1. Creation of the Weimar Republic & Early Years of Crisis Flashcards
(12 cards)
What was the psychological impact of WW1 in Germany?
PSYCHOLOGICAL
- the defeat was a shock to civilians;
they’d been told by army commanders that they had been winning - Mutiny occurred within the navy (they disagreed with the armistice ordering the fleet to sea)
What was the social impact of WW1 in Germany?
SOCIAL
• Huge gap in living standards between rich & poor (workers’ earnings were more restricted; factory owners made large profits)
• Women working in factories made people believe family values were damaged
• 600,000 widows
• 2 million children w/ out fathers
What was the political impact of WW1 in Germany?
POLITICAL
• the Kaiser abdicated
• Power went to a temporary government lead by SPD leader Ebert (Council of People’s Representatives)
• Ebert maintained support from the army & industrialists; this prevented a revolution from happening
What was the economic impact of WW1 in Germany?
ECONOMIC
• Industrial production decreased by 1/3 that of 1913
• National income decreased by 2/3 that of 1913
Process of creating the Weimar Republic?
- Ebert signed an armistice
- A new constitution was drawn up; announced the guaranteeing of
1. freedom of speech
2. freedom of worship
3. better working conditions
What was the impact of changing the government from an autocratic to a democratic one (via the W. Republic)?
Opposition rose; ’stab-in-the-back’ myth - claimed that German defeat had been caused by politicians betraying the country
What were the challenges to Weimar in 1919-1923?
- Weimar Constitution
- Challenges from the left
- Challenges from the right
- The 1923 crisis
How was the Weimar Constitution a challenge to Weimar (1919-1923)?
The constitution created instability (therefore it weakened the Republic).
This is because the new Reichstag and it’s being elected by universal suffrage and P.R. allowed small parties to gain better representation. This meant that governments were coalitions and subject to frequent change.
What was the Weimar’s impact on the left, and how were the left a challenge to Weimar (1919-1923)?
IMPACT
- The Independent Socialists resigned from the Council of People’s Representatives
- the KPD (Communist Party) was formed
HOW THE LEFT CHALLENGED WEIMAR:
-
Berlin, Jan 1919: Spartacist Revolt (KPD attempt to seize power)
> revolt was put down by Freikorps + 2 leaders of revolt were murdered
uprisings by the left in Munich & Bremen which were also crushed
- Ruhr uprising in March 1920; KPD soon controlled the region BUT were later crushed by Freikorps
How were the right a challenge to Weimar (1919-1923)?
[Many extreme right-wing parties had emerged (e.g. the German Workers’ Party)]
-
Kapp Putsch (March 1920); led by Wolfgang Kapp, after the government had attempted to disband the Freikorps
> defeated by trade unions calling a general strike (as this stopped public services)
What events caused the crisis of 1923?
The occupation of the Ruhr (January 1923)
- Germany fell behind on reparations, and France & Belgium occupied the Ruhr;
> reparation payments were halted + workers in the Ruhr went on strike
Hyperinflation
- WW1 had caused inflation in Germany
- the solution to print more money caused the value of the mark to fall so that it was worthless
> destroyed savings
> ruined the people who were on fixed incomes
> black market & barter thrived
Munich Putsch
- a plan for a putsch in Munich and then Berlin took place
- Hitler seized the Bavarian state governor
- initial success, until police stopped it
- 16 Nazis & 3 police killed
Hitler was arrested, put on trial, sentenced to imprisonment for 5 yrs, but was released after 9 months instead.
Why did the Weimar Republic survive in 1919-1923?
- the government took effective action
- many Germans wanted to give Weimar a chance
- political opposition was weaker than it appeared
