Weimar Germany - Y11 Mock Flashcards
Explain why the Weimar Republic was unpopular in the period 1918-19
- Constitutional weaknesses
- Treaty of Versailles
- Stabbed in the back theory
How did the constitutional weakness make the Weimar Republic unpopular?
- Proportional representation meant that no one party had the full majority in the Reichstag and they relied on coalitions.
- Coalition governments lasted on average 6 – 9 months which meant there was instability within the government and leadership of Germany
How did the Treaty of Versailles make the Weimar Republic unpopular?
- German people were unwilling to accept Article 231 – that Germany was to blame for starting the war. The fact the Weimar Government had signed this accepting the clause angered German people
- Lost land – Alsace-Lorraine returned to France – this meant that German people were separated from the rest of the country and family.
How did the ‘Stabbed in the back’ theory make the Weimar Republic unpopular?
- German people did not realise how badly Germany was doing in the war so felt the government were the November Criminals for signing the armistice
- The republic was really unpopular as a result – most Germans were not used to democracy and wanted the return of the Kaiser
Explain why revolts against the Weimar Republic failed in the period 1918-23
- Role of the Freikorps during the Spartacists revolt
- General strike/support of the workers for the Government (Kapp)
- Poor organisation
How did the Freikorps help the revolt against the Weimar Republic fail?
- Thousands of soldiers had been released from the army and returned to Germany in November 1918 but had kept their weapons – they were ordered into the Freikorps – numbering 250,000 by March 1919
- As the Spartacist uprising grew, Ebert turned the Freikorps on the rioters – the unarmed workers were no match for the
How did the General Strike/support of the workers for the Government help the revolts against the Weimar Government fail?
- The Weimar Government urged people not to cooperate with Kapp and instead go on strike – many workers obliged as they had no desire to see the Kaiser return.
- Essential services – gas, electricity, water, transport stopped and the capital ground to a halt – after 4 days Kapp realised he could not govern and fled
How did the Poor organisation of the Munich and Sparticists lead to the revolts against the Weimar Republic failing?
- Hitler assumed that there would be support from local people – but most remained indifferent and the army remained loyal to the state government
- Ludendorff released the Bavarian Leaders that Hitler had taken – they were able to withdraw their support and help put down the uprising
Explain why Stresemann was able to solve the Weimar Republic’s problems in 1924-29.
- International relations
- Economy
- Reparations
Explain how International relations led to Stresemann being able to solved the Weimar Republic’s problems in 1924-1929.
- 1926 – Germany was allowed into the League of Nations. It was recognised as a great power and given a permanent seat
- 1928 – Germany signed the Kellogg-Briand Pact along with 64 other nations. It was agreed they would keep their armies for self-defence but would sole all future disputes by ‘peaceful means’
Explain how the economy led to Stresemann being able to solved the Weimar Republic’s problems in 1924-1929.
- November 1923 – the Retenmark helped to temporarily stabilise the currency following hyperinflation
- 1924 – this was converted to the Reichsmark which was another new currency but backed with gold – which gradually restored the value of the mark and stabilised the German financial system
Explain how Reparations led to Stresemann being able to solved the Weimar Republic’s problems in 1924-1929.
- Dawes Plan 1924 – US loan of $25 billion to help pay reparations which were temporarily reduced to £50 million for 5 years, increasing to £150 million thereafter
- Young Plan 1929 – timescale for reparations extended giving Germany 59 years to pay and reduced the overall debt to £2 billion
Explain why The Nazis got so little support in the period 1923-1928
a. Weimar Republic was doing well, so little support for extremist parties
b. The Munich Putsch had failed-damaging the Party
c. The actions of the SA
How did the Weimar Republic doing well mean that the Nazis got little support in the period 1923-1918?
- More stable government with the Social Democrats joining a coalition government - 1928 – the Nazis only won 12 seats in the Reichstag
- Stresemann’s Dawes Plan and Young plan restored economic stability – inflation eased, employment increased - he had removed grievances and hardships of the German people such as negotiating changes to the Treaty of Versailles
How did the Munich Putsch failing mean that the Nazis got little support in the period 1923-1918?
- Hitler was found guilty of treason and sentenced to 5 years in prison
- The NSDAP was banned
- Hitler was banned from speaking until 1928
How did the actions of the SA mean that the Nazis got little support in the period 1923-1918?
- People disliked the violence of the party – as demonstrated by the Munich Putsch
- Only allowed to reform in 1925 if they avoided the use of violence
Explain why the Weimar Republic recovered in 1923-1928
- New currency
- Dawes Plan
- Young Plan
How did a new currency help the Weimar republic recover in 1923-1928?
- November 1923 – the Retenmark helped to temporarily stabilise the currency following hyperinflation
- 1924 – this was converted to the Reichsmark which was another new currency but backed with gold – which gradually restored the value of the mark and stabilised the German financial system
How did the Dawes Plan help the Weimar republic recover in 1923-1928?
- Dawes Plan 1924 – temporarily reduced reparations payments to £50 million for 5 years, increasing to £150 million thereafter
- It also provided Germany with a loan of $25 billion from the USA to help them meet their payments
How did the Young Plan help the Weimar republic recover in 1923-1928?
- Young Plan 1929 – timescale for reparations extended giving Germany 59 years to pay
- It also reduced the overall debt to £2 billion making it more manageable for Germany to pay
Explain why the period 1924-29 is called the “Golden Era”
- Arts/Culture
- Improvements in economy and international relations
- Standard of Living
How did Arts/Culture aid Germany in the “Golden Era”?
- German films were very innovative – Germany’s first sound film was made in 1930 and Cabinet of Dr Caligari was one of the world’s first horror films
- Weimar government gave grants to support art galleries, theatres and museums because economic recovery provided wealth to finance this – led to a blossoming of culture in Germany
How did Improvements in economy and international relations aid Germany in the “Golden Era”?
- Dawes Plan 1924 – provided Germany with a loan of $25 billion to help German industry
- 1926 – Germany joined the League of Nations due to Stresemann persuading the other great powers to accept Germany as a member – this gave Germany a place on the council – gave Germany a voice on the world stage
How did Standard of Living aid Germany in the “Golden Era”?
- Working conditions improved – length of the working week was shortened and real wages rose by 25% from 1925 to 1928
- Unemployment Insurance Act of 1927 provided workers with an average of 60 marks per week in unemployment and sickness benefit if they fell out of work
