Weimar Germany Flashcards
What is referred to as Imperial Germany?
Germany from 1871 to 1918 and the end of the First World War
What is referred to as the Weimar Republic?
The regime which governed Germany between the end of the First World War and the election of Adolf Hitler in January 1933
What is the Reichstag?
The German Parliament
What was the “stab in the back” myth?
WW1 General Hindenburg declared that the German army could have won the war but they were stabbed in the back by the government that replaced the Kaiser and signed the Armistice
Who were the SPD?
The Social Democratic Party. They were a left-leaning political party that had the largest majority in the Reichstag from 1919 to 1929.
What was the social impact of WW1 on Germany? (4)
- 2 million soldiers killed
- 6.3 million soldiers injured
- Spanish flu caused disease and starvation
- Living standards fell by 20-30%
What was the political impact of WW1 on Germany? (4)
- By 1918 politics was a lot more polarised
- Spartacist League agitated for social revolution
- General Hindenburg was running a silent dictatorship
- discontent with the political and social situation with huge strikes occurring in 1917 and 1918
What was the economic impact of WW1 on Germany? (2)
- Food shortages because German agriculture was not mobilised
- Printing money led to inflation so notes became worthless
Why did Imperial Germany collapse?
- The working class started to become unhappy with the conservative political system
- World war one led to inflation and political polarisation so by the end of the war the nation was even more divided
- The German army was becoming exhausted and overstretched
- Germany’s impending defeat was shifted onto a new government
- German sailors mutinied
- Kaiser abdicated and the SPD took over and ended the war
What were the main points of the new Weimar constitution?
- President elected every 7 years and could dismiss the chancellor who was head of the government
- The President was supreme commander of the armed forces
- The President could dissolve the Reichstag
- The Reichstag was elected every 4 years
- Proportional representation was used to conduct elections
What was the Bill of Rights?
The Bill of Rights allowed for freedom is speech and religion, the right to work and the right to own property
What was Article 48?
Article 48 allowed the President to rule by decree in the event of an emergency which made him quite powerful
What was good about the Weimar Constitution?
It was very democratic and contained checks and balance to try and ensure no part of the political system became too powerful. It protected basic civil rights and there was universal suffrage
What were the criticisms of the Weimar Constitution?
Article 48 gave The President too much power. Proportional representation made it difficult to form coalition governments
How often was a new President elected ?
Every 7 years
Who had the vote in Weimar Germany?
There was universal suffrage- both men and women over the age of 20 could vote
Why might proportional representation have caused issues ?
It makes it difficult to form a stable majority government- parties have to form unstable coalitions. It also allowed for the rise of radical parties
Why was the relationship between the President and Reichstag a potential issue?
The President was given too much power under 48 (almost like a dictator) and he could dismiss the elected Reichstag
Why was the continuity of traditional institutions a problem?
Conservatives influenced the running of the republic and worked to undermine democracy (e.g. the army didn’t support the government)
Who were the German communists (KPD) ?
- Extreme left- wing party
- Anti-republican
- Supported a revolutionary overthrow
- Most we’re working class
- The leader was Ernst Thalmann
Who were the Social Democrats (SPD) ?
- Party of the working class and trade unions
- Supported parliamentary democracy
- Opposed revolutionary demands of left wing socialists
- Leader were Friedrick Ebert and Philipp Scheidemann
What was the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazis)?
- Extreme right wing
- Anti-republican, anti-Semitic and strongly nationalist
- Support from lower middle classes
- Leader was Adolf Hitler
What is a diktat?
A “dictated peace”- a harsh settlement imposed on a defeated nation
Who were the “November Criminals”?
The Weimar politicians who signed the Armistice agreement in November 1918
What were some of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles?
- Germany lost territory
- Germany had to accept liability for the war
- An Air Force was not permitted and the army was restricted to 100,000 men and the Navy was reduced to 6 battleships
- Germany had to pay £6600 million in reparations
- The Rhineland was demilitarised
- Saarland was under League of Nations control
- Union with Austria (Anschluss) was banned
What political problems resulted from the Treaty of Versailles?
