history_germany_1918-1945_20141120142723 Flashcards
(207 cards)
1
Q
Autocracy:
A
When one person has absolute rule.
2
Q
Constitutional monarchy:
A
The monarch has limited power within the lines of a constitution.
3
Q
Stab in the back myth:
A
The view that the army had not really lost WW1, but Jews and socialists had undermined it. This weakened the Weimar democracy from the start.
4
Q
Reichstag:
A
The German Parliament created in 1871, which had very little power. Real power laid in the emperor.
5
Q
Soviet:
A
Elected council which had the support of more radical left-wing working class.
6
Q
Bolsheviks:
A
Followers of Russian communism.
7
Q
Coalition government:
A
Formed when a party does not have an overall majority, combines with parties and shares power.
8
Q
Socialist republic:
A
A system of government without a monarchy that aims to introduce social changes for collective benefit.
9
Q
Soviet republic:
A
A system of government without a monarchy that aims to introduce a communist state organised by the workers councils and opposed to private ownership.
10
Q
Proletariat:
A
The industrial working class who would ultimately take power in the state.
11
Q
First pas the post:
A
An electoral system that simply requires the winner to gain one vote more than the second placed candidate.
12
Q
What would allied invasions of Germany lead to?
A
Destructive internal disturbances
13
Q
When was Imperial Germany created and what did it remain?
A
It was created in 1871 and it remained an autocracy.
14
Q
What did Ludendorff want to change Germany into?
A
A constitutional monarchy.
15
Q
How did Ludendorff plan on turning Germany into a constitutional monarchy?
A
By the Kaiser’s handing over political power to a civilian government. To establish a more democratic government while keeping the Germany monarchy.
16
Q
What were Ludendorff’s political turnaround aims?
A
- Secure Germany the best possible peace terms, because the allies would be more sympathetic to a democratic regime in Berlin.2.To prevent the outbreak of political revolutionary disturbances.
17
Q
What was Ludendorff’s third and more secret aim?
A
To shift responsibility for Germany’s defeat in WW1 from military leaders, which had dominated Imperial Germany. To the new leadership.
18
Q
What happened on the 3rd October 1918?
A
Prince Max of Baden a moderate conservative was appointed chancellor who had democratic views.
19
Q
What were the constitutional reforms the turned Germany into a parliamentary democracy?
A
- Wilhelm 2 gave up his powers over army and navy to the Reichstag.2. Chancellor and government were made accountable to the Reichstag, instead of the Kaiser.3. Armistice negotiations with the allies were opened.
20
Q
When were the elections for the new republic held for a National Constituent Assembly?
A
On 19th January 1919.
21
Q
What did most political parties do at this time?
A
They renamed the parties, but this didn’t help the fact of the poor structure of the party system.
22
Q
What did the election result lead to on the 6th February 1919?
A
The creation of a National Constituent Assembly.
23
Q
Why were the results a major success?
A
- The high turnout of 83% suggested faith in the idea of democracy.2. 76.1% of the electorate voted for pro-democratic parties.3.The solid vote for the SPD, DDP and ZP made it easy to form a coalition government.
24
Q
What was the coalition government known as?
A
The Wiemar Coalition.
25
What were the bad aspects of the elections?
1. The DNVP gained only 10.3%, it had backing from important conservative supporters.2. The DVP and its leader Streseman did not support the Wiemar republic in 1919, because they wanted Germany to have a Constitutional Monarchy.
26
What was the situation like in May 1919?
Stability had returned to Germany. The Wiemar Republic had been established.
27
What did the effects of the war show?
Imperial Germany could not survive, so it was necessary to introduce a democracy.
28
How was society left untouched by the German revolution?
1. The civil service, judiciary and army all remained intact.2. The power and influence of Germany's industrial and commercial leaders remained unchanged.2. There was no change in the structure of big business and land ownership.
29
What did the SPD leadership hope?
Changes would happen due to constitutional reform.
30
What would have been a good basis to establish democracy?
Thoroughgoing social and economic changes.
31
What happened during the first half of 1919?
The increasing reliance of the moderate left on the conservative forces of Imperial Germany became a major factor in German politics.
32
Who threatened the Wiemar democracy?
The conservative forces.
33
What did Ebert do in November 1918?
Invited Hugo Preuss to draw up a new constitution for Germany.
34
What was the constitution based on?
Democratic ideas of Britain and USA.
35
What happened to the constitution on 31st July 1919?
The Reichstag voted strongly in favour of the constitution.
36
When did the President ratify the constitution?
11th August 1919.
37
When could the electorate vote for a President?
Every 7 years.
38
What were the Presidents powers?
