Weimar Republic

Question 1

Who led the Spartacist uprising (left)?

Answer 1

Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg

Question 2

When was the Spartacist uprising?

Answer 2

January 1919

Question 3

What did the Sparticists want?

Answer 3

Germany ruled by workers council or soviets

Question 4

How was the Sparticists uprising?

Answer 4

Set base in many different places in Germany, destroying relics of the Kaiser, trying to overthrow the government

Question 5

How were the Sparticists defeated?

Answer 5

Ebert recruited Freikorps (armed right wing ex-military) to fight Spartacists. Many were hurt but Spartacists were no longer a threat
He fought the left wing using the right wind

Question 6

Who led the Kapp Putsch (right)?

Answer 6

Dr. Wolfgang Kapp

Question 7

When was the Kapp Putsch?

Answer 7

March 1920

Question 8

What was the Kapp Putsch’s course of action?

Answer 8

gathered in Berlin streets protesting against the government

Question 9

Why did the army not want to fight the Kapp Putsch?

Answer 9

A
they were not completely against the idea of the Kaiser returning: somewhat agreed with the Kapp Putsch

Question 10

How was the Kapp Putsch defeated?

Answer 10

general strike called: everyone anti-Kaiser did not work. showed lack of popular support for Kapp Putsch

Question 11

What did the Kapp Putsch people want?

Answer 11

the Kaiser and everything he stood for back (army, empire, power, industry…)

Question 12

Who led the Munich Putsch (right)?

Answer 12

Hitler

Question 13

When was the Munich Putsch?

Answer 13

November 1923

Question 14

What was the Munich Putsch?

Answer 14

an attempted government coup led by the Nazis wanting to go back to the Kairser’s rule

Question 15

Long term successes of the Munich Putsch?

Answer 15

Hitler becomes national figure (trial reported nationally, he gave a political speech: publicity)
Very short prison sentence
Hitler wrote ‘Mein Kampf’ in prison
Focus on taking power legally

Question 16

What were some short-term failures of the Munich Putsch?

Answer 16

16 Nazis and 4 policemen die
failed at overthrowing government
Hitler and Ludendorff arrested
Hitler went to jail

Question 17

In the golden years (1924-1930), how far had the republic recovered economically?

Answer 17

• Recovered to its pre-war industrial level, second best power behind the USA
• economic boom was unequal: big land owners values 70% while small businesses struggles

Question 18

In the golden years (1924-1930), how far had the republic recovered politically?

Answer 18

• situation stabilized: polar opposites decreased
• despite stabilization, many politicians in the government didn’t support the republic: 30% of the vote always went to an opposition party, president didn’t believe in government

Question 19

In the golden years (1924-1930), how far had the republic recovered culturally?

Answer 19

• Increase in freedom of expression: new artistic and creative development (Bauhaus movement)
• Rural countrysides felt a moral decline: Wandervogel movement protested again industrialization

Question 20

In the golden years (1924-1930), how far had the republic recovered in terms of foreign policy?

Answer 20

• Germany started to be seen as a peaceful nation: accepted into league in 1926
• Republic was criticised for agreeing with the terms of the treaty

Question 21

Impact of the Treaty on Germany

Answer 21

• Reparations + Guilt Clause:
  Felt like blame had to be shared, bitter they had to pay
• Non-representation:
  Were not represented at the peace talks and were forced to sign the Treaty. Felt like they had the right to send their own representatives.
• League of Nations/ Wilson’s 14 points:
  Not invited to the League of Nations and were not given self-determination. Felt insulted, and that their treatment was unfair.
• Disarmament:
  Felt like the terms were unfair because the army was the pride of the country.
  Could not defend their own country.
• German Territories:
  Major blow to their pride and to Germany’s economy.

Question 22

Flaws in the Weimar Constitution

Answer 22

• With its proportional representation, it had produced a situation where it was impossible for a political party to form a majority in the Reichstag.
• These disagreements in the Reichstag while people suffered in the economic crisis made the Republic lose even more confidence
• Hindenburg had to use his emergency powers to pass laws – this was a violation of the democratic system.

Question 23

Occupation of the Ruhr

Answer 23

• By 1922, Germany ran out of money to pay reparations
• Despite’s Ebert’s efforts to negotiate, the French ran out of patience
• In January of 1923, French and Belgium troops invaded the Ruhr (legally under the terms of TofV) and. Began to take what was owed to them in raw materials
• The German government ordered the workers to go on strike
• The French reacted harshly by killing over 100 workers
• The halt in industrial production in Germany’s most important region caused the collapse of the currency

Question 24

Recovering after 1923 (Stresemann)

Answer 24

• By August 1923, Germany was in a serious hyperinflation crisis
• Gustav Stresemann took over
• He called off the passive resistance in the Ruhr
• Replaced the currency with the Rentenmark
• Negotiated to receive American loans under the Dawes Plan
• Renegotiated reparations payments

Question 25

economic impact of war on germany by 1918

Answer 25

• National income was about 1/3 of what it had been in 1913
• There were acute shortages of food.
• War left 500,000 widows and 2 million children without fathers.
• Cost of war, hyperinflation, loans
• Industrial production was about two-thirds of what it had been in 1913.

Question 26

social impact of war on germany by 1918

Answer 26

• Huge gaps between living standards of rich and poor
• One and a half million demobilized soldiers returned to society
• Many German workers were bitter at the restrictions placed on their earnings during the war while the factory owners made vast fortunes from it.
• Many Germans were angry about losing the war. There was a wave of unrest.

Question 27

political impact of war on germany by 1918

Answer 27

• Stresses of war led to a revolution in October-November of 1918. There was fighting between right-wing and left-wing groups.
• Many ex-soldiers and civilians despised the new democratic leaders and came to believe Hindenburg had been betrayed by weak politicians.