash did NEW ART FORMS receive in Germany during the ‘Golden Twenties’?

A

The Left: Communists objected to money spent on art instead of welfare

The Right: Nationalists objected to decline in traditional German art forms

History (3 decks)

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