Weimar Republic 1919-1933 Flashcards
What date was the armistice signed?
11th November 1918
Who were the ‘November criminals’?
The Weimar Government because they signed the armistice
Who did the German’s blame for the loss of WW1?
The government
What was the ‘stab in the back’ myth?
The German surrender was a surprise and the soldiers felt betrayed by the government when they signed the armistice
When was The Treaty of Versailles signed?
28th June 1919
What were the terms of the Treaty of Versailles?
Land Army Money Blame
How much did Germany have to pay in reparations?
£6.6 billion
What is proportional representation?
Votes counted as a percentage
Who was appointed chancellor in 1918 after the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II?
Friedrich Ebert
What are the the Fundamental Laws (the rights of German citizens)?
Personal freedom
What does the fact that German citizens cannot be arrested unless they have broken the law mean?
Freedom of expression
What does the fact that all Germans can express their opinions in speech, writing or pictures mean?
The freedom to hold peaceful meetings and trade unions and societies
What is Article 48?
Can give the President emergency powers
What were the strengths of the Wiemar Constitution?
- All Germans over 20 years of age can vote
- Proportional representation
- The Fundamental Laws
- Article 48 can get the country out of a crisis
- Reichstag filter laws
What were the weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution?
- Article 48 can be misused and can only be used by the president
- President elected every 7 years
- Chancellor elected every 4 years
When was the Weimar Constitution ratified?
August 1919
What does Land mean?
- Alsace-Lorraine returned to France
- Germany split in 2 to give Poland access to the Baltic -Sea
- Saar coalfield under League of Nations control for 15 years before a plebiscite (referendum)
- Upper Silesia coal and steel works given to Poland
- Danzig made a free city
- Lost 13% of it’s land
What does Army mean?
- Limited to 100,000 men
- No air force
- No submarines
- No conscription (forced to go to war)
- Limited to 15,000 sailors
- Limited to 6 battleships
What does Money mean?
- Reparations bill to cover family allowances and pensions for the wounded allied soldiers
- £6.6 billion in reparations
- Most of the money went to France and Belgium
What does Blame mean?
- Article 231 - war guilt clause
- Germany and her allies were responsible for starting the war
When was the Spartacist Rising
5th January 1919
What was the Spartacist Rising?
They took over the newspaper and the telegraph
Who were the leaders of the Spartacist Uprising?
- Rosa Luxemburg
- Karl Liebknecht
How did the government respond to the Spartacist uprising?
- 100 killed
Was the Spartacist Uprising left or right wing?
Left
What were the economic consequences of the Treaty of Versialles?
- The GB naval blockade had ruined the German export trade
- The government was 2507 billion marks in debt by November 1918
- War expenditure was financed by the loans and printing money rather than taxation
- Inflation increased and prices rose 250%
What were the political consequences of the Treaty of Versailles?
- The Weimar Republic was balmes for signing the Treaty of Versailles
- They became known as the ‘November Criminals’
- Forever associated with the hated Treaty of Versailles
- Reinforced the ‘stab in the back’ myth
What were the social consequences of the Treaty of Versailles?
- The Middle Class and those on fixed incomes lost out on the savings
- Owners of war industries made a lot of money
- People looked to extremist groups for solutions
What were the positive effects of the inflationary crisis?
- Right wing groups did not win mass support
- The new currency meant a government debt of 150,000 million marks was reduced to 15 pfennings
What were the negative effects of the inflationary crisis?
- Left deep scars that help to explain the eventual collapse of the Republic
- It was easy for demagogues to off simple explanations and solutions
- Provoked increased unrest in 1923
- Millions of Germans lost their savings
- The Weimar Republic was weakened politically
Who were the Friekorp?
Ex-soldiers
When was the reparations bill set?
May 1921
In which month, in 1923, did hyperinflation peak?
November
When was the Kapp Putsch?
1920
What was the Kapp Putsch?
- 12,000 Freikorp marched to Berlin and the Government were forced to flee
Was the Kapp Putsch a left or right wing party?
Right
How much support did the Kapp Putsch gain?
Failed to gain much support
Who led the Kapp Putsch?
Wolfgang Kapp
Who occupied the Ruhr in 1920?
The French
When was the Munich Putsch?
8-9th November 1923
Who was kidnapped to pledge allegiance to Hitler’s plan during the Munich Putsch?
Kahr
Who led the Munich Putsch?
- Hitler
- Ludendorff
How many members did the Munich Putsch have?
55,000
What was the Munich Putsch?
- 600 of the SA and Hitler forced Kahr to promise to support their plan
- However, the next day he withdrew his support
- When the nazis marched to a military base they were met by armed police
- 16 nazis killed
- Leaders arrested
How long was Hitler sent to prison for?
5 years
He was released after 9 months
Until when, was Hitler banned from public speaking?
1928
What was hyperinflation?
The value of the Dueschmark decreased
When did Hindenburg become President?
1925
What does NSDAP stand for (in English)?
National Socialist German Workers Party
How long was Gustav Stresemann chancellor?
100 days
When did Stresemann become chancellor?
1923
Why weren’t the Jews affected by hyperinflation?
They had their own banks
When was the Dawes Plan?
1924
What was the Dawes Plan?
USA gave loans to Germany and were given longer to pay off the reparations
What were the Locarno Pacts?
Borders were agreed/secured with European countries
When were the Locarno Pacts?
1925
When did Germany join the League of Nations?
1926
What was the Kellogg-Briand Pact?
66 countries agreed not to go to war
When was the Kellogg-Briand Pact?
1928
What was the Young Plan?
Reduced reparations from 132,000 million marks to 37,000 million marks
When was the Young Plan?
1929
