Weimar Republic Flashcards
When did Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicate?
November 9th 1918
When was the Kiel mutiny and what happened?
October 1918- sailors revolted and refused to fight
When was the Weimar Republic established?
November 9th 1918
Who was the first president of the Weimar Republic?
Friedrich Ebert (SPD- social democratic party)
What was the armistice?
An agreement to cease fighting
When was the armistice signed?
11th November 1918
When were the elections for the new national assembly?
19th january 1919
Who was the first chancellor?
Philipp Scheidemann
List some of the powers that the president had in the Weimar republic:
- controlled the military- was supreme commander of the army
- could dismiss and call new elections
- article 48- president could override democracy, make laws and keep chancellor in office without reichstag support
Why was article 48 a potential problem?
It created an opportunity for the president to establish a dictatorship
How was the chancellor elected?
Chosen by president, with majority support from the reichstag
How often was the Reichstag elected?
Every 4 years
How often was the president elected?
every 7 years
What was the role of the Reichsrat?
Approved laws proposed by the Reichstag
List 3 strengths of the Weimar constitution:
- Democratic- all above 20 could vote
- Chancellor required Reichstag support
- President able to control govt and protect country in a crisis
What was proportional representation?
A system in which seats were allocated depending on percentage of total votes
Why was proportional representation a weakness of the constitution?
- gave extremist parties seats
- created instability as individual parties could not win a majority
What was a coalition?
a government comprising different political parties
Why were coalition governments unstable?
contrasting political stances made it difficult to come to agreements on policies, and this was compounded by the political turmoil of post-war germany
How many coalition governments were there between 1919-1923?
9
What were the fourteen points?
a set of guidelines established by the US president Woodrow Wilson to ensure that peace was maintained
List some territorial terms of the Treaty of Versailles:
- Alsace-Lorraine returned to France
- German colonies given to France and Britain
- Danzig made a free city
List some military terms of the Treaty of Versailles:
- submarines, tanks and military aircrafts not permitted
- army not to exceed 100,000
- Rhineland demilitarised
List some financial terms of the Treaty of Versailles:
- the Saar given to the French for 15 years
- reparations of £6.6 billion
What was Article 231?
the ‘war guilt’ clause- Germany had to accept responsibility for causing WW1
What percentage of European territory did Germany lose?
13%
What was a ‘diktat’?
a dictated peace
What was Dolchstoss theory?
The myth that Germany’s defeat was not on military terms but rather due to peace negotiations organised by the government
When was the Spartacist uprising?
January 1919
What happened in the Spartacist uprising and what were its aims?
- Tried to establish communist govt in berlin
- Occupied govt newspaper hq and attempted to bring about general strike
How did the government put down the Spartacist uprising?
Using the Freikorps
Who were the Freikorps?
groups of demobilised soldiers who refused to give up their weapons
Who were the leaders of the Spartacist uprising?
Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht
What happened to the leaders of the Spartacists after the uprising failed?
They were shot
Roughly how many of the votes did the Communist party win during the 1920s?
at least 10% during each election
What is a putsch?
an uprising
What was the immediate cause of the Freikorps uprising?
the government had attempted to disband 2 freikorps units in 1920
Who was the leader of the Kapp putsch?
Wolfgang Kapp- an extreme nationalist
Where was the Kapp putsch?
in Berlin
How did Ebert suppress the Kapp putsch?
organising a general strike
What was the impact of the general strike on the Kapp putsch?
It disrupted essential supplies like gas, water and electricity
How did the Kapp putsch highlight weaknesses in the Weimar republic?
Showed how little control the government had over its capital and limited military power. they were forced to appeal to the public for support- which may not be a good long term solution as support was rapidly dwindling due to the magnitude of the political instability
What fraction of Germany’s required income did they actually possess in the years 1919-1923?
1 quarter
When was the French occupation of the Ruhr?
1923 january
Why did French and Belgian troops move into the Ruhr?
Germany had missed a reparation installment in december 1922, so they decided to take their industrial produce instead of cash
How did the German government retaliate to the occupation of the Ruhr?
Encouraged the workers to carry out passive resistance- using peaceful, non-violent means to resist authority
How did the French respond to the workers’ resistance in the Ruhr?
- brought in their own workers
- shot at workers who refused to follow orders
How many German workers were killed during the occupation of the Ruhr?
132
How did French occupation of the Ruhr escalate inflation?
- govt printed more money to pay strikers in the ruhr
- shortages of raw materials led to prices skyrocketing
How many marks did a loaf of bread cost in November 1923?
200 billion
What was currency used as a substitute for during the hyperinflation crisis?
firewood
Who was negatively impacted by hyperinflation?
- People on fixed incomes- incomes did not keep up with rising prices
- People with savings (mostly middle class) found that they became worthless
Who was benefitted by hyperinflation?
Businessmen, landowners and people with mortgages found that they could pay loans back easily
How were people on wages affected by hyperinflation?
They found that they had to spend their money immediately, as prices spiralled so rapidly.
When was Gustav Stresemann made chancellor?
August 1923
How long was Stresemann chancellor for?
3 months
What position did Stresemann serve as after being chancellor?
Foreign minister
When was the Rentenmark introduced?
Nov 1923
What was the value of the Rentenmark based on?
gold
What new, permanent currency replaced the Rentenmark and when?
The Reichsmark 1924
How did the changes to the currency aid Germany’s economic recovery?
Restored trust in the financial system and allowed the economy to grow stronger
When was the Dawes Plan set up?
1924
What were the main ideas of the Dawes Plan?
- Installments were lowered in the short term
- USA loaned Germany money to help its industry
What happened to Germany’s economic output in the years 1923-29?
it doubled
When were unemployment benefits set up?
1927
What negotiations were made as part of the Young Plan?
- Germany only had to pay 1/3 of the initial reparations bill
- The payments were to be made over 59 years
When did the Young Plan come into effect?
Sept 1930
When did Germany sign the Locarno Pact?
Dec 1925
Which 6 other countries were involved in the Locarno treaties?
France, Belgium, Italy, Britain, Czechoslovakia, Poland
What were the agreements of the Locarno Pact?
- Germany agreed that Alsace-Lorraine belonged to the French, and the French left the Ruhr
- The countries agreed to not engage in military disputes (except in self defense)
- Germany’s borders were agreed upon
Why was the Locarno Pact seen as a victory?
It seemed as though Germany was being treated as on equal playing fields to the other European powers, and improved diplomatic relations.
When did Germany join the League of Nations?
1926
When was the Kellogg-Briand Pact signed?
Aug 1928
What was the aim of the Kellogg-Briand pact?
To eliminate the threat of military conflict
By how much had real wages increased by 1928?
10 percent- by this point, Germany had some of the best-paid workers in Europe
How many new homes were built between 1924 and 1931?
2 million
How much did investment in housing increase from 1913-29?
33 times
By how much did rates of homelessness decrease by 1928?
60%
What was put into place by the unemployment laws of 1927?
A national unemployment insurance scheme to which workers had to contribute to
List 3 aspects of life that women had equal rights in:
- Voting
- Education
- Civil service appointments/pay in professions
How many female deputies were in the Reichstag by 1926?
32- more than Britain and the US
What was Neue Sachlichkeit?
An art movement (’New Objectivity’) in which artists portrayed the reality of everyday life.
Name 2 artists associated with Neue Sachlichkeit
George Grosz and Otto Dix
What were the hallmarks of Bauhaus architecture?
Designs that were abstract and geometric, but functional, simple and economic
Why did the German economy go downhill after 1929?
Due to the Wall Street Crash and the Great Depression
