Booklet 2 - Weimar Flashcards
(104 cards)
1
Q
Burgfrieden
A
The political truce between parties to support the war effort
2
Q
Schlieffen Plan
A
Battle plan proposed in 1905 to defeat the French swiftly
3
Q
Freikorps
A
Right-wing, paramilitary group of ex-soldiers.
4
Q
When was Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated?
A
9th November 1918
5
Q
When was the Spartacist revolt?
A
January 1919
6
Q
Who made up the ‘silent dictatorship’?
A
Hindenburg and Ludendorff
7
Q
Who could vote in the new constitution?
A
Men and women over the age of 20
8
Q
In the new constitution how often was the President elected?
A
Every 7 years
9
Q
What was Article 48?
A
Allowed the President to override the democracy of the Reichstag in an ‘emergency’, which gave them too much power.
10
Q
What were some of the strengths of the new constitution?
A
- more democratic (wider suffrage and president + Reichstag elected)
- chancellor needed support of over 1/2 Reichstag (more accountable)
- each state was still represented (Reichrat)
11
Q
What were some of the weaknesses of the new constitution?
A
- chancellor and ministers are not elected but holds significant power
- president can dissolve Reichstag (too powerful)
- article 48
12
Q
How often was the Reichstag elected?
A
Every 4 years
13
Q
Which house had the most power and what were its exclusive roles?
A
Reichstag:
- controlled taxation
- could override Reichsrat
14
Q
How was the Chancellor selected?
A
By the president
15
Q
What were the main reasons for political breakdown in 1918?
A
- calls for a new constitution escalated by the Russian Revolution 1917 and turnip winter 1916
- calls for an end to the war (new party USPD in support and ‘peace resolution’ passed)
- new chancellor Michaelis got around peace resolution and introduced new war credits
- failure of the ‘spring offence’
16
Q
What were some of the rights of voters?
A
- ‘all Germans are equal before the law’
- guaranteed the right to belong to trade unions, political parties etc
- guaranteed free speech, conscience and travel
17
Q
What type of state was Germany?
A
Federal - central Reich government and separate state ‘Lander’ governments
18
Q
What type of representation was used?
A
Proportional
19
Q
What was the ‘Fundamental Rights and Duties of German Citizens’?
A
The second part of the constitution that protected citizens rights e.g. to free speech
20
Q
Hyperinflation
A
Rapid and unrestrained price increases in an economy
21
Q
Autarky
A
Self-sufficiency
22
Q
Nationalism
A
Supporting the interest of your nation
23
Q
Lebensraum
A
‘Living space’ - more land for Germany
24
Q
How many political assassination attempts were there between 1919-23?
A
354
25
When did the USPD vote to join the KPD and why was this significant?
December 1920 - increased left wing strength and confidence
26
When were the strikes in the Ruhr and Halle?
April-May 1919
27
Why were there strikes in the Ruhr and Halle?
Strikers demanded workers’ control over industry and a government based on workers’ Soviets (socialist)
28
How many killed in Berlin during workers strikes 1919?
1200
29
Who were the leaders of the Spartacist revolt?
Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg
30
How many were killed in the Spartacist revolt?
100 workers and the leaders
31
Example of right-wing assassinations:
- Hugo Hasse (socialist politician) shot in front of Reichstag Oct 1919
32
When was the Kapp Putsch?
March 1920
33
Why was the Kapp Putsch significant?
Ebert ordered the regular German army to put down the Freikorps uprising but they refused to fight against other soldiers. Shows the government didn’t have full control of army.
34
Why did the Kapp Putsch fail?
Ordinary workers called a general strike over the whole of Germany and it collapsed within 4 days of strikes.
35
What were the conditions of the Treaty of Versailles?
- army restricted to 100,000 men
- territory restricted (Saar and Alsace-Lorraine to France)
- stripped of colonies in China and Africa
- 132bn marks in reparations
- article 231: war guilt
36
What was the ‘stab in the back’ myth?
Conspiracy theory suggesting that the German army had not been defeated in the war, but that socialist politicians had signed the treaty to take control.
Right-wing extremists also blamed the Jews.
37
Communist Party (KPD)
- extreme left-wing
- opposed the Weimar republic
- belief in the working class rising up against the ruling class
- wanted something similar to the Russian Revolution
38
Social Democrats (SPD)
- moderate left-wing
- supported the Weimar Republic
- wanted more freedom and social justice in Germany
39
Centre Party (ZP)
- moderate
- supported Weimar Republic
- held strong catholic beliefs
- socially conservative and Christian Democratic
- became more right-wing
40
National Party (DNVP)
- right wing
- unhappily accepted the republic
- major conservative and nationalist party
- supported a German monarchy
- anti-communist, anti-Semitic, anti-catholic
41
Nazi Party (NSDAP)
- extreme right-wing
- opposed Weimar Republic
- wanted a full dictatorship
- anti-semetic, anti-communist, anti-slavism, white supremacy
- extreme nationalism views
42
Who won the most seats in the 1919 election and how many did they win?
SPD won 165 seats
43
Examples of beliefs contained in the NSDAP’s 25 point programme:
- anti-semetic, anti-democratic, anti-communism (nationalist views)
- anti-capitalist (socialist views)
- superiority of Aryan race
- social Darwinism
- Lebensraum
- Fuhrerprinzip
44
Fuhrerprinzip
Germany needed an all-powerful leader
45
Social Darwinism
The survival of the fittest theory applied to humans; the Germans were a ‘master race’
46
When was the 25 point programme drawn up?
