Opposition, Control, And Consent Flashcards
1
Q
Impact of the Treaty of Versailles on German politics
A
- influenced the political agenda + used as a campaigning point
- cause of political disent
- Weimar gov. seen as traitors to the country - stab in the back theory
- public influenced by nationalistic propaganda
- existence of reparation made Germans angry
2
Q
Violent upheaval due to war
A
- Germany after the war was full of men that had been trained due to war
- many unemployed soldiers
- some formed private armies for political groups
3
Q
The government was opposed by both sides due to:
A
- involvement in the Treaty of Versailles
- liberalism + democratic principles
- failure to produce a strong + decisive government
- lack of strong leader
- failure to unite Germany
4
Q
Left wing opposition
A
- 4 November 1919 the gov dismissed the popular police chief in Berlin Emil Eichorn - radical USPD member
- led to Spartacist Revolt on 6 November 1919
- Spartacist Revolt- thousands of armed workers took over key buildings (similar to Russian Revolution)
- Chancellor Ebert moved the government to the town of Weimar for safety
- left wing tactics included attempts to take over individual German states + establish communist gov.
- Bavaria 1919
- Saxony + Thuringia 1921
- Freikorps usually used to crush communists
5
Q
DNVP
A
- opposed the Weimar government at first
- acted as an opposition party in the Reichstag
- later tried to work within the Reichstag to create a more stable political environment
6
Q
Extreme right wing opposition
A
- aimed to restore empire + overturn the Treaty
- came from wealthy landowners + army + industrialists + some uni / school teachers
- Weimar gov. didn’t try hard enough to convince the teaching profession about the benefits of the new system
- hard to convince public of the good of democracy as the parties were unable to work together in the Reichstag
7
Q
Who were the leaders of the Kapp Putsch
A
- Wolfgang Kapp
- Walther Lüttwitz (Freikorps leader)
- Herman Ehrhardt (Freikorps leader)
8
Q
Kapp Putch
A
- had the support of Eric Ludendorff ( WW1 general)
- took over Berlin on 12 March 1920 - the gov. fled
- most of the army didn’t join but also refused to fight the rebels
- the leaders proclaimed themselves the new gov. + dissolved the National Assembly + said the Weimar constitution was no longer in force
9
Q
How did the Kapp Putsch end
A
- the trade unions called a general strike
- they demanded an end to the Putsch + new gov. with the SPD in charge
- the general strike was almost universal
- 4 days later after the strike started - the Kapp government fell
- the Weimar gov. returned to Berlin thanks to the strike rather than due to the army
- Wolfgang Kapp died in prison awaiting trial
- other two leaders were given short prison sentences
10
Q
Who led the Munich Putsch
A
- **Adolf Hitler* led the Munich Putsch
- he modelled it after Mussolini’s March on Rome in 1922
- he hoped to gain support from local politicians and citizens
11
Q
Events of the Munich Putsch
A
- November 8 1923 the SA surrounded a large beer cellar in Munich where Gustav Von Kuhr + Otto Von Lossow + others were in a meeting
- Hitler crashed into the hall and announced that the gov. Of Bavaria + national gov had fallen
- Gustav + Otto forced to state approval for Hitler’s plan + Ludendorff as Commander-in-chief
- Gustav + Otto allowed to leave the beer hall at which point they denounce what they had agreed to
- November 9th 2k armed Nazis march to a military base in Munich
- Nazis taken prisoner after a small battle with the police
12
Q
End of the Munich Putsch + Hitler’s trial
A
- Hitler escapes but is arrested when found
- February 1924 he uses his trial as a chance to give a speech about his views + critique Weimar gov
- judges are sympathetic + Hitler given 5 year sentence but only serves 9 months
- uses the time to write his book Mein Kampf + plan his political plan
13
Q
Why the Weimar gov struggled to control extremist groups
A
- the gov came into power through revolution but not enough support for countrywide revolution
- theoretical democracy
- left wing though the gov wasn’t radical enough
- right wing wanted the old nationalistic system again
- freedom of speech + assembly meant there was open criticism
14
Q
Why Ebert was willing to make concessions
A
- wanted stability + support
- need to reform army - Reichswehr + other parts of society like education
15
Q
Ebert-Groener Pact
A
- November 10 1918 - pact with the new leader of the army
- army would support the new gov as long as it opposed the more left-wing ideas in the Reichstag
- Groener didn’t know about the Stinnes-Legion Agreement
