CHAPTER 1

Question 1

What were the October Reforms?

Answer 1

Kaiser beginning a series of reforms to end his autocratic rule

Question 2

Who did the Kaiser appoint as Chancellor as part of these reforms?

Answer 2

Prince Max of Baden on 3 Oct 1918

Question 3

What was a Chancellor responsible to?

Answer 3

Reichstag

Question 4

What did Max of Baden establish?

Answer 4

New gov based on the majority parties in the Reichstag

Question 5

Who was put under control of the Civil Government?

Answer 5

The Armed Forces

Question 6

What did these reforms mean?

Answer 6

Germany was undergoing major constitutional reform

Question 7

What did Prince Max of Baden do on 5 October 1918?

Answer 7

Wrote the Peace Note

Wrote to President Wilson asking for Armistice

Question 8

What was Wilson’s response?

Answer 8

• Germany must evacuate all occupied territory
• Call an end to submarine warfare
• Fully democratise its political system

Question 9

What was Ludendorff’s response to this?

Answer 9

Terms were too much to accept so he resigned and fled to Sweden

Question 10

What impact did the Peace Note have on people?

Answer 10

• Shattering blow to moral
• Peace Note was admittance that Germany had lost the War
• Undermined their respect for the Kaiser and leaders

Question 11

What impact did the Peace Note have on soldiers and sailors?

Answer 11

• Lost respect for their officers

Question 12

English Channel

Name one way in which the sailors disobeyed orders and what it led to.

Answer 12

When ordered to attack British Ships in the English Channel, they refused. This led to more naval mutinies.

Question 13

What did sailors do on 3 November 1918?

Answer 13

Mutinied against their officers and took control of the base in Kiel

Question 14

What was happening by 6 November 1918?

Answer 14

Workers and Soldiers Counils were being created all over Germany

Question 15

What did the SPD do on 9 November 1918?

Answer 15

Called on workers in Berlin to join a general strike to force the Kaiser to abdicate. Also threatened to withdraw support from Baden’s gov unless the Kaiser abdicated in 24 hrs.

Question 16

What did Prince Max of Baden release on 9 November 1918?

Answer 16

Press staement stating that the Kaiser had abdicated, in response to the SPD.

Question 17

What did Prince Mac of Baden do 9 November 1918?

Answer 17

Resigned, leaving Friedrich Ebert (leader of SPD) to take over.

Question 18

What did Groener do on 9 November 1918?

Answer 18

Informed the Kaiser that the army would no longer fight for him.

Question 19

What was Ebert’s priority after the Armistice?

Answer 19

To organise elections for a Constituent Assembly.

Question 20

What did Ebert urge Germans to do?

Answer 20

• Keep essential services running
• Avoid street demonstrations
• Maintain law and order

Question 21

What did ex-soldiers do after the armistice?

Answer 21

Roamed the streets and participated in demonstartions.

Question 22

What was The Spartacist League?

Answer 22

Party founded in 1916 by a more revolutionary group in the SPD. Changed its name to KPD in 1918.

Question 23

Who led The Spartacist League?

Answer 23

Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg.

Question 24

What were the KPD’s main aims?

Answer 24

• Establish republican gov controlled by councils
• Establish welfare benefits
• Nationalisation

Question 25

Who supported the KPD?

Answer 25

Workers

Question 26

What was the KPD's membership as of 1918?

Answer 26

5000

Question 27

What was the USPD?

Answer 27

Party founded in 1917 by a breakaway minority from the left of the SPD

Question 28

Who led the USPD?

Answer 28

Hugo Hasse

Question 29

What were the USPD's main aims?

Answer 29

* Wanted a republic with national Reichstag working with councils * Improvements in welfare * Nationalisation * Reform army into national militia

Question 30

What was the membership of the USPD as of 1918?

Answer 30

300,000

Question 31

What was the SPD?

Answer 31

Party founded in 1875

Question 32

Who led the SPD?

Answer 32

Friedrich Ebert and Philip Scheidemann

Question 33

What were the SPD's main aims?

Answer 33

* Wanted more moderate socialist republic * Improvements in welfare * Wanted continuity and order

Question 34

Who supported the SPD?

Answer 34

Working class voters

Question 35

What was the SPD's membership as of 1918?

Answer 35

1,000,000

Question 36

Why would the USPD and KPD not allow Ebert to make key decisions without referring to them?

Answer 36

Both parties had established a key foothold.

Question 37

What happened on 22 November 1918?

Answer 37

Agreement reached whereby gov accepted that it only exercised power in the name of the Councils in Berlin.

Question 38

What did the Left believe?

Answer 38

The autocratic system would not be abolished unless the aristocrates were broken up. | Splitting up of army, civil service and judiciary

Question 39

What did Ebert's survival depend on?

Answer 39

Support of Army.

Question 40

What happened on 10 November 1918 between Groener and Ebert?

Answer 40

Ebert-Groener Pact. Army would support gov, gov would resist demands to democratise army and defend Germany against communist revolt.

Question 41

How did the Left react to the Ebert-Groener Pact?

Answer 41

Felt betrayed.

Question 42

Why did the Left feel betrayed by the Ebert-Groener Pact?

Answer 42

Believed that it represented a compromise with the reactionary military establishment and an abandonment of the socialist revolution that they had hoped to achieve.

Question 43

What events occurred on the 6 December 1918?

Answer 43

Spartacist demonstration in Berlin was fired on by soldiers, killing 16.

Question 44

What happened from 23 - 24 December 1918?

Answer 44

Sailors' revolt against gov in Berlin was put down by army. In protest, 3 USPD ministers resigned.

Question 45

What happened on 6 January 1919?

Answer 45

Sprtacist launched an armed revolt against the gov.

Question 46

When was the Spartacist Uprising supressed?

Answer 46

After a week of heavy fighting, revolt was crushed.

Question 47

What did the Spartacist Uprisng highlight?

Answer 47

Highlighted the deep divisions within the German left and the challenges of building a unified socialist movement in the wake of the November Revolution.