February 1920
47
When did Hitler become the leader of the Nazi party?
July 1921
48
When was the Munich Putsch?
8th-9th November 1923
49
When was the ban on the NSDAP lifted?
February 1925
50
Why was the Munich Putsch a success in the long term?
- Hitler spent his time in prison writing Mein Kampf and planning how to reorganise the party
- the trial gave him news coverage which helped more people to hear about the party
51
How many members did the SA have by 1930?
400,000
52
Who led the SA?
Ernest Rohm
53
How many members did the SS have by 1930?
3000
54
Who led the SS?
Heinrich Himmler
55
What was Joseph Goebbels role from 1929?
‘Minister for Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda’
56
What was Nazi membership by 1929?
130,000
57
When was Hitler Youth set up?
1926
58
Who was Herman Goering?
Head of the SA from 1923
59
Who was Gregor Strasser?
Led the Nazi party when Hitler was in prison
60
Treaty of Rapallo
1922
Agreement between USSR and Germany to renounce all financial and territorial claims against each other and reinstate friendly diplomatic relations.
61
Dawes Plan
1924
Loan from the US to Germany (to pay France), staggered payment plan, ended French occupation of Ruhr.
800 million marks
62
Locarno Treaties
1925
7 agreements signed - normal relations between West + East Europe
Permanent German peace treaty
Established Franco-German reconciliation
63
Kellog-Briand Pact
1928
31 nations peace treaty - no war between them
64
Young Plan
1929
Replaced Dawes Plan - reduced reparations payment by 20%, extended time Germany had to pay back by until 1988.
65
What was the German currency worth by 1919?
20% less than pre-war
66
What was the unemployment level in 1921?
Only 1.8%
67
When did Germany fail to pay a reparations instalment?
January 1923
68
Why did the French occupy the Ruhr?
Germany had failed to pay a reparations instalment
69
What was Germany’s response to the occupation of the Ruhr?
Chancellor Cuno ordered passive resistance
70
When did Streseman become the Chancellor?
August 1923
71
What actions did Streseman take to restore the German economy?
- called off passive resistance in Ruhr (improved relations with France)
- introduced new currency (rentenmark) to stabilise the economy and later changed back to reichmark
- signed the Dawes and Young plans
72
What was the Rentenmark backed by?
Industrial production
73
Why was the Dawes Plan a risk?
Meant Germany was heavily reliant on US loans - backfired after Wall Street crash
74
Why was Schacht significant in economic recovery?
- currency commissioner so participated in the introduction of the Rentenmark
- helped negotiate the young plan
- head of Reichsbank
75
When did inflation fall below zero?
1926
76
What was unemployment at by 1926?
Above 20%
77
When did industrial output reach and exceed its pre-war levels?
Reached in 1927 and exceeded in 1928-9
78
How long was Streseman chancellor?
August - November
79
What was Streseman’s role after chancellor?
Foreign minister
80
How much did Germany spend in war?
$39bn
81
When did Germany join the League of Nations?
1926
82
What was the impact of war on society?
- brought people together in a spirit of unity at patriotism
- food shortages
- conscription into army from 1916
- working/absent parents left children neglected
- education was interrupted
83
How did women’s lives change during the Great War?
- more women were employed in armament factories
- wage differences between men and women narrowed
84
What percentage of women were in employment by 1925?
35.6%
85
What percentage of women worked as domestic servants by 1925?
Decreased to 11.4%
86
What happened to the percentage of women working in white collar jobs by 1925?
Doubled its 1907 level
87
How many children suffered from rickets during the war?
40%
88
How many members did the League of German Women’s Association have?
900,000
89
What was the consequence of the Kaisereich ending on the upper class elites?
All titles and legal privileges were removed
90
What legislation benefitted the working class?
- accident insurance plan 1925
- act concerning labour exchanges and unemployment insurance protected over 17m workers
- public assistance programme replaced older ‘poor relief’ legislation in 1924
91
When was abortion legalised?
1926
92
How did the upper class benefit from hyperinflation?
Those with debts, mortgages and loans could pay off their money owed in a worthless currency
93
What was the Bauhaus movement?
Style of architecture - ordinary geometric designs which emphasised the functionality of buildings. Sometimes made entirely of concrete. Associated with Walter Gropius.
94
Examples of expressionist artists?
George Grosz and Otto Dix
95
How much of the population did the working class make up?
Over 50%
96
How much of the population was in the economic elite?
5%
97
How many women were in the Reichstag 1920?
111
98
How many months did Hitler serve in prison?
9 months
99
When did Hindenburg become president?
1925
100
How many seats did the Nazi party win in 1928?
Only 12
101
Evidence for the expansion of social welfare:
- Youth Welfare Act established a youth service to promote physical and social fitness
- war-related pensions provided for invalids, widows and orphans (over 2.5m people)
- accident insurance programme 1925
102
How did Lander governments improve people’s lives?
- improved schools, hospitals, roads, electricity supplies etc
- almost 179,000 dwellings built in 1925
103
How were Roma and Sinti treated?
- regarded as beggars
- forced into specially created campsites or sent to workhouses
104
How much was the military budget increased from 1924-28?
75%
