Early Challenges to the Republic

Question 1

• When was the Peace Treaty signed?

Answer 1

28th June 1919

Question 2

• How did Germans react to the treaty?

Answer 2

they were horrified

Question 3

• What were the terms of the Treaty?

Answer 3

• DE lost 13% of land
• 48% of its iron production
• 6 million citizens gone to other countries
• war guilt (made DE an outcast)
• only 100,000 soldiers

Question 4

• What was the “stab in the back” theory? (Dolchstoss)

Answer 4

• the treaty was signed by new leaders
• believed they accepted defeat

Question 5

• How did the army react to the Republic?

Answer 5

they felt betrayed, so Ebert made a deal with the army leader for them to support the government

Question 6

• Who led the Spartacists uprise?

Answer 6

Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg in 1919

Question 7

• What was the goal of the Spartacists?

Answer 7

to establish a state with communist ideals

Question 8

• How were the Sparticists defeated?

Answer 8

• the army and Freikorps (ex soldiers, wanted to save Germany) defeated them
• the leaders were killed

Question 9

• Who lead the Kapp Putsch?

Answer 9

Wolfgang Kapp

Question 10

• What was the goal of the Kapp Putsch?

Answer 10

to form a right wing government

Question 11

• Why did the Kapp Putsch fail?

Answer 11

the government warned people to not support the Putsch, so Kapp had little support

Question 12

• What other risings occurred after the Putsch?

Answer 12

• communist rising in the Ruhr, the army was involved and stopped the rebellion
• political assassinations
• political armies

Question 13

• When was the hyperinflation?

Answer 13

1923

Question 14

• Why did the hyperinflation happen?

Answer 14

• DE could not make their payments so France and Belgium invaded

Question 15

• Why did the government print more money?

Answer 15

to pay the strikers for their courage

Question 16

• What problems did the hyperinflation cause with the French and Belgians?

Answer 16

• if the payments weren’t made, then they couldn’t pay their war loans to the USA

Question 17

• How did the Germans react to the invasion?

Answer 17

some workers had a passive strike but this created hostility

Question 18

• What was the consequence of the invasion?

Answer 18

fewer goods were being produced

Question 19

• How did the government pay the strikers?

Answer 19

by printing more money

Question 20

• Who benefited from the hyperinflation?

Answer 20

• farmers, they were payed more for their food
• businesses could pay off their mortgages
• visitors could buy more for their money

Question 21

• What were the strengths of the Republic?

Answer 21

• it was a genuine democracy as elections occurred every 4 years and Germans over 20 could vote
• the Reichstag parliament had more power
• Bill of Rights, guaranteed freedom of speech and equality under the law

Question 22

• What were the weaknesses of the Republic

Answer 22

• proportional representation, it was difficult to have strong policies, hard to pass laws, weak government
• it was not the choice of the people
• Article 48, which said the president could act without permission in the case of an “emergency” (this was not clearly defined)