Weimar Germany Flashcards
Date of ceasefire WW1
November 11th 1918
Strengths of Weimar Republic
Checks and balances, Reichstag and Reichsrat
President acts as a balance
Democratic Pr everyone over 20 could vote
Weaknesses of the Weimar Republic
Proportional representation therefore weak coalitions 28 parties represented in the 1920’s
Allows fringe extreme party’s representation
Article 48 too much power to one individual
Terms of Versailles
Blame
Reparations
Army
Territory
Blame in Versailles
Article 231 blame for starting war and turning it into a dirty war
Reparations
Signed a blank chequer in 1919 set in 1921 at 6.6bn
Army in treaty of Versailles
Reduced to 100,000 no airforce only 6 battleships 6 cruisers no subs
Rhine land demiliterised
Territory losses from Treaty of Versailles
13% lost 50% of iron 15% of coal 11 colonies become mandates Posen and west Prussia (polish corridor) Alsace and Lorraine Ripen and malady Loss of economic benefits of the Saar Danzig
Why were German people unhappy
Expectation that Versailles would be based on the 14 points of Wilson
No self determination
No mention of reparations in the 14 points
Diktat
Stab in the back legend
German people believed that they had been stabbed in the back by the politicians who signed the treaty of Versailles and surrendered due to a belief that the war was not lost
November criminals
Mathias erzberger and those who surrendered including Rathanau
Spartacist Revolution
Jan 1919 Led by Karl Liebknexhr and Rosa Luxembourg
Weimar to weak to win so called on the Friecorps
Leaders killed without trial 15th January
Weimar discredited by use of Friecorps
Kapp Putsch
March 1920 every attempted to ban the Friecorps they tried to overthrow him by reprisal
Government was helpless trade unions organised an general strike in resistance
400 Political murders including Rathanau who had just negotiated rapallo
Bankruptcy in 1923
Spent gold in war
1919 loss of teritory
1921 reparations
this caused them to default on their debts in 1923
Occupation of the Ruhr
1923 payment missed so French occupy the Ruhr and convos ate goods and machinery
Led to Passive resistance 130 killed, debt unemployment
Led to Hyperinflation
Hyperinflation
Due to occupation of the Ruhr
Government prints money to pay striking workers
32 factories working around the clock
1922 loaf of bread cost 200 marks, 1923 cost 100 thousand million marks
Savings become worthless
How was hyperinflation tackled
Streseman sept 23rd rentenmark, tied to land rather than gold
International policy achievements
Lorcano
Kellogg Briand League of Nations permanent seat on the council
More respect for Germany moves back onto the international stage on a level playing field
Rentenmark
Restored confidence
Tied to German land prices
Replaced by Reichmark August 1924
Trusted 4,900 million in the reichbank by 1926
Dawes plan
April 1924
Annual payments reduced
8,000 million mark investment in German industry
Young plan
Agreed 1929 August
Reparations reduced from 6.6 to 2 billion
Lorcano
Western borders agreed and garunteed by britain and Italy
Eastern borders agreed but not garunteed
Kellogg Briande
Kellog briande peaceful resolutions
League of Nations and Streesman
League of Nations permanent member and won temporary seat on council
Weakness of Weimar 1929
Reliant on US loans
Origins of the Nazi Party
DAP Anton Drexler
Started numbers at 500
Drexler and Hitler work together to form 25 point program Drexler then forced out
Cause of the Munich Putsch
Hyperinflation which leads to an opportunity
Munich Putsch details
8th November 1923 takes over beer house with 3 Bavarian ministers claims he wants to take over the government
They escape
Hitler Rohm and Ludendorff March with 2000 supporters 16 Nazis killed
Hitlers imprisonment
Gains attention of Hugenbeeg in trial
Sentenced to 5 years let out after 11 months
Writes Mein Kampf master race and lebensraum
Changes to the political party
Changes to the Nazi Party
Proper party with representatives outside of Bavaria
Sections for women children and teachers
Goebles as head of propaganda
1926 formation of the SS
Hugenbeeg finance 53 papers and largest cinema in Germany
But looses seats 32 to 12 1924 to 28
Impact of Great Depression on people
24th October 1929 Wall Street crash
6 million unemployed
Industrial output falls 48%
1931 5 major banks collapse
Effect of great depression on Weimar
Instability Sense government has betrayed them brining cutting war pensions Social democrats in opposition German people take extreme measures 1928 12 seats 1932 230 seats Authoritarian democracy
Goebles and propoganda
Reich radio chamber 1929
