WNG Topic 1

Question 1

When did the Kaiser abdicate?

Answer 1

9 November 1918

Question 2

What is the Head of State?

Answer 2

Head of the Weimer Republic
Elected every 7 years

Question 3

What were the two types of government?

Answer 3

Chancellor and the Cabinet

Question 4

What was the Chancellor?

Answer 4

Head of government

Question 5

What was the Cabinet?

Answer 5

Main decision making body

Question 6

Strengths of the Weimar constitution

Answer 6

Equal rights for all
Stronger president
Proportional representation - all parties fairly represented

Question 7

Weakness of the Weimar constitution

Answer 7

Proportional representation - no clear majority unstable government
Article 48 - could be used wrongly
Not popular

Question 8

What were November Criminals?

Answer 8

Name given to the Weimar politicians who signed the Armistice by the right wing

Question 9

What was ‘Dolchstoss’

Answer 9

Stab in the back theory - Germany wasn’t defeated in WW1 the army was betrayed by politicians

Question 10

What was RAWDEAL?

Answer 10

Reparations - £6.6 billion
Army - reduced 100,000 soldiers, 0 planes or submarines and 6 ships
War guilt - Article 231 Germany taking blame for the war
Demilitarise the Rhineland
Entry to League of Nations - forbidden
Anschluss - forbidden
Land - lost 13% - Alsace - Loraine , Polish corridor, overseas territories and the Saar

Question 11

Challenge from the left - Spartacists

Answer 11

January 1919 took over government newspapers and telegraphs trying to organise a strike. Weimer government sent the Freikorps to deal with it.

Question 12

Challenge from the right - Kapp Putsch

Answer 12

March 1920 Freikorps marched to Berlin to take over. Weimer government organised the trade unions to go on strike

Question 13

What was the Rentenmark?

Answer 13

November 1923 Stresemann set up up the Rentenmark which value was tied to gold

Question 14

What was the Dawes Plan 1924?

Answer 14

Instalments were temporarily reduced to £50 million
US banks agreed to make loans to Germany

Question 15

What was the Young Plan 1929?

Answer 15

Reduced total reparations debt from £6.6 billion to £2 billion
Payments could be made over a longer time

Question 16

What was the Locarno Pact 1925?

Answer 16

Germany agreed to its new borders with France
Allies and Germany agreed to the permanent demilitarisation of the Rhineland

Question 17

What was the Kellogg - Briand Pact 1928?

Answer 17

Agreement between 62 nations to avoid the use of war to achieve foreign policy objectives

Question 18

How did wages and work change?

Answer 18

+ Working hours reduced
Wages rose
Working conditions improved
- Hyperinflation made employment insecure

Question 19

How did housing change?

Answer 19

15% housing tax was introduced to fund building associations
Between 1925-29 101,000 homes were built

Question 20

What was unemployment insurance?

Answer 20

3% of workers’ earnings were deducted to be put towards insurance

Question 21

How were women at work?

Answer 21

Women gave up work after marriage from 75% working in 1918 to 36% in 1925
Few women were in high status jobs
Women were encouraged to go to university

Question 22

How were women in politics?

Answer 22

Women earned the vote in 1918
90% voted in elections
Article 109 stated women had equal rights