Weimar republic Flashcards
what was three rights the Weimar bill of right had
- freedom of association, speech and religion
- the right to work : the government should ensure that everyone had a job or, falling that, provide financial assistance.
- the right to own property was guaranteed.
what was article 48
the president had the power to rule via presidential decree in the event of an emergency.
what are three positives of the weimar constitution
- very democratic with an elected head of state
- the constitution had checks and balances to make sure that no part of the government became to strong.
- the constitution also protected many basic civil rights
what were two of the Weimar constitution criticisms
- the constitution gave too much power to the president with article 48
- proportional representation was condemned for creating a fragmented party system.
what were two social impacts of WW1
- living standard fell by 20-30%
- 2 million soldiers killed and 6.3 million injured
what were two political impacts of WW1
- discontent with the political and social situation in Germany were revealed wih a numer of strikes
- the military government exacerbated political and social tensions
what were two economic impacts of WW1
- the mark declined in value by 75% between 1913 and 1928
- German agriculture was immobilised causing food shortages.
what was the “stab in the back myth”
The right-wing myth coined by world war one general Hindenburg which declared that the German army won the war but were “stabbed in the back” by the government that replaced kaiser
what was the treaty of Versailles
the peace agreement signed by Germany and her opponents on June 28 1919 following their defeat in WW1. the treaty was widely condemned as “diktat”(a dictated peace), as Germany was forbidden to negotiate the terms
what were 5 of the policies of the treaty of Versailles
- Germany was limited to an army of 100,00
- Germany had to accept blame for the war
- Germany wasn’t allowed an air force
- Germany lost all it’s colonies
- France took back Alsace Lorraine
what were 5 political impacts of signing the treaty
- the fact the government signed the treaty without the public’s approval could lead to an increased tension tween the people and the government.
- huge spits between parties leads to huge number of parties
- anger towards democracy
- adds fuel to stab in the back myth
- weimar government is disliked from the start as they are blamed for defeat
what was a problem with proportional representation
- encouraged the formation of many new splinter parties
- your Representative may have their own interest
- allows extremist parties to receive seats in parliament
what actions were taken to manage the economic problems
Chancellor Bruning adopted a policy of deflation, reducing prices for goods and services to reduce government spending. he also introduced wage cuts, rent cuts and tax rises. this showed that germany was unable to pay reparations
what was the dawes plan and young plans and when were they set up
the Dawes plan(1924) and young plan(1929) were initiated to renegotiate reparations payments and result in germany being loaned 25.5 billion marks
What did the Treaty of Versailles (ToV) order Germany to do to its military?
- Abolish conscription and reduce its army to 100,000 men.
- Demilitarise the Rhineland
- Limit Germany’s navy to six battleships, no submarines
- No air force
How much did Germany have to pay the Allies in reparations?
£6600 million in Gold Marks.
Where did Germany lose territory?
Overseas colonies, West Posen, West Prussia (became part of Poland), Alsace and Lorraine (to France)
What was the significance of the ToV for the Weimar government?
Because the new Weimar democracy as forced to accept the armistice and later sign the ToV – it was associated with defeat / humiliation. The stab-in-the-back myth severely weakened Weimar democracy from the start by undermining popular support for Weimar government.
How did WWI contribute to hyperinflation crisis?
- Germany was not prepared for such a long war and borrowed money to pay for the increasing costs (85% of money was borrowed by 1918) rather than raise taxes
- The reparations (£6.6) demanded of Germany in Treaty of Versailles had to be paid in gold marks which held their value as the currency declined. This forced the Weimar government to print larger quantities of money to meet the payment deadlines.
How did Weimar Republic’s constitution contribute to hyperinflation crisis of 1923?
The constitution made social security a constitutional right – the government had to support the unemployed. The costs of introducing social reforms and welfare (e.g. housing and benefits for the disabled, orphans, war widows etc) increased national debt and worsened inflation of the currency.
What event triggered the hyperinflation crisis of 1923?
The French occupation of the Ruhr in 1923 (in revenge for Germany’s failure to pay its reparations) resulted in the government ordering German workers to adopt passive resistance. The Weimar government had to rely on expensive imports of essential raw materials (e.g. coal), printing more banknotes to pay for it. This led to hyperinflation.
Who suffered during hyper-inflation?
- Anyone with savings saw them become worthless.
- People on fixed incomes / pensioners – wages became worthless