1. The right to dissolve the Reichstag.2. To appointment of the Chancellor.3. He was the supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.4. The capacity to rule by decree at a time of national emergency.
39
What were the 2 houses of parliament?
Reichstag and Reichstat.
40
What were the Reichstag?
The main representative assembly. It had deputies elected every 4 year on the basis of proportional representation.
41
What were the Reichstat?
They were a less important house. They had representative from all regional governments. It could only initiate or delay proposals and the Reichstag could overrule it.
42
What was the Bill of Rights.
A range of individual rights. It outlined broad freedoms.
43
What was included in the Bill of Rights?
1. Personal Liberty.2. The right to free speech3. Censorship was forbidden.4. Equality for all Germans5. Religious freedom and conscience.
44
Why was Proportional representation (PR) criticised?
It encouraged the formation of many new small splinter parties.
45
What did PR make more difficult?
Forming and maintaining governments.
46
What was it hard for a olitical party to do in Weimar Germany?
Form a majority government.
47
What did negotiations and compromises do to the Weimar?
Make them appear politically unstable.
48
What was the main problem in the government?
Creating coalitions amongst the main parties.
49
What views were the parties meant to reflect?
Political, religious and geographical views.
50
What made PR encourage the emergence of political extremism?
The economic and political crisis of 1929-33.
51
What would have he first past the post system have helped?
The rise of Nazism and communism.
52
What did critics of the Weimar think voting should be like?
It should be like in the UK and USA.
53
What was the relationship meant to be like?
Have a fair system of checks and balances, but this was very complex.
54
Where was fear of an over-powerful parliament coming from?
The right wing and within liberal ciricles
55
What was the President there for?
To help limit the powers of the Reichstag.
56
What happened when the Reichstag's power was limited?
Massive power went to the President.
57
What did framers of the constitution fail to do?
Keep balance of power between Reichstag and President.
58
What did article 48 allow the President to do? Name 2 things.
1. Suspend civil rights in an emergency.2. Restore law and order by the issue of presidential decrees.
59
What was the intention of article 48?
To allow government to function in a crisis.
60
What happened in the crisis of 1923?
Presidential powers were used to good effect.
61
What did the Weimar constitution take no action to reform?
Old traditional institutions of Imperial Germany.
62
What was the civil service like?
Professional, but had old fashioned conservative values of Imperial Germany.
63
What was the Judiciary like?
They had traditional independence under the Weimar Constitution.
64
How were the Judiciary biased?
They favoured the extreme right, but condemned the extreme left.
65
What was the army like?
They had great status and many generals linked with Prussian landowners.
66
Who were the army not sympathetic towards?
Democratic Germany.
67
What were universities like?
They were proud of their traditional status.
68
What were universities sympathetic towards?
Old political ideas and rules
69
What were the conservative forces able to do?
Exert great influence of life in the Weimar Republic
70
What did many institutions remain dedicated to?
Imperial Germany.
71
What was the new constitution like compared to the previous constitution?
It was a great improvement.
72
What politics did Imperial Germany not have?
A democracy.
73
How did people show they approved of the new constitution?
They voted in favour of them.
74
What was the Weimar Republic seen as?
The most advanced democracy in the world.
75
What problems did the Weimar republic face?
The Treaty of Versailles and socioeconomic problems.
76
What were the issues of controversy in the Weimar Republic? Name 3 things.
1. Proportional Representation.2. President and Reichstag.3. Traditional institutions.
77
What were the key terms of the constitution. Name 8 things.
1. President2. Chancellor3. Reichstag4. Reichstrat5. Lander6. Supreme Court7. Bill or Rights8. The electorate.
78
What were the left wing movement like after the German revolution?
In a state of confusion
79
What were the Moderate Socialists committed to?
Parliamentary democracy
80
What did the Communists press for?
A workers revolution
81
In 1920, what happened to the USPD?
It split into the SPD and KPD which were very different.
82
What did the German Communists believe about revolution/
It would spread through Europe
83
What were the Extreme Left committed to?
A very different vision of German politics and society.
84
What were the Moderate Left?
One of the pillars of the Wiemar Democracy.
85
What percentage did the KPD have of the electorate?
10-15%
86
What were 3 of the revolutionary disturbances?
Protests, strikes and uprisings
87
What did these disturbances give the impression of?
Germany was facing a Bolshevik inspired Red Threat
88
What were the left never likely to do?
Seize political power.
89
Why did the Left have bad co-ordination?
Couldn't make unified attack on Weimar
90
Why did the Left have poor leadership?
Later leadership suffered from internal disagreements on tactics
91
What role did concessions play?
The Weimar government played on differences in the left, by making concessions.
92
What did repressions do to the Left?
Authorities could repress them with brutality.
