Chapter 1: impact of war, political crises of October 1918, and the establishment of the Weimar Constitution Flashcards
(28 cards)
When was the abdication of the Kaiser?
9 November 1918
What happened by the end of September 1918?
It had been clear to General Ludendorff and the German High Command that Germany was on the brink of defeat
Meanwhile, what took place in Europe?
Germany’s Allies were trying to negotiate peace terms. Ludendorff concluded that Germany’s only hope of avoiding a humiliating surrender was to ask the Allies for an armistice
What is an ‘armistice’?
An agreement to suspend fighting in order to allow a peace treaty to be negotiated
What did US President Wilson’s Fourteen Points offer?
A possible basis for a negotiated peace settlement but Ludendorff understood that Germany’s autocratic political system was an obstacle to this. He, therefore, advocated a partial democratisation of the political system in Germany as a way of getting better peace terms from the Allies.
What were the October Reforms?
The Kaiser began a series of reforms that effectively ended his autocratic rule:
- he appointed Prince Max of Baden as his new Chancellor
- the Chancellor was to be responsible to the Reichstag and he established a new government based on the majority parties in the Reichstag, including the German Social Democratic Party (SPD)
- the armed forces were put under the control of the civil government
They amounted to a ‘revolution from above’ which was not only designed to save Germany from humiliation, but also to save the Kaiser’s rule
What could be said about the October Reforms?
- Some historians (e.g. Hans-Ulrich Wehler) regard these events as proving their theory that Germany had long been controlled and manipulated by conservative traditional forces.
- Other historians (e.g. Eberhard Kolb) have suggested that the changes coincided with increasing pressure from the Reichstag to bring about political change.
- Ultimately, what pushed Germany was the widespread realisation that the war had been lost.
Why was Friedrich Ebert struggling for power?
Pressure from the left:
His efforts to contain the revolution were further threatened for more radical change from the left.
What happened on 22 November?
An agreement was reached between the new government and the Berlin workers’ and soldiers’ councils whereby the government accepted that it only exercised power in the name of these councils. This was merely a temporary compromise.
Why was there pressure from the army?
Army officers had no wish to see Germany become a republic.
What was the Ebert-Groener Pact?
Ebert assured Groener that the government was determined to resist further revolution and to uphold the existing command structure in the army.
Opinions on the Pact?
For Ebert, the Pact was a necessary and unavoidable device to ensure an orderly transition to the New Republic. For his critics on the left, however, it was an abject betrayal of the revolution.
What took place on 6 December?
A Spartacist demonstration in Berlin was fired on by soldiers, killing sixteen
What took place on 6 January?
The Sparticists launched an armed revolt against the government in what became known as the January Revolution, or the Spartacist Uprising. After a week of heavy fighting in Berlin, the revolt was crushed.
Give a historian’s quote on the Republic.
The historian William Carr has written ‘The Republic was accepted by many Germans not as a superior form of government but as a convenient means of filling the void left by the collapse of the monarchy.’
When were the elections for the Constituent Assembly held?
19 January 1919
Why was the constitution established?
It was designed to enshrine and guarantee the rights and powers of the people. Women were allowed to vote for the first time.
What were the strengths of the constitution? (1)
The new German constitution provided a wider right to vote than in other countries such as Great Britain and France. Women were able to vote on the same terms as men and they were allowed to become deputies in the Reichstag and state parliaments.
What were the strengths of the constitution? (2)
The system of proportional representation enabled eben the smaller parties to win seats in the Reichstag and influence government decisions.
What were the strengths of the constitution? (3)
There was full democracy in local government as well as central government. Prussia was not in a position to dominate the rest of Germany.
What were the strengths of the constitution? (4)
The constitution also set out clearly the rights of the individual.
What were the strengths of the constitution? (5)
Referendums could be called for by the president, the Reichsrat, or by peoples’ request if a tenth of the electorate applied for one.
What were the weaknesses of the constitution? (1)
The proliferation of small parties:
Smaller parties could gain representation in the Reichstag. This enabled smaller parties- many of which were anti-republican - to exploit the parliamentary system to gain publicity. Proportional representation did not, in itself, create the fragmented party system. This was due to the deep divisions in German society and the lack of a national consensus.
What were the weaknesses of the constitution? (2)
Coalition governments:
Because of the proliferation of small parties, none of the larger parties could gain an overall majority in the Reichstag. All governments in the Weimar Reoublic were coalitions, many of which were very short-lived.