Hugenbergs power largest cinema chain 120 newspapers
Torch lit rallies
Posters leaflets
Presidential campaign. 5 cities per day with private plane
Election results
Presidential election lost 17 million to 11 million to Hindenburg
1928 12 seats
1932 230 seats slight drop to 196 after Schleicher was fired by Hindenberg
Bruning
Authoritarian democracy under article 48
Unpopular due to taxation and cuts coalition collapsed
Von Papen
June to Nov 1932 Cabinet of Barons helped by Schleicher tried to tempt the Nazis into support without success
Couldn’t hold a majority so dismissed
Von Schliecher
Dec 1932 to Jan 1933
Lost Hindenbergs support in part due to Papens manipulation Hindenberg wouldn’t allow him to rule by 48
Hindenberg has meetings with Papen and businessmen leading to the appointment of Hitler 30th June 1933 with 3 other Nazis Papen thought he could control Hitler
Reichstag fire
Hitler called an election to win a majority
27th Feb 1933 Reichstag fire found Marinus van der lubbe
4000 members of the KpD arrested
Decree for the Protection of People and State suspended civil rights
Election win17.3 million votes
Enabling act
March 1933 gave hurler power to bypass Reichstag for 4 yeas 441 votes to 83
Reichstag surrounded by SA members
Became dictator of Germany
Other legal consolidation
May 1933 banning of trade unions replaced with Nazi labour front
Law against the formation of parties July 1933
Use of terror to consolidate and hold power
Dachau concentration camps
SA violence, 3 million members
SS 50000 by 1934
Gear app 1933 160,000 arrested by 1939
Night of long knives
30th June 1934
Needed support of the army who feared the SA
Sa were socialist against where hurler wanted to go
400 murders Schleicher Rohm George Strasser
Following death of Hindenberg 2nd August the army swore alliance to hitler
Control of the population Religion
Catholic schools and youth organisations
July 1933 papal concordat
Abolish ion of monasteries and youth mivements
Sept 1933 reich church set up under Ludwig Muller as
1935 Ministry of church affairs
Control of the population propoganda
Radio speeches rallies posters leaflets Goebles
Hugenbeeg largest cinema and 120 newspapers
Films 1940 the eternal Jew
1933 May 25000 books burnt
1934 neuer berg Rally of Will
Berlin Olympiad 110,000 seats
Reich chamber of culture people’s reciever only 26 marks
Control of the population
Workers
May 1933 trade unions banned replaced with the DAF
RAD national service compulsory for all men 16-25 to serve
Reduced unemployment to 0.5 million infrastructure such as the autobahns
KDF strength through joy July 1934 control of leisure
Pro farming techniques
Control of the population women
Kinder kurche kirche
Professionals forced from jobs
German woman’s enterprise classes in motherhood
1933 law for the encouragement of mariage 1000 mark loans 250 less paid back per child
Mothers cross
Control of the population
Youth
Hitler youth 2.3 million members
BDM German league of maidens 1.5 million members
Teachers had to swear loyalty 97% members of Nazi party
The poisonous mushroom natural selection
Mein Kampf compulsory
10 Adolfo Hitler School for boys
Control of the population
Racial policy
Eliminate Jews and genetically impaired
Protection of the ubermenschenw
April 1933 law for the restoration of the civil service, Jews banned
1933 compulsory sterilisation
Neueremberg laws
20th Jan 1942 wan see conference and the final solution
Neueremberg laws
Reich citizens act only sry and were German citizens
Law for the protection of German blood Jews couldn’t marry Germans
Kristallnacht
8-9 Nov 1938 response to assassination of Ernst von Rath 100 killed 1000 synagogue burnt 25,000 sent to camps Jews forces to pay
Impact of WW 2
Impact of WW 2 Rationing 1939 clothes rationed no winter coats or shoes 300g meat ration Toilet paper 1940 ersatz food Total war cinemas theatres closed Tripled arms production
Impact of WW 2 bombing
Impact of WW 2 bombing
800,000 German deaths
Dresden 35,000 firebombing operation thunderclap
May 1942 1000 bomber raid on cologne 1,455 tonnes of explosives
Hanburg 1943 50,000 in a week 24th July inferno whipped up 150 kmph winds
Impact of the war
Minorities
Poland 3 million more Jews
Ghettos 30% of Warsaw crushed into 3% of the city
SS death squads kill 1.5 million
Final solution wander conference Jan 1942 final solution
Impact of the war opposition
White rose group Sophie scholl leaflet campaign caught 1943
Edelweiss pirates
Youth organisation 13 hanged
Martin Neimoller passed Intel into allies hanged 1945
Stauffenberg bomb plot 20th July 1944 5000 arrested 14 generals and 27 colonels executed
