Why did the Weimar Republic have so many problems? Flashcards
What is the meaning of armistice?
An agreement to end fighting in a war
Treaty
An agreement for long-term peace between countries
Constitution
A set of rules about how a country is governed e.g. how often actions are held
Weimar Republic
Another name for Germany between the years 1919 and 1933
Hyper inflation
When money rapidly loses value and prices massively increase
Putsch
A violent takeover of the government (or an attempt at one)
Communism
A political and economic system.Under communism there are no private businesses. Everything is run by the government communist. Russia was also a dictatorship
Provenance
Information about the source
Who were the big three deciding the Treaty terms were?
Woodrow Wilson,President of American
George Clemenceau,President of France
David Lloyd-George, Prime minister of Britain
What were the terms of the Treaty of Versailles?
War guilt (Take the blame for starting the war)
Reparations (Had to pay £6Billion)
Loss of land in Germany (Poland was given a strip of land)
Loss of land overseas (Colonies were to be given to League of Nations)
Alliances (Germany and Austria must never unite as one)
Cuts to the German armed forces
Who set up the Weimar Republic?
The social democratic party(SPD)
Things that worked well in the Weimar Republic
Democracy
Government had the power
Bill of rights
What was the Bill of rights?
Men and women that were over the age of 20 could vote
Problems facing the Weimar Republic
Proportional representation
Article 48
Treaty of Versailles
Armed uprising
Hyperinflation
What is proportional representation?
There was no party party popular enough to to get a majority
What is Article 48?
The president could rule without consulting the reichstag in an Emergency
What were the armed uprising?
The Sparticist
Kapp Putsch
Who lead the Sparticist Revolt? What were their aims?
Fredrick Erbet and the Social Democratic government.
Aims:
Wanted Germany to be ran by working classes
Wanted Power and wealth to be equal
How did the government deal to the Sparticist revolt?
They brought the Freikorp
A source is…
Evidence created during the time of our enquiry
(1917 - 1923), or by someone who experienced it.
An interpretation is…
The view of a historian, created a long time after the event.
1917
Germany is ruled by the Kaiser. Russian Revolution: the Tsar abdicate and the communist government is set up
Nov 1918
Revolution in Germany. The Kaiser abdicates; the Weimar government is set up. The armistice is signed with Britain, France and the USA.
1919
A communist uprising against the new government is defeated. Germany’s forced to sign the treaty of Versailles.