- Government was unstable and unpopular
- There was a displacement of people
- The Weimar government was blamed for signing the diktat
- It adds fuel to the stab in the back myth
- The blame for the loss of WW1 was shifted to the politicians who signed the treaty
Name three reasons why 1923 was a year of crisis for Weimar Germany?
- Inflation had spiralled out of control (hyperinflation)
- French and Belgian troops invade the Ruhr
- The Munich Putsch
In what ways is WW1 to blame for hyperinflation? (3)
- High inflation due to food shortages
- Loans had to be paid back
- The government expenditure was high because they had to pay for war widows
How are reparation payments to blame for hyperinflation? (2)
- Had to pay £6600 million in reparations
- Hard to pay due to inflation
How is the Weimar Constitution to blame for hyperinflation? (3)
- Pay for unemployed
- Support war veterans
- Made social security a right
How can the Weimar government be blamed for hyperinflation? (2)
-Printing more money during WW1 and the invasion of the Ruhr
Passive resistance
How can the allies be blamed for hyperinflation? (3)
- Wanted harsh reparations
- Invaded the Ruhr
- In 1922 the government tried to suspend reparations but allies refused
How can the invasion of the Ruhr be blamed for hyperinflation? (2)
- Hatred of French
- Government paid Germans during passive resistance
What was the Spartacist Uprising?
A left wing uprising in January 1919. Thousands of armed workers poured into the centre of Berlin to demonstrate. Important buildings were taken over and the leaders of the KPD and USPD called for a general strike. The uprising was a result of the power struggle between the KPD and SPD
How did the government overcome the Spartacist uprising?
Hired the Freikorps (personal army) to put down the rebellion. 156 civilians and 17 Freikorps soldiers died.
What was the Kapp Putsch?
A right wing attempt to overthrow the Weimar government in March 1920. They took over Berlin on March 12 1920, causing the Weimar government to flee. They wanted to restore the empire and overturn the Treaty of Versailles
How did the government overcome the Kapp Putsch ?
The Stinnes-Legien Agteement offered legislation in working hours and union representation. Kapp’s opposition movement failed because the trade unions called a general strike which brought Berlin to a standstill
What were the Communist uprisings?
Communists governments set up in Bavaria and Saxony in order to try and take over those regions.
How did the government deal with communist uprisings ?
The communist governments didn’t have enough support and were put down by the Reichswehr (German army) using Reichsexekution. The Ebert-Groener Pact ensured the army supported the government as it opposed left wing ideas too
How many political assassinations were there between 1919 and 1922?
A total of 376 political assassinations. Right wing extremist organisations carried out 354 political assassinations
How did the government deal with political assassinations?
Those involved were trialled under the judicial system. Out of the right wing sympathisers, one life sentence and a total of 90 years imprisonment were handed out. For the left wing sympathisers, 10 death sentences, 3 life sentences and a total of 250 years in prison were handed out
What was the Munich Putsch?
A right wing uprising in November 1923 by the Nazis. They took advantage of the using unpopularity of the Weimar government and hyperinflation to try and take over Munich
How did the government deal with the Munich Putsch?
Someone informed the government about the uprising so the Nazis were defeated and captured by the police immediately. Hitler was trialled for treason and received 5 years in prison.
What were the three groups needed on side of the government to overcome opposition movements?
- Army
- Trade unions
- Judiciary system
What caused hyperinflation in Weimar Germany? Outline the 6 reasons
- Impact of the war (Germany had dealt with the cost of the war by printing more money)
- The Treaty of Versailles (Germany had to pay 6,600 pounds in reparations. This had to be paid for in gold and as the value of the mark decreased, they became harder to pay)
- The response of the government (The German government tried to pay reparations by printing more money. This made inflation even worse and the mark declined further)
- French invasion of the Ruhr (As a result of the Germans not paying their reparations, French and Belgian troops invaded the Ruhr which was a key German industrial region)
- The response of the government (The government started a policy of passive resistance. Then they paid the workers who went on strike and compensated lost revenue. To meet spending obligations, they printed more money)
- Hyperinflation crisis (The problem of inflation spiralled out of control. The mark became worthless and Germany had to resort to the black market and barter)
Who were the Friekorps?
Private, paramilitary groups made of former World War One soldiers.