Weimar Germany 1919-1933 Flashcards
What happened to the Kaiser in October 1918?
He realised the situation was hopeless and abdicated
How was Germany in a poor state after ww1?
- There was a lack of food and supplies
- people were starving
- riots were breaking out
- the navy rebelled against the Kaiser
Who were the Social Democrats and who was their leader?
- the biggest political party in Germany at the time.
- their leader was Friedrich Ebert
What did the Social Democrats do when the Kaiser abdicated?
- their leader Friedrich Ebert took on the job of running Germany.
- he tried to improve people’s lives by giving them better working conditions and freedom of speech
What was signed on the 11th hour of 11/11/1918?
The armistice with the allies
The surrender terms
What were the terms of the Treaty of Versailles?
GARGLE
-GUILT:
>Germany accepted full blame for the war
>the ‘war guilt clause’ article 231
>Germany rejected it as too harsh
-ARMY >army limited to 100,000 men >no submarines >no aeroplanes >6 battleships
-REPARATIONS
>£6,600 million (£217 billion in 2011)
-GERMANY LOST LAND
>Alsace-Lorraine to France
>Germany kept Rhineland, but had to stay demilitarised
-LEAGUE OF NATIONS
>set up, Germany not included
-EXTRA POINTS
>banned from Union with Austria
What new rules did the Weimar government bring in?
- Everyone over the age of 20 could vote
- People voted for MPs who would sit in the Reichstag
- The Reichstag would suggest and vote on new laws
- The chancellor would be head of the Reichstag and would be voted in every 4 years
- There was a president who would choose the chancellor and keep control of the army and would be voted on every 7 years
Who was part of the Weimar constitution, and what is the order of power?
President -> Chancellor -> The Reichstag (parliament) -> the German people
What were the presidents roles?
- Elected every 7 years
- Controlled armed forces
- Stayed out of the day-to-day running of the country
- In an emergency, he could make laws without going through the Reichstag
What was the role of the Chancellor?
- Responsible for the day-to-day running of the country
- chosen by the president from the Reichstag
- Like a prime minister
What did the Reichstag do?
- voted on new laws
- members elected every four years, through a system called PR (proportional representation). This system gave small parties a chance to have a say in parliament.
What were the strengths of the Weimar constitution?
- Very fair, particularly the voting
- Allowed lots of people to have their say
- state governments would ensure local issues were addressed.
- A poor chancellor or president would only be around for a limited amount of time.
What was the role of the German public?
- elected the president and members of the Reichstag
- All men and women over 20 could vote
- All adults had equal rights and the freedom of speech
What were the weaknesses of the Weimar constitution?
- Proportional Representation meant that there were lots of different parties in the Reichstag - it was difficult to get them to agree on anything
- Article 48 could be abused so that the president stopped listening to the Reichstag
- state governments could pass laws that went against what the Reichstag wanted
When was the Spartacist Revolution?
January 1919
What was the Spartacists revolution?
- In January 1919, the left wing German communist party (the Spartacists) decided that they wanted to take over Germany from Ebert.
- They started a revolution attempt on January the 6th. It was not succesful… In a week, Ebert with the help of his Freikorps had stopped the rebellion and killed many communists
- the spartacist leaders (Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebnecht), were murdered. 100 others were killed.
- although it was successful for Ebert, the left wing communists would never support the Weimar Republic again.
Who were the leaders of the Spartacists?
Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebnecht
Who were the Freikorps?
Ex- WW1 soldiers paid by the government to help keep order
When was the Kapp Putsch?
January 1920
What was the Kapp putsch?
- the right wing hated the social democrats.
- the Freikorps themselves went agains Ebert in 1920 when they supported Wolfgang Kapp in his attempt to take over the country.
- 12000 men marched on Berlin
- what stopped the Putsch was the workers of Berlin going on strike and not helping the Freikorps
Who lead the Kapp Putsch?
Wolfgang Kapp
Which political parties did not like the Weimar Republic?
The communists and the right wing
What happened between 1919 and 1923 to over 200 people connected to the Weimar Republic?
They were assassinated
Who was Walther Rathenau?
- A politician who was involved with the armistice and the Treaty of Versailles.
- he was assassinated
What did the assassination of people related to the Weimar Republic show?
That people did not like the new government.
That they had failed to stop violence on the streets
When was the invasion of the Ruhr?
1923
When was Hyperinflation?
1923
How did Germany get on with paying reparations?
They paid their first in 1921, but couldn’t afford it in 1922
What did France and Belgium do when Germany couldn’t pay their reparations?
They invaded the Ruhr to take the payment by force, by taking goods.
How did Germany react to the invasion of the Rhur?
With passive resistance. They went on strike and refused to make the goods that France and Belgium wanted.
They sabotaged factories and flooded mines
What did France and Belgium do when the German workers in the Ruhr went on strike?
They reacted with violence; shooting some Germans and expelling some others
What did the Weimar government do when the Ruhr was invaded?
They supported the strikers by printing more money to pay them so that they could afford to keep striking
What caused hyperinflation?
Too many notes being produced meant that prices went out of control.
In November 1923 how much did a loaf of bread cost in Germany?
201,000,000,000 marks
How bad did hyperinflation get?
- people had to carry their money in wheelbarrows.
- prices went up so fast that a day’s wages would just but a cup of coffee the next day.
- the middle class and the elderly suffered badly as their savings and their pensions were wiped out
When and how did hyperinflation end?
In November/December 1923 as Stresemann introduced the Rentenmark
