Weimar Republic: Fucked From The Start? Flashcards
How did the government work when the kaiser was in power?
Germany had the reichstag but kaiser had most of the power- he chose the minsters and sacked people he didn’t like
When did the kaiser rule?
1888-1919
What was the state of Germany in 1918
Germany faced certain defeat in WW1 and people in Germany faced starvation
Why did the kaiser leave?
The allies would only make peace with Germany if it became more democratic
Violent uprisings
Who became the leader after the kaiser?
Friedrich Elbert
What year did friedrich Elbert come to power?
1919
What was the government called after the kaiser’s and what was the leader called?
The Weimar Republic
Frederich Elbert
How was friedrich Elbert elected
Democratic election
What was good about the Weimar constitution?
Both men and women could vote
All adults have equal rights and freedom of speech
Parliament voted on laws (democratic)
What was article 48?
In an emergency, the president could pass laws without going through the reichstag
Pros and cons of proportional representation
Pros: small parties got a say
Cons: rarely a majority in German politics so it was hard for laws to be passed
When was the armistice written?
1918
What was the stab in the back theory?
Germans believed that the German army was doing very well in the war (kaiser did not reveal any of the bad news) and the German people thought that the Weimar Republic stabbed them in the back by signing the armistice
What problems did the ‘stab in the back’ theory create for the Weimar Republic?
German people did not trust the government and opposition parties used it to their advantage to weaken support for the leaders of the Weimar Republic
When was the treaty of Versailles written?
1919
What did the German people hope for in the treaty of Versailles?
Why?
They hoped for a fair treaty
They had a new, Democratic Party,
president Wilson did not want harsh sanctions on Germany,
Germans felt they didn’t start the war
What did the treaty of Versailles say about land?
Germany lost 13% of its land
They lost land that was rich in important raw materials
German troops were not allowed in the Rhineland
All Germany’s overseas colonies were taken away
What did the treaty of Versailles say about army?
Germanys army was reduced to 100,000 troops
Their navy was cut to 15,000 troops and only 6 battleships
Germany was not allowed submarines, tanks or battleships
What did the treaty of Versailles say about blame?
Germany was blamed for the war
Allies demanded compensation for German damages
What did the treaty of Versailles say about money?
Germany had to pay £6.6 billion reparations- mostly to France and Belgium but some to England
How did the German people react to the treaty of Versailles?
Humiliated
They hated the allies
Blamed the government- showed government was weak and reinforced ‘stab in the back’
What did the German government feel about the treaty of Versailles?
They didn’t Like it but they had no choice but to accept it as the allies threatened to restart the war if they didnt accept
Who were the spartacist rising?
The spartacist league: A communist group set up by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht
Why did the spartacist league want power?
Did not trust new government
Didn’t think Elbert would improve the lives of working people
Saw the 1917 communist Russian revolution and wanted something similar
How did the spartacist league try to take over?
In January 1919, workers were protesting throughout Germany and the spartacist league tried to turn this into a revolution
But the army and freikorps crushed the rising
How successful was the spartacist rising?
Badly planned
Did not get support from other left wing groups
Rosa Luxemburg and Karl leibknecht were both killed
Without their leaders, the spartacists were defeated
Who were the freikorps?
Units made up of ex-soldiers who were anti-communist
Who caused ‘The Red Rising in the Ruhr’
Groups of workers led by the communist party
Why did ‘The Red Rising in the Ruhr’ happen?
Workers upset about bad pay & conditions
Workers had been protesting throughout 1919
What happened in ‘The Red Rising in the Ruhr’
A communist ‘Red Army’ of 50,000 workers occupied the Ruhr region of Germany and took control of Germany’s main industrial region
The army and freikorps crushed the rising
When was the spartacist rising?
1919
When was ‘The Red Rising in the Ruhr’
1920
Was ‘The Red Rising in the Ruhr’ a success?
The rising had weak leadership and no clear plan
The communist party had lots if demonstrations and strikes never seriously threatened the government
When was the Kapp Putsch?
1920
Who were the Kapp Putsch?
A freikorps unit led by Johann Kapp
Why did the Kapp Putsch happen?
In 1920 the German government ordered that the Freikorps be disbanded as the left-wing groups had now been crushed
What happened in the Kapp Putsch?
12,000 freikorps marched on Berlin and the government were forced to flee
Kapp was made leader of Germany
How successful was the Kapp Putsch?
Kapp failed to win much support as leader
In Berlin, workers went on strike as a protest
It was impossible for Kapp to rule so after 4 days he fled and Elbert’s government returned
When was the Munich putsch?
1923
Who led the Munich Putsch?
The Nazi party led by Hitler and General Ludenorff- they had 55,000 members and their own private army; the SA
Why did the Munich Putsch happen?
Nazis believed democracy led to a weak government
Thought a dictatorship would be best
What happened in the Munich Putsch?
They planned to make Ludenorff the German leader
Hitler and 600 SA burst into a meeting where the leader of Bavaria was speaking and made him promise to support their plan
Success of Munich Putsch?
Not planned
The leader of Bavaria was allowed to leave the hall and the next day, he withdrew his support
The German army was then ordered to crush the revolt
Hitler was imprisoned for 5 years but let out after 9 months
The nazis almost fell apart without Hitler
When was the french invasion of the Ruhr?
1922
Why did the French invade the Ruhr?
Germany said they couldn’t afford to pay the reparations so 60,000 French and Belgian troops seized the main industrial area if Germany, the Ruhr
How did the German government respond to the invasion of the Ruhr?
The German government told the workers to not cooperate with the French and go on strike
PASSIVE RESISTANCE
How did the workers get money during the passive resistance?
The German government paid them although they were not working and the country was getting no income from its main industrial area
This caused Germany to run very short of money
When was hyper inflation?
1923
How was hyper inflation caused?
The German government ran very short of money during the passive resistance so they:
Printed off a lot of money- this deflated the value of German money
Who did hyper inflation help?
People in debt could pay of their loans more easily
Businessmen found it easier to pay back money they borrowed to build up their company
Who did hyper inflation negatively affect?
People with savings lost all the value of their money
People on fixed wages were soon earning nothing
Effects of hyper inflation
Major food shortages and starvation as farmers didnt want to sell their food for worthless money
High crime
How did hyper inflation effect the government?
People who had worked hard and saved money all their lives lost out whilst debtors and big business’ did well
Hyper inflation was caused by the governments wrong doing
This turned many against against the government
What caused the Nazis to do the Munich Putsch?
Their members were impatient for change
Lots of their members joined purely for the putsch and the hope of taking over power
