Weimar Germany 1918-1929 Flashcards
after WW1, what was germany like?
-2 million germans had been killed
-the war was expensive, so germany was in debt
-750,000 germans had died of starvation
who was Kaiser Wilheim 2nd, and why was he important?
-he was the king/emperor of germany
- on the 9th november 1918 he abdicated, and germany then became a republic
-an armistice was then signed, ending WW1
who was Friedrich Ebert, and why was he important?
after the Weimar Republic was formed (9th Nov 1918) he became the first president
-he was also the leader of the SPD (social democratic party)
who was Gustav Stressemann, and why was he important?
-on 13 Aug 1923, he became foreign minister
-he also won a Nobel Peace Prize for helping fix relation with Europe after WW1
what did Stressemann do during the ‘Stressemann Years’ (1924-29)?
Stressemann used the GOLDEN PIE to:
P- political stability
I- improved international relations
E- economic recovery
give an example supporting that germany had recovered by 1929
yes - Stressemann had helped improve relations with international countries, stablised politics, and helped with the economic recovery
give an example going against germany’s recovery by 1929
no - germany had relied on the US’s money to help them during economic crises, and they had many debts due to the cost of WW1
when was the Treaty of Versailles signed?
signed on 28th June 1919
who were The Big 3?
George Clemenceau - President of France
David George Lloyd - Prime Minister of the UK
Woodrow Wilson - President of the USA
what were the 5 terms of the TofV?
L- land (lost around 13% of their land)
L- League of Nations (winning countries controlled Germany)
A- army (reduced to 100,00 men, and only 6 warships
M- money (forced to pay £6600 million in damage)
B- blame (the War Guilt Clause)
what is proportional representation?
it was where the number of seats depended on votes gained - 40% of votes meant that that party would have 40% of the seats
what is Article 48?
in an emergency, the President could pass laws without having to go to the Reichstag
what were two weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution?
-article 48 didn’t actually state what an ‘emergency’ was
-freedom of speech allowed criticism against democracy
what were two strengths of the Weimar Constitution?
-everyone (including women) could vote
-freedom of speech was also given to everyone
what was the Dawes Plan in 1924?
France and Belgium withdrawed from the Rhur after the occupation the previous year
-more realistic payments were also agreed upon
what was the Young Plan in 1929?
-Allies agreed to cut Germany’s reparations by a quarter
-Germany was given 59 years to pay the Allies back
what was the Locarno Pact in 1925?
-France and Belgium decided to respect their joint borders
what was the Kellogg-Briand Pact in 1928?
-violence was promised to not be used in international disputes
what were the two problems faced by Germany in 1923?
hyperinflation and the occupation of the Rhur
what was the Rhur?
it was Germany’s main industrial area
why was the Rhur occupied?
Germany had failed to pay reparations to both France and Belgium
what was the government’s response to the occupation?
they backed workers, and told them to go on strike
what did the government do because of the worker strikes in 1923?
the printed more money to help workers with wages
because of the mass printing of bank notes, what ultimately happened?
it caused hyperinflation throughout Germany
