Germany Flashcards
(88 cards)
What was Kaiser Wilhelm II like?
Spent most of his youth in the army Keen to maintain large military Very interested in military tactics Was from military state Prussia Wanted Germany to be a global power
What did the SDP believe in?
Wealth should be distributed evenly
Wanted Kaiser to make social reforms
Disagreed with the power held by privileged positions
1 in 3 Germans voted for this party
What were the navy laws?
Between 1898 and 1912
Huge amount of money was given to expand army
Kaiser wanted big navy to expand empire
Taxes were increased and money was borrowed
How was Germany bankrupt after the war?
Owed vast sums of money
Lent its own money to allies
Factories were exhausted
War pension would cost government a fortune
How was society divided further after WW1?
Some factory owners made a fortune whereas workers had restrictions on their wages
Women worked in factories which some believed damaged traditional family values.
How was Germany politically unstable after WW1?
There was mutiny and revolution all over Germany
Many civilians and ex-soldiers felt that politicians had betrayed Germany by ending the war
What happened during the Spartacist uprising?
6th January 1919, Spartacists seized power in Berlin
They wanted Germany to be won by small groups of soldiers and workers
Ebert sent 2000 Freikorps to attack
3 days of fighting
Spartacist leaders arrested and killed
What were the weaknesses of the Weimar constitution?
Proportional representation
Many didn’t like the new democratic system
Many didn’t trust the November criminals
What did the Treaty of Versailles state?
Had to pay 6.6 billion in reparations Only allowed a small army and navy Must hand over colonies No German soldiers to enter the Rhineland Never unite with Austria again
Why did Germans hate the Treaty of Versailles?
They felt it was too harsh
They were ordered to sign the treaty without discussion
Many felt that they were betrayed by the November criminals, and they could have kept fighting
What caused the French invasion of the Ruhr?
!922 - Germany could not pay reparations
January 1923 - 60,000 French and Belgian troops took over the Ruhr
Took control of every factory, mine, and railway
What caused hyperinflation?
Workers in the Ruhr went on strike
Government printed more money to pay workers on strike and pay the French
Shops raised their prices
Who were the losers in hyperinflation?
People with bank savings
Elderly people who lived on fixed pensions
Many small businesses
Who were the winners in hyperinflation?
People who borrowed money could now easily pay off debt
What happened during the assassinations between 1919 and 1922?
Over 350 political murders
Wanted to eliminate people responsible for the Treaty of Versailles
August 1921 - Erzberger, the man who signed the armistice, was shot dead by a right wing group
What happened during the Kapp Putsch?
March 1920 - right wing politician Wolfgang Kapp gathered 5000 Freikorps and took over Berlin
Wanted to take over the country and recover land lost in the Treaty of Versailles
Ebert fled Berlin
Workers’ went on strike - no gas, water, electricity or trains
Kapp fled abroad after only 100 hours
What happened during the Red Rising in the Ruhr?
March 1920, after the Kapp Putsch, left wing workers in the Ruhr stayed on strike.
They took over several towns
The government sent soldiers and Freikorps - over 1000 workers were killed
What happened during the Munich Putsch?
November 1923, Hitler tried to seize control of the Bavarian government
Hitler promised to overturn the Treaty of Versailles, destroy communism and restore national glory
Key politicians in the Munich beer hall refused to support his plan
Hitler and 2000 supporters marched through Munich - 3 policemen and 16 Nazis died
Hitler and Ludendorff were arrested
How did Stresemann fix the hyperinflation crisis?
He stopped the printing of bank notes
Replaced with the Retenmark then the Reichsmark in 1924
People who lost their savings and never got their money back blamed Stresemann
How did Stresemann fix the French invasion of the Ruhr?
Under the Dawes plan, US lent Germany money to start repaying reparations
French troops left the Ruhr
Many Germans felt Stresemann should have demanded a complete end to reparations
In 1929 through the Young plan, Stresemann negotiated a reduction in the total payments
How did Stresemann create economic recovery?
Stresemann used borrowed money to build new factories, houses, schools and roads
More jobs created
Some felt Germany was relying too much on America’s loans
How did Stresemann improve foreign policy?
1925 - Germany signed the Locarno pact - countries promised never to invade each other
1926 - Germany joined the League of Nations
1928 - Germany signed the Kellogg-Briand pact - countries promised never to go to war unless in defence
Some Germans criticised Stresemann for not demanding back some of the land taken by the Treaty of Versailles
What were the underlying problems in the Stresemann era?
There were too many political parties that wasted time arguing over decisions
Extreme political parties did not support the Weimar system
Large groups of Germans were poor due to hyperinflation
Germany’s prosperity was built on US loans
How were the 1920’s a ‘Golden age’?
Cinema - Metropolis by Fritz Lang was the most technically advanced film of the decade. Marlene Dietrich became a global star.
Nightlife - Musicians performed vulgar songs about politicians. Famous for nightclubs.
Literature - All Quiet on the Western Front - German anti war novel
Art - paintings showed the reality of everyday life