93
What was opposition like on the Right?
Very varied, with mixed opponents and different ways of expressing their views.
94
How were the Right united by anti-democracy?
Rejected the Wiemar's principals and aimed to destroy the democratic constitution.
95
How were the Right united by anti-Marxism?
Feared communism and didn't want Germany to be Communist.
96
How were the Right Authoritarianism
Favoured the restoration of authoritarian regimes.
97
How were the Right Nationalist.
Conservatives reinforced the idea of stab in the back myth and November criminals
98
What did the Extreme Right want to remove responsibility from?
Imperial Germany
99
What did the Right act as?
A powerful stick to beat the new leaders of Weimar Germany.
100
What did the DNVP contain?
Extremist elements
101
What was the DNVP full of?
Landowners and industrialists
102
What percentage of the poll did the DNVP get in 1920
15.1%
103
Which class did the DNVP appeal towards?
Middle class
104
In the 1920 how many nationalist parties were there?
70
105
What happened in the mid 1920's?
Hitler brought different groups under the leadership of the NSDAP
106
What did the Freikorps play a crucial role in?
To suppress the threat from the Left
107
What did the Freikorps have no respect for?
Authoritarian rule
108
By 1914 why was the German economy so strong? Give 2 reasons.
Position to compete with Britain's supremacyMost powerful economy on the continent.
109
What were 3 strengths of the economy?
Extensive natural resourcesAdvanced banking systemWell educated population
110
What did 4 years of war do to the German economy?
Seriously dislocated it
111
What did the loss of territories result in?
16% decline in coal production13% decline in agriculture48% loss of Iron ore
112
What was the national debt in 1919 compared to that of 1914?
144, 000 million marks and 5000 million marks in 1914
113
What did Germany rely too much on?
Exports.
114
What had happened to the German currency and what would this result in?
It had collapsed and hyper inflation had set in.
115
What were the left wing doing across the country?
Causing disturbances, such as a regional state resulting in a communist uprising.
116
What was the conservative state government doing?
Defying the national government.
117
What happened some months later?
Calm and stability returned.
118
What happened in August 1923?
Stresemann became chancellor
119
What 2 things did stresemann aim to do?
Make difficult decisionsResolve Germany's economic plight
120
What Stresemann do in September to the Ruhr?
Called off passive resistance in the Ruhr and promised to pay reparations/
121
Who did Stresemann appoint to introduce a new German currency?
Hjalmar Schacht
122
What happened in December 1923 to the economy?
trillions of old German marks were replaced and the Rentenmark was established.
123
What happened to the Left and Right?
They were defeated.
124
Where was anger directed towards?
The French and Allies
125
What happened to workers despite the inflation?
They didn't suffer as much
126
What happened to some businessmen during the inflation?
They did very well
127
In 1923 why was hostility to the Weimar not very much?
No alternative governmentExtreme left lacked support
128
What were 2 features of the extreme right?
Not strong enoughDivided and had no clear plan
129
What effect did the failure of the Kapp Putsch have on the army?
They decided to not make a move.
130
What did hyperinflation, the Rentenmark and Dawes Plan all add up to?
5 years of economic groth
131
When was economic chaos?
1922-3
132
When was the Great Depression?
1929-33
133
What were some of the reasons of Germany recovering so quickly?
Efficient methods productionEspecially coal-mining and steel manufactureIncreased investment
134
What had the German industry taken advantage of?
Being able to lower costs, because of more cartels.
135
What happened between 1925-29?
Exports rose by 40%Wages rose by 5-105 every yearSocial benefits
136
What was written into the Weimar Constitution?
Principle of welfare state.
137
What did the principle of welfare state offer?
Generous benefits and sickness benefits
138
What were some obvious signs of wealth?
Increase in cinema industryMore cars
139
What did the social costs do?
Create economic implications.
140
How was there uneven economic growth
Value of imports exceeded that of exports.
141
What did the number of unemployed workers average in 1929?
1.9 million
142
What was income per head in the late 1920's?
44% below the national average.
143
Why did world economic condition not favour Germany?
World trade did not return to pre-war levels and there was decline of income which hindered the spending power of Germany.
144
What was the changing balance in population
32.4 million in 1925, to 33.4 million in 1931. So unemployment would still increase.
145
How were savings and investments discouraged?
Less enthusiasm to invest in money again after hyper inflation.
146
Why did the government finances raise concern?
Government kept running into debt and by 1928 public expenditure had reached 26% of GNP
147
What did foreign loans do?
Liable to suffer from problems in the world economy
148
How could the welfare state be taken on?
By taking on more debt.
149
What happened to various sections of the German economy?
They began to slow down
150
What did Stresemann believe?
