Weimar - Opposition

Question 1

Name the 5 key events of political opposition that took part during the early Weimar years

Answer 1

Spartacist Uprising
Kapp Putsch
Communist Uprisings
Political Assassinations
Munch Putsch

Question 2

When was the Spartacist Uprising

Answer 2

6th January 1919

Question 3

What happened at the Spartacist uprising?

Answer 3

Thousands of armed workers went to central Berlin to demonstrate. Important buildings/offices taken over (train stations and newspaper offices).
A strike was called by the KPD and USPD to which half a million workers responded.

Question 4

Why did the Spartacist Uprising oppose the Republic?

Answer 4

Police chief Emil Elchorn, an SPD member, was dismissed

Question 5

How did the government end the Spartacist uprising?

Answer 5

The Friekorps were deployed to put down the rebellion.

Question 6

When was the Kapp Putsch?

Answer 6

12th March 1920

Question 7

What took place at the Kapp Putsch?

Answer 7

In an attempt to overthrow the government, Wolfgang Kapp and Friekorps leaders take over Berlin and declared themselves the new government.

Question 8

Why did the Kapp Putsch oppose the Republic?

Answer 8

Kapp and pro-military leaders aimed to restore a German empire with a strong gov and overturn the ToV

Question 9

How did the government end the Kapp Putsch?

Answer 9

Weimar gov signed the Stones Legien Agreement in 1918 with Trade Union leaders who called a strike demanding the end of the Putsch thus preventing Kapp’s movement maintaining power in 4 days.

Question 10

When did the Communist Uprisings take place?

Answer 10

From 1919 to 1922

Question 11

What happened in the Communist Uprisings?

Answer 11

Communist governments were set up in:
Bavaria - 1919
the Ruhr - 1920
Saxony - 1921
Thuringia - 1922
in an attempt to take over the regions

Question 12

Why did the communists oppose the Republic?

Answer 12

Extremist parties opposed gov due to the ToV, gov’s democratic nature, and failure to produce strong and decisive government

Question 13

How did the government end the communist uprisings?

Answer 13

On 10th November 1918, Ebert and the leader of the Army signed the Ebert-Groener Pact, which said the army would stop all left wing uprisings

Question 14

When did the Political Assassinations occur?

Answer 14

Between Jan 1919 and June 1922

Question 15

What were the Political Assassinations

Answer 15

376 assassinations:
354 done by right wing Organisation Consul
22 done by left wing
One of the assassinations was of Walter Rathenau, the Jewish foreign minister.

Question 16

Why did the political assassinations occur

Answer 16

TBC

Question 17

How did the government end the Political Assassinations?

Answer 17

people were tried. Very biased judiciary, 326/354 right wing assassination plots were unpunished (only 1 life sentence) whilst 18/22 left wing went punished (10 death sentences, 3 life sentences)

Question 18

When was the Munich Putsch?

Answer 18

8th Nov 1923

Question 19

What happened at the Munich Putsch?

Answer 19

The SA surrounded a beer hall in Munich where Gustav von Kahr and officials were meting. Hitler declared he and General Ludendorff now ran Bavaria

Question 20

Why did the Munich Putsch oppose the Republic?

Answer 20

Nazi Party membership had grown from 600 to 23,000 in 1923. A weak and growingly unpopular government and Ludendorff’s support gave Hitler the confidence to attempt the putsch.

Question 21

How did the government end the Munich Putsch

Answer 21

The prisoners escaped and demanded a resistance to the putsch. Hitler was arrested and imprisoned for 9 months of his 5 year sentence. NADAP disbanded till 1925