Weimar Republic (Opposition against the Weimar Republic & methods of control)

Question 1

Name three key uprisings against the Weimar Republic (include dates & political leaning – l-wing or r-wing).

Answer 1

• Spartacist Uprising (1919) – left-wing
• Kapp Putsch (1920) – right-wing
• Munich Putsch (1923) – right-wing

Question 2

How many political assassinations were there in Germany between 1919 and 1922?

Answer 2

376 assassinations

Question 3

How did the Weimar government guarantee the support of the German army in November 1918?

Answer 3

Ebert-Groener Pact.

The army agreed to support the new government if they opposed the left-wing ideas in the Reichstag.

Question 4

What uprisings did the German army help the Weimar government to put down?

Answer 4

Communist uprisings in Bavaria (1919) and Saxony and Thuringia (1922).

Question 5

If the army refused to restore order, who did the government turn to restore order?

Answer 5

The Freikorps – private armies made up of ex-soldiers and –officers from World War One.

Question 6

Give an example of how the pact helped the government to overcome challenges to its authority

Answer 6

The Freikorps crushed the Spartacist Uprising in 1919 and executed its leaders, Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg.

Question 7

How did the Weimar government guarantee the support of the trade unions in November 1918?

Answer 7

Stinnes-Legien Agreement

Ebert offered legislation on hours of work and union representation in the workplace.

Question 8

Give an example of how the pact with the unions helped the government to overcome challenges to its authority.

Answer 8

During the Kapp Putsch, Wolfgang Kapp’s government was defeated as a result of a general strike called by the trade unions.

Question 9

What was Reichsexekution and when was it used by the Weimar government?

Answer 9

Regions would be taken over officials of the central government and army until central control could be regained. E.g. Communist Uprisings in Saxony and Thuringia.