Germany: Democracy & Dictatorship Flashcards
(33 cards)
When was Germany created?
1871
What were Kaiser Wilhelms II’s Aims?
• Weltpolitik (Make Germany a leading world power)
• Control Germany’s Political System
What were the Kaisers main Benefits and Problems?
BENEFITS
• Could appoint chancellor & no major decisions made without him (complete control)
• Industrialisation (Germanys population rapidly increased, economy growth (e.g. steel industries) strengthened German Power)
PROBLEMS
• Political Parties (SDP) developed in organisation/importance (opposed Kaisers autocratic rule)
• 1914, 1/3 of labour force worked in agriculture so food imports rose fast
•Trade Unions (workers on strike)
• As a result there was a rise in socialism and parties like SDP became popular, this was difficult for the Kaisers as he was a Strong Right-Wing and liked traditional ways of ruling.
What happened to the Kaiser on the 9th Nov 1918?
The Kaiser Abdicated to Holland, after losing support from the military as well as losing WW1
What was the Weimar Republic and the Weimar Constitution?
Weimar Republic - The government that ruled after the Kaiser
Weimar Constitution - A set of laws created by the Weimar Republic
Give some Benefits and Disadvantages of the Weimar Constitution
BENEFITS
• Article 118 (every German citizen had freedom to speech and religion)
•Ppl over 20 given vote
•Power of Reichstag (political power exercised by politicians, not Kaiser/Military) however *
DISADVANTAGES
• *Proportional Voting (all votes added in % determines seats - loads of small parties, difficult to create laws)
• Article 48
Why was their Opposition to the Weimar Republic
Some people opposed the WR as they accepted the TOV’s terms, which caused them problems (e.g. land taken which decreased industrial/agricultural income)
What was the TOV
The TOV was a peace agreement that marked the end of WWI, as well as containing terms that punished Germany for their involvement in starting WWI
What were the TOV terms?
Land - Germany lost 10% of land
Army - 100K soldiers, not airforce/tanks, 6 battleships
Money - £6.6 billion for reparations
Blame - Germany took whole blame for WWI
Give two Economic Problems faced by the Weimar Republic
- Occupation of the Ruhr
- Hyperinflation
Explain the Occupation of the Ruhr
1923, the Gov stated they could not pay reparations for 3yrs due to economic hardship. France thought they were lying and invaded the Ruhr (Belgium + France: 60,000 soldiers). They destroyed industries and the WR sent workers on strike.
Consequently, this word ended the economic crisis, as the Ruhr was the govs main income (industrial area), so the Gov started to print more money to repay the Ruhr strikers, this resulted in Hyperinflation
Explain Hyperinflation
The more money printed, the more it decreases in value: this happened due to the OOTR. This meant prices increased rapidly
Give the Consequences of Hyperinflation
-German Mark becomes Worthless
-Savings lost (as they became worthless) ST
-German Mark became worthless ST
-Upper class not badly affected as they invested money ST
-Poverty/crime increased LT
-Turned people against government LT
-food shortages as farmers did not want to sell their food for worthless money (increased starvation and crime)
How was Hyperinflation solved
-The Dawes Plan, 1924 gave Germany longer to pay reparations.
-Introducing a new currency: Retenmark
However, it meant Germany was now dependent on loans from the US (Wall Street crash - Great Depression??)
What was Culture like during the Kaisers Rule VS The Weimar Republic
The Kaiser controlled most of germanys media, laws ensured public decency and editors could be imprisoned if they published anything that insulted the Monarch.
During the WR, because of Article 118 that banned censorship there was a cultural revival in Literature, Architecture and Facilities.
What develops in Culture were there in the Weimar Republic?
• Facilities - Economic prosperity (new sports buildings, apartments and facilities creating jobs)
• Architecture - New house style: Bauhaus (Gropius), however some opposed (a Bauhaus school was moved to Dessua due to Hostile Reactions)
• Literature - New novels with anti-war messages e.g. ‘All Quiet at the Western Front’
Explain the Sparcacists
The Spartacists were a Left-Wing Communist group (led by Rosa Luxemburg) who in January 1919 invaded newspaper/telephone offices and government buildings, in an attempt to take over the government and turn Germany into a Communist State like Russia. As a result, the government hired a Militia called the ‘Freikorps’ to stop them, Luxemburg was arrested and shot.
Explain the Freikorps and the Kapp Putsch
The Freikorps (Right-Wing, led by Wolfgang Kapp) were disbanded after the communist threat was shut down (and also due to the ARMY part of the TOV) however they still marched in Berlin in March 1920, the army did not stop them as they were also soldiers, so the Reichstag had to run away. The government told the people of Berlin to strike to stop the Kapp Putsch.
Explain the Causes and Consequences of the Great Depression
CAUSES
• WSC (1929), the US stock market crashed and banks lost money. As a result, the US want their money back and so Germany was left with very little money, it caused its economy to collapse.
CONSEQUENCES
•Views on the WR changed
• Unemployment - Jan 1932, 6 million people were unemployed, a lot of people had to sell their possessions.
• Welfare system could not cope, meant to help 800,000 ppl not 6 mil. Gov cut employment benefits by 60%.
• Business Closed Down - Demand for goods decreased so a lot of companies went bankrupt, 50,000 German firms closed.
Explain the July 1932 election?
Nazis won more votes than any other party. Von Papen tried to gain their support, but Hilter kept his distance as he didn’t want to be use tied with a failing government. In 1932, the nazis got 37.7% of the vote.
How/why did the nazis gain support?
They gained support by because there was a lot of issue with the WG government eg hyper inflation and unemployment (work and bread).
Their resentment towards the TOV.
Hitler was good and passionate public speaker. He portrayed himself as a hero.
Explain ‘Political deal’?
In 1930, chancellor bruning wanted to tackle economic issues but cutting benefits for the unemployed. Social democrats did not support this, so bruning and hidenburg had an election. The Nazi’s become the second largest party in the Reichstag 1930-1932. Hidenburg refused hitlers request for chancellor. Bruning introduced laws that would give land belonging to bankrupt landowners to poor people. Bruning was then replaced by Von Papen. In 1932, Nazi’s won 37.7% of the vote, becoming the largest party in the Reichstag. However, Papen struggled due to the lack of support from other parties.
What is the ‘Munich putsch’?
A failed attempt in November 1923 by Hitler to overthrow the government of the WR. At a meeting in a beer hall, Hitler announced that he was going to seize power and march towards the government building. It was quickly defeated and he was arrested and put in prison for five years. When he was in prison, he decided the Nazi should seek power by election and not by putsch (coup).
Explain Hitler youth?
It was very important to Hitler that children were indoctrinated into Nazi ideology.
