Germany Flashcards
(94 cards)
when was germany unified as one nation
1871
which state was the most powerful when germany was unified
prussia
what was the kaisers job
to rule over all the states in germany. he could ignore government advice and make is own decisions. he made all military and foreign policy decisions
what was the chancellors job
advise the kaiser and look after the day to day running of germany
what was the Bundesrat
it was made up of representatives from every state
what was the reichstag
parliament elected by men over 25. They debated and voted on laws made by the kaiser and his ministers
who was kaiser wilhelm ii
he was from prussia and belived in having strong armed forces (militarism) prussian generals made up the basis of the new german army.
his mother was queen Victoria’s daughter
he was born with an arm problem and blamed the english doctor
he wanted a bigger army than england
what was WELTPOLITIK
germany becoming a global power with a larger empire than england
how did socialism grow during kaiser wilhelms reign
many workers were unhappy in low paying jobs with bad conditions. they joined trade unions and went on organised strikes. by 1914 over 3 million workers were in trade unions. the social democratic party became very popular.
what did the SDP want during kaiser wilhems reign
they wanted the kaiser to allow the reichstag to make more social reforms to improve workers rights. they disagreed with the privalidge that the factory workers held. extremists wanted a revolution
what were the navy laws
between 1898 and 1912 a series of navy laws were introduced to rapidly increase the seize of the german army.
why was germany close to defeat in 1916
a flu epidemic killed those weak from starvation.
soldiers were worn down
protesters at home demanded an end to the war
what did kaiser wilhelm do at the end of ww1 so that the allies would treat germany more fairly
he allowed the main political parties to form a government and transferred some of his powers to the reichstag
what events lead to the kaiser abdicating in 1918
navy in keil mutinied and soldiers sent to deal with the protest join the sailors. the kaiser knew he had lost control as cities in germany were being governed by workers and sailors councils. the kaiser abdicated secretly leaving germany on 9 nov 1918
who took over when the kaiser abdicated
Ebert because he was leader of the largest political party (spd)
what were the impacts of ww1 on germany
virtually bankrupt
owed money on loans
factories were exhausted
war pensions were expensive
women worked in factories which some people thought damaged traditional family values
revolutions everywhere - politically unstable
what happened during the spartacists revolt
Ebert declared germany would be a democratic republic and elections would be held in january 1919.
a group of communists called the spartacists wanted germany to be run by small councils . they seized power of berlin on 6 jan 1919
ebert sent 2000 freikorps to attack and after 3 days of street fighting the spartacist leaders were captured
what was the weimar constitution
a formal set of rules for how germany would be run
what were the weaknesses in the weimar constitution
proportional representation = different political partys were allowed to win seats in the reichstag but it was difficult for one party to get a majority
many people didnt like the new democratic system ( generals . landowners , upperclass families )
what was article 48
laws could be passed without the reichstag by order of the president
what was demanded of germany in the treaty of versailles
land- all coloneys were given to the winnig countries - no german soldiers could enter the rhineland
army- 100,000 soldiers only
money - £6.6 billion
blame- take full blame for the war
why did france and belgium invade the ruhr in 1923
germany announced it could not pay the second reparations’ instalment so france and belgium decided to invade the ruhr with 60 000 soldiers in january 1923 to take back what they were owed in goods
when was hyperinflation
1923
what caused hyperinflation
the government ordered all its workers in the ruhr to go on strike and not help the french and belgium soldiers, however they continued to pay them. in order to do so the gov printed loads of money which was spent in shops and prices increased. prices rose so high that workers were paid daily so that they could afford food