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Germany And West Germany 1918 - 89 > Opposition, Control And Consent Weimar > Flashcards

Opposition, Control And Consent Weimar Flashcards

1
Q

Why was Germany seen to be a ‘makeshift democracy’, which may have been the reason for its failure?

A
  • Only formed to have a favourable peace deal with the Allies
  • People wanted a republic to get rid of Kaiser, as he was associated w/ WW1
  • Conservatives + nationalists supported it to prevent a communist rev
  • Communists supported it to prevent nationalist gov
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2
Q

Initially, why did the middle class support the republic and why did this change mid 1919?

A
  • Wanted swift end to war
  • Working class was represented primarily by SPD so middle class felt vulnerable as they have all the power in Reichstag and may change GER into a workers’ state
  • Middle class lacked political unity
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3
Q

How did gov ministers use ‘Black Horror’ propaganda (what was this) to whip up German public against French occupation and what was their main aim?

A

Black Horror = Propaganda campaign focusing on the deployment of French troops recruited from Africa on German soil
Themes:
- Black soldiers raping white women
- French gov using ‘racially inferior troops’ to occupy German land to humiliate them
Aimed to gain international attention, especially support of USA which supported racist policies to put pressure on French to withdraw

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4
Q

Was the campaign successful/unsuccessful and how?

A

Successful:
- Public believed rape stories despite no evidence
- Became major political issue esp in press
Unsuccessful:
- FRA defended African troops
- USA did not get involved
- Occupation only lasted until 1930 –> looked like gov was unable to stop it
- Strengthened position of extremists who wanted racial purification

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5
Q

In general which parties did women support?

A
  • More moderate parties
  • Those w/ strong religious messages
  • Very few women voted for extremist parties
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6
Q

During 1920s what percentage of vote for ZP and SPD came from women?

A
  • 60% for ZP
  • 40 to 45% for SPD
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7
Q

Who did female professionals support and what was the ratio of men to women votes like for this party?

A
  • DDP
  • More popular w/ males
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8
Q

Who did Protestant women tend to vote for and what was the ratio of votes of men to women in these parties?

A
  • DNVP or DVP
  • Equal
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9
Q

For what reasons was gov opposed by extremist grps?

A
  • Treaty of Versailles
  • Liberalism + democratic principles
  • Failure to produce strong gov
  • Failure to unite Germany
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10
Q

What do revolutionary socialists and parliamentary socialists want?

A
  • Revolutionary socialist wanted to overthrow Germany’s ruling class eg. Kaiser, dukes, landowners in a revolution
  • Parliamentary socialists want to win power through gaining more votes in parliament
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11
Q

What part of Weimar Germany meant that criticism was open and widespread?

A
  • Freedom of speech and assembly
  • Freedom of press
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12
Q

How were left-wing opponents made more angry and right-wing opponents made more confident through the use of control against them?

A
  • Judiciary was noticeably less harsh on right-wing compared to left-wing, which made them more angry
  • The fact that they often went unpunished made right-wing more confident
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13
Q

Give an example to show the varying levels of control the Weimar constitution had over the states, explain why this was a problem and what system the gov used to overcome this

A
  • All eventually adopted the constitution, however at different points in time eg. Thuringia only first held elections at end of Jun 1920
  • Created uncertainty, as in some places as communists could just set up their own gov
  • Reichsexekution
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14
Q

Reichsexekution:

A
  • Federal gov removed state gov
  • Put military gov in place
  • Headed by civilian governor appointed by gov
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15
Q

Reichswehr:

A

Army

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16
Q

When was the Kiel Mutiny, what were the sailors fighting against and what happened?

A
  • 3 Nov 1918
  • Believed Kaiser + army leaders were using them to undermine peace negotiations (wanted end to war)
  • Sailors took control of base and demanded an end to monarchy
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17
Q

What did the mutiny lead to, what did they support and what did they do?

A
  • Strikes and rebellions across Hamburg, Berlin, Leipzig + others
  • Did not support parliamentary democracy (like UK) or Ebert’s democratic republic after Kaiser’s abdication
  • Set up soviets (wanted what they had in USSR)
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18
Q

What was ZAG, when was it created, what reforms did it propose in return for their support?

A
  • Nov 1918 –> TU leaders including leader of labour unions Carl Legien + major industrialist Hugo Stinnes created Central Workers’ Association (ZAG)
  • 15 Nov 1918 –> Stinnes-Legien agreement:
  • TU recognition
  • max 8hr day
  • free collective bargaining
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19
Q

What impact did this have on membership and how was this beneficial for the new republic?

A
  • Membership rose from 2.8 mil in Dec 1918 to 7.3 mil a yr later
  • Won support for democratic system
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20
Q

When was the Spartacist revolt, what caused it and why did it fail?

A
  • 4 Jan 1919 –> Gov dismissed popular police chief Emil Eichorn (radical USPD member)
  • Local Union officials + Spartacists joined to overthrow gov
  • 6 Jan –> Newspaper offices were taken over + rev committee was formed
  • They were unorganised
  • 15 Jan –> Rising collapsed after murder of leaders Liebknecht and Luxemburg + more than 100 workers by Freikorps
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21
Q

Give one example of a left-wing revolt

A
  • Mar 1919 –> Declaration of Soviet Republic in Bavaria w/ worker councils + Red Guards
  • May 1919 –> Crushed by Freikorps + right-wing gov put in place
22
Q

Why did the Treaty of Versailles cause widespread resentment?

A
  • Loss of land –> unjust
  • Loss of empire –> humiliating
  • Could not accept war guilt + reparations
  • Disarmament –> unjust + humiliating
23
Q

What was GBR + FRA’s justification for taking Germany’s colonies and ending German imperialism?

A
  • Germany had ruled its colonies in a tyrannical manner
  • Shown by German SW Africa engaging in a war of annihilation w/ Herero + Namaqua, og inhabitants
24
Q

Give two reasons why Ebert was unable to rely on army to defend the regime

A
  • They would be unwilling to prevent a right-wing Putsch
  • Senior generals had used reduction in size of army to remove officers known to support republic (did not like it due to WW1 defeat + Treaty of Versailles)
25
Q

What was Kapp Putsch and what happened?

A
  • Attempt to overthrow gov by Wolfgang Kapp + Freikorps leaders Walter Lüttwitz and Herman Erhardt w/ support of Eric Ludendorff (WW1 general)
  • 10 Mar 1920 –> Lüttwitz met w/ Ebert and demanded an end to demilitarisation + elections for new gov. He refused.
  • 12 Mar 1920 –> Lüttwitz + 12000 Freikorps members took over Berlin + gov fled, as army refused to support them (neutral)
  • Leaders proclaimed themselves the new gov (Kapp as Chancellor), dissolved National Assembly and announced the Weimar Constitution to no longer be in force + took effect for 4 days
  • Seat of gov moved to Stuttgart, invoked Article 48 + Ebert appealed to SPD and TUs to call a universal general strike. Kapp could not govern after this as gas, electricity, water + transport was cut
  • Most of the Putsch leaders escaped to Sweden, but those who stayed were treated leniently due to conservative nature of judiciary
26
Q

What happened in March 1920 in the Ruhr?

A
  • Communists formed