Weimar Germany: Questions Flashcards
What did lots of people in Germany want by the end of 1918?
A revolution similar to the Russian Communist Revolution.
Give two examples of revolutionary feeling in Germany.
i. Kiel Mutiny - Soldiers refused to fight the British Navy.
ii. 40,000 dock workers take control of themselves. Government control is lost in Bavaria and Hamberg.
When did the Kaiser leave Germany?
9th November 1918. He gets replaced by a democratic government led by Friedrich Ebert.
What did the Weimar Republic do first?
End WW1 on the 11th November 1918. The Armistice.
What were three impacts of the First World War.
i. New government. People were unsure about it.
ii. Financial problems. $37billion had been spent.
iii. Social unrest. Friekorps - unemployed soldiers who were nationalists.
Name three problems with the new Weimar Republic.
i. The voting system meant that every Political Party got a share in running the country, this led to lots of uneasy teaming up of Parties that had not much in common.
ii. There were 29 different Political Parties.
iii. Article 48 meant the President could take charge in an emergency, meaning the chance of a new Dictatorship was built into the constitution of the country.
Why did Germans find the Treaty of Versailles humiliating?
i. The Germans were given no say in the Treaty. It was a Dikat - dictated peace. Germany had to accept all blame for WW1, when the reality of the causes was more complex.
ii. Germany felt weak and insecure because of the loss of armed forces and land.
iii. The amount they had to pay back was going to increase poverty and difficulty. The war had already cost Germany billions of pounds.
Why was the Treaty of Versailles a challenge to the Weimar government?
i. People thought Ebert/the government were weak for signing it. They believed a strong government would have stood up to the Treaty.
ii. People began to view the armistice, signed in November 1918, differently. All of a sudden it seemed like a bad idea. The amount of people missing the Kaiser increased. The Weimar Government got a new nickname - “The November Criminals”. People felt they had been stabbed in the back by the government signing the Treaty.
What were the big challenges faced by the Weimar Government between 1919 and 1923?
- A country ruined by war.
- Revolutionary mood in the country.
- Weak Constitution.
- Treaty of Versailles.
- Left and Right Wing Uprisings.
- Political murders.
What happened in the 1919 Spartacist Uprising?
50,000 Communists rose up.
They attempted to capture the government newspaper.
SDP had to use right-wing Friekorps to put them down.
What happened in the Kapp Putsch?
Right-wing groups hated the SDP.
Attempts to disband the freikorps was hated.
Wolfgang Kapp rose up but people supported the SDP not him.
What political murders were there in the 1920s?
376 murders between 1919 and 1922.
Matthias Erzberger was killed in 1921. He was a “November Criminal”.
Why was the Ruhr invaded by France in 1923?
Germany could not keep up with the money it owed France through reparations.
What were the consequences of the invasion of the Ruhr?
Workers refused to cooperate with the French.
There was protest and the amount that Germany was producing fell dramatically. The government had to start printing money to pay wages.
What did hyperinflation do to Germany?
There was a rush to the shops, as prices changed by the hour.
Savings became worthless. Every class of people was affected.
In what year did the DAP publish the 25 Point Plan?
1920
Who was the leader of the DAP who Adolf Hitler worked with at first?
Anton Drexler
