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