16
Q
Stinnes-Legien Agreement
A
- November 15 1918
- agreement with the leader of the labour union Carl Legien + industrialist Hugo Stinnes
- support = legislation on work hours + adequate union representation
- they didn’t know about the Ebert-Groener Pact
17
Q
Regional disruption
A
- Weimar gov had varying control in the different regions
- regions having gov struggles as many leaders had abdicated after the Kaiser did - some unwillingly
- all eventually adopted the Weimar Constitution - at different dates
- Thuringia didn’t hold elections until June 1920
- in Bavaria + Saxony the communists tried to set up their own gov
- Weimar gov used the Freikorps + army to restore order using the system of Reichsexekution
18
Q
Reichsexekution
A
- takeover by the federal gov + army
- removal of the state gov as a threat to the public
- replaced by a military gov headed by a civilian governor appointed by the federal gov
- until Weimar constitution + Weimar system of gov could be restored
19
Q
Reichsexekution in Saxony + Thuringia
A
- this is how the gov dealt with the communist govs in Saxony + Thuringia in 1922
- troops marched in and broke up the meetings in each Land
- arrests + imprisonments
- army was heavy-handed with worker groups
- there were riots in which workers were shot
20
Q
Reaction different in left-wing vs right-wing uprising
A
- Weimar gov forced to rely on the army to manage extremist groups
- reaction of the Reichswehr + judiciary was different depending on if the uprising was left-wing or right-wing
- left wing problems dealt with brutally by the Reichswehr
- army sometimes refused to act against right wing uprisings - Kapp Putsch
- judiciary quite harsh on left-wing vs right-wing convicts - like Hitler
- economic depression after Hindenburg came to power made right-wing increasingly confident that public wanted a strong RW gov - led to increased votes for Nazis
21
Q
Popular support for Weimar Constitution
A
- people welcomed it in lieu of something worse
- 1923 the people of Saxony welcomed the Reichsexekution as a removal of the communist gov that had imposed itself on the region
- American ambassador in Dresden said the troops were cheered on by the public who saw them as liberators
- Weimar Constitution had more supporters than the Weimar gov
22
Q
When the Weimar gov did right - increase in support
A
- 1924 to 1929 the gov was improving the economy + getting Germany accepted as a Power in Europe
- 1924 the SPD - face of the Constitution - won 131 seats in the Reichstag
- 1928 - SPD won 153 seats
- when the Weimar gov did badly - right wing president elected + Nazi rise in power
23
Q
RMVP
A
- Ministry for Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda
- created March 1933 with Joseph Goebbels as head
- regulated culture + mass media
- Hitler was the focus of propaganda + glorified as heroic and an infallible leader
- created cult of personality for Hitler
24
Q
RKK
A
- Reich Culture Chamber
- founded by Goebbels on September 22nd 1933
- membership mandatory for people producing culture + used censorship
- racially or politically undesirable artists banned
- horst vessel - SA man who was killed - his anthem was a pro-nazi song for the SA
25
Q
Newspapers + Press before 1933
A
- daily press was decentralised with little to no government effect
- ‘newspaper density’ in germany outdid britain and france
- article 118 essentially stated criticisms were allowed to be published by papers - lots of newspapers available, criticism spread quickly
- when hitler took control less than 3% of the 4700 newspapers available were nazi controlled
- most newspapers retained original name after Nazi takeover
26
Q
Changes for journalists
A
- made to register with the reich association of the german press - part of the reich press chamber - in the reich association people had to be ‘pure german’ - volksgenneson
- editors law - schriftleitergesetz - put into effect on January 1st 1934 - forbids non-aryans to work in journalism
- expected to have a year of professional training - to stop free-lance journalists
- those who failed to follow instructions were fired + sent to concentration camps
- title of journalist was changed to schriftleiter
27
Q
Changes to Press
A
- state allowed to seize printing plants + equipment of outlawed political party’s newspapers
- clause 14 - everything that would weaken hitlers regime was to be excluded by publishers
- state controlled press-agency - produced half the content of newspapers + only way journalists receive information = limiting publishing further
- aimed to restrict the interpretations + access to news sources rather than banning news
