Weimar Germany, 1918-33: Opposition, Control & Consent Flashcards
How did the Russian Revolution increase opposition?
- Russia became communist in 1917
- Fears that communism could spread to the rest of Europe, especially since Germany did not yet have a strong stable government
What was the stab in the back myth?
- Politicians signed the Armistice on 11th Nov 1918 to end the war, however some people still believed the war to be going well in their favour
- Blamed these ‘November Criminals’ for betrayal
How did the Treaty of Versailles cause opposition?
- Peace treaty that was harsh on Germany, diktat
- Article 231, war guilt clause, £6.6 billion in reparations, polish corridor and army limited to 100,000
- Seen as too harsh and national shame, people wanted its reversal
What was the Sparticist Uprising?
- January 1919, communist uprising that aimed to overthrow the government, led by Rosa Luxemburg
- Put down by the Freikorps, a far-right militant group
What was the Ruhr Red Rising?
- March 1920, left wing strikes in the Ruhr in response to the Kapp Putsch
- Crushed by the Freikorps
What was the Kapp Putsch?
- March 1920, far-right revolution that wanted a return to the monarchy, govt. did not intervene
- Putsch fell apart as unions called a general strike
What was the Munich Putsch?
- November 1923, Hitler fired shots into a meeting of 3000 officials
- Wanted to capture Munich and march onto Berlin, similar to Mussolini’s march on Rome in 1921
- Stopped by Police, party banned until 1927
What political assassinations were there during the Weimar period?
- Mainly carried out by the right wing, 354/376 by right wing assassins, politicians such as Walter Rathenau killed
- Law for the Protection of the Republic was introduced, unfairly used as many judges were right wing so let assassins go
How had the Nazi Party grown by the end of the Weimar Period?
- Hitler used legitimate political means to gain power after 1927 when the Nazi party was restored
- Won 37% of the vote in the August 1932 elections
- Hitler made chancellor on 30th January 1933
Who were the Freikorps?
- Far-right group, former members of the army
- Used to put down communist revolutions
What was Article 48 and why did this cause issues?
- Gave the president the power to pass laws without the Reichstag in times of emergency
- No specification on an emergency, meant the law was abused and used when pleased
- 1930, 3x as many laws passed using article 48
What was the Bill of Rights and why did this cause consent in Weimar Germany?
- Gave German people rights and freedoms
- E.g. no state church, freedom to teach in science and art, system of social welfare
- Approved by many, gave them what they had not had before
What was proportional representation and why was this a problem?
- Percentage of the vote won was the percentage of seats awarded in the Reichstag
- Led to many weak coalitions and weak parties in the Reichstag, e.g. 20 coalitions over the period
What was voter turn out like in Weimar Germany, and how could we argue it does/doesn’t show consent?
- Remained high, around 80% for the whole period, shows people taking part in democracy
- People were voting for extreme parties that wanted to overthrow the government, e.g. KPD or NSDAP
How was the press controlled in Weimar Germany?
- Freedom of speech and assembly, free press
- Criticism of the government was open and heard, Nazi party owned a newspaper