Germany was dancing on a volcano
151
What would happen is short term credits were called in?
A large section of the economy would collapse.
152
Who did Hitler join?
The DAP/German workers party and became a member.
153
What did Hitler and Anton Drexler draw up?
25 points program in February 1920
154
What did the DAP change its name to?
NSDAP
155
How did Hitler come to dominate the party?
Offered to resignCaused a power struggle within the party.Hitler mobilized support at 2 meetings in July 1921.Drexler was embarrassed and resigned. Hitler took over.
156
What did the NSDAP do in 1921?
Established its first newspaper, the Volkischer Beobachter
157
Which 2 people back up Hitler?
Julius StreicherHermann Garing
158
What was the membership in 1923?
20, 000.
159
What did Hitler need to stage a political takeover?
Allies.
160
Which 2 men did Hitler gain as allies?
Kahr and Lossow both very important with the Bavarian state government
161
Give 3 reasons why Hitler's plan was doomed
Over estimated level of public supportLack of planning.11th hour Kahr and Lossow feared failure and held back.
162
On the 9th November how many SA marched in Munich?
2000
163
What were 2 impacts of the putsch?
14 Nazis were killedHitler was arrested.
164
Why was Hitlers trail important?
It was a propaganda success and Hitler made himself a national figure
165
What did Hitler win the respect of?
Right wing nationalists.
166
What was Hitler's sentence and in the end and what did this hint?
It was 10 months and hinted encouragement from the judiacry
167
What was Mein Kampf?
Hitler's politcal views expressed in a book.
168
In the winter of 1929-30 how many people were unemployed in Germany and what did it rise to 12 moths later?
2 million, which rose to 3 million just a year later.
169
What was unemployment in Germany in January 1932?
6.1 million
170
What happened to manual industrial workers?
Long term unemploymentStarving familiesOverall poverty
171
What was the Wall Street Crash?
Collapse of share prices on NYSE in October 1929.
172
What was there a decline in during the economic crisis?
Price of foodRaw materialsImports in Nations
173
How many in Germany were unemployed in 1929?
1.9 million
174
Since when were the German finances in deficit?
From 1925
175
What happened to American loans and investments?
They dried up and caused repayment for short term loans
176
what fraction of Germany was unemployed in 1933?
1/3
177
In 1932, how much had industrial production fell by compared to its 1929 level.
42%
178
What did the Weimar face?
Whole scale collapse of their political system
179
Why was the Great Depression the end of the Weimar?
Democratic basis not goodEconomy was in serious trouble
180
Where did hostility come from?
Elites
181
What did the key figures in Germany reject?
Idea of a democratic republic
182
Which position did people want to return to in Germany?
Pre-war position
183
What did all these problems do to Weimar
Create a powerful handicap to development of the republic.
184
What did the republic face?
Continuous economic crisis.
185
Where did the Weimar inherit economic problems from?
WW1
186
What did the inflation crisis disguise?
Problems in the economy
187
What did these economic problems have consequences on?
The world economic crisis in 1929
188
What did Weimar never have?
Widespread support
189
Which parties of German liberalism were losing support from 1924?
DDP and DVP
190
Where were the ZP and DNVP moving towards?
The political right
191
What were the Weimar's 3 main stages?
1. Difficult birth, 18-192. Relative stability, 1924-293. World depression, 1929-33
192
What political occurrence showed that Weimar was doomed?
Nazis becoming largest party in July 1932
193
When was democratic rule made terminal in Germany?
Summer of 1930
194
Months of crisis for Nazis?
August-december 1932
195
Papen, September 12
Dissolved ReichstagCalled for another election
196
Fall in Nazi vote to:
11.7 million (33.1%) 196 seats
197
Papen's fundamental problem
Lack of majority Reichstag support for his cabinet
198
Papen's plan of action
Dissolution of ReichstagDeclare martial lawEstablishment of a presidential dictatorship.
199
Schleicher's reaction
Informed HindenburgArmy unwilling to support Papen
200
Hindenburg's action to Papen?
Called for his resignation
201
When was Schleicher appointed chancellor?
2nd December 1932
202
What was Schleicher's aim?
To achieve political stability by creating a more broadly based government,
203
Who did Schleicher want to gain support from?
The left, trad unions by suggesting a public works programme
204
Who did Schleicher offer the position of Vice-Chancellor in the Nazi Party to?
Gregor Strasser
205
How did Trade Unions react to the proposal?
Remained suspicous of Schleicher's motivesBroke off negiotations.
206
How did Strasser react to his proposal?
Keen to accept postBut had a massive row with Hitler due to this
207
What did this falling out do to the party?
Lowered morale and rose tensions towards the end of 1932.
