Germany 2: Weimar Flashcards
(44 cards)
When were the first free elections held and who won?
19th January 1919
Friedrich Ebert bacame President on 11th February
What was the constitution?
A set of written rules on how Germany should be run
The President was elected every?
7 years
Who was in charge of Weimar after WW1?
Friedrich Ebert - Leader of the Social Democrats who became President once Germany turned democratic.
What problems did Ebert have after 1918?
He was seen by many as the person who stabbed Germany in the back (Dolchstoss), this led to a lack of support from the German people.
What is proportional representation?
Proportional Representation allowed all votes to be totalled across Germany and seats allocated based on the % of the votes gained.
Why was proportional representation a weakness?
There would likely never be a majority and therefore there would be a coalition parliament. It lead to lots of small parties having seats and so many different opinions on how to handle situations or what to do. This meant that in an emergency it would be hard to come to a decision quickly.
Why was proportional representation a strength?
In Weimar this enabled smaller political parties to gain seats this allowed the country to be more equally represented in the Reichstag.
Why was article 48 a disadvantage?
the President could easily abuse this power and call an emergency when it wasn’t true and therefore make rules and decisions without any restraint. (This weakness is obvious when Hitler rises to power.)
Why was Article 48 an advantage?
It meant that in an emergency the President could quickly make a decision without having to pass it through the Reichstag so that a crisis could be avoided.
What were the names of the uprisings in Weimar?
Kapp Putsch, Red Rising, Spartacists and Munich Putsch
Who were the Freikorps?
Ex WW1 soldiers who were right wing
What is the stab in the back myth?
The German people felt that the new Weimar government had been wrong to accept the armistice and end WW1 in November 1918. It is also known as Dolchstoss.
The Kapp Putsch and Munich Putsch were what side of the political spectrum?
Right
The Spartacist and Red Rising were what side of the political spectrum?
Left
What and when was the Spartacist rebellion?
January 1919 - Communists in Germany led by Karl Liebknect and Rosa Luxemburg, seized control of Berlin. - The Weimar Government stopped the rebellion by using the Freikorps.
What and when was the Munich Putsch?
November 1923 - Nazi revolution in Munich led by Hitler - Everyone was left off lightly including Hitler who got a sentence of 5 years of which he only served 9 months
What and when was the Red Rising?
1920 - Communist uprising in the Ruhr region of Germany - It was stopped by Weimar government using the Freikorps
What and when was the Kapp Putsch?
1920 - Wolfgang Kapp seized control of Berlin for a right wing rebellion - The Weimar government were unable to defend themselves as the army and Freikorps refused to act. - However the rebellion failed as industrial workers, who benefited from the democratic government, went on a general strike forcing Kapp to give up.
Weimar was created as a result of what?
It was created as a result of the Kaiser fleeing Germany to Holland and the fact that the Allies wanted Germany to become a democracy in order for the Armistice to be signed.
In what year did German fail to pay it’s reparations?
1922
What happened once Germany stopped paying reparations?
January 1923 - French and Belgian troops invaded the Ruhr region to claim resources to the value of outstanding reparations. - German workers were told to cry out passive resistance by the government, the went on strike.
When did the French leave the Ruhr?
1925
Why was the Ruhr region important?
It was the center of German industry and made a lot of money for Germany.
