Weimar Germany: 1919 - 1929 (Topic 1)

Question 1

When did the fighting end with the Armistice?

Answer 1

November 11th 1918

Question 2

Who set up naval blockades and what did they do?

Answer 2

• The allies

- Naval blockades prevented imports of food and essential goods. By 1918 many people faced starvation

Question 3

Who ruled the German empire?

Answer 3

Kaiser Wilhelm II

Question 4

Why was there widespread unrest?

Answer 4

Germans wanted a democracy and an end to the war

Question 5

Who was Kurt Eisner and what did he do?

Answer 5

• Jewish communist

- Encouraged general uprising which sparked mass strikes in Munich

Question 6

When was there a public protest in Berlin and what happened?

Answer 6

• November 1918

- Members of SPD (Social Democratic Party) called for the Kaiser’s resignation

Question 7

When did Kaiser Wilhelm resign?

Answer 7

-Abdicated on the 9th November 1918

Question 8

Name the temporary national government and what they did after the Kaiser abdicated?

Answer 8

• Council of People’s Representatives
• Made up of the SPD and USPD
• Controlled Germany until January 1919 when elections were held for a new reichstag

Question 9

Who was the first president of Germany and who was the chancellor?

Answer 9

• President: Friedrich Ebert

- Chancellor: Philip Scheidemann

Question 10

What was in the Weimar Constitution?

Answer 10

• President: elected every 4yrs. They choose the chancellor and is head of the army. Can call new elections and suspend the constitution
• Reichstag: new German parliament. Members elected every 4yrs using proportional representation
• Reichstrat: less powerful house of parliament. Can delay measures passed by the reichstag

Question 11

What is proportional representation?

Answer 11

The proportion of seats a party wins in parliament is the same as the proportion of the total votes they win

Question 12

What 2 key things did the Weimar constitution include?

Answer 12

• Women could vote for the first time

- Voting age lowered to 20: more Germans could vote meaning German public had greater power

Question 13

What was a weakness of the constitution?

Answer 13

When a decision couldn’t be reached the president could suspend the constitution and pass laws without the Reichstag’s consent.
This power was only to be used in emergencies however it was used to get out of disagreements that took place in the Reichstag.
This meant it undermined the democracy.

Question 14

What is Article 48?

Answer 14

The presidents ability to force his way through his own decision

Question 15

When was the treaty of Versailles signed?

Answer 15

June 1919

Question 16

How did the Germans react to the treaty of Versailles being signed?

Answer 16

They resented the new government for accepting its terms

Question 17

Who signed the treaty of Versailles?

Answer 17

Ebert

Question 18

Which ally leaders signed the treaty of Versailles?

Answer 18

• David Lloyd George (Britain)
• Georges Clemenceau (France)
• Woodrow Wilson (USA)

Question 19

What was article 231 of the treaty?

Answer 19

Germany had to take the blame for the wear (WAR GUILT CLAUSE)

Question 20

What did the treaty say about a Germany’s armed forces?

Answer 20

• Armed forces: reduced to 100,000 men
• Weren’t allowed armoured vehicles, aircraft or submarines
• Can only have 6 warships

Question 21

How much money was Germany forced to pay?

Answer 21

• £6600 million in reparations

- Destroyed Germanys economy

Question 22

What’s a Diktat?

Answer 22

• A treaty forced upon Germany

- Many Germans blamed Ebert for accepting the terms

Question 23

Who were the ‘November Criminals’?

Answer 23

Weimar politicians involved in signing the armistice.

-Many Germans felt stabbed in the back by Weimar politicians

Question 24

After the treaty of Versailles, in 1919 what happened?

Answer 24

• Influenza epidemic killed thousands of Germans
• Germans were poor and starving
• The government was weak and ineffective
• Treaty of Versailles made living conditions worse for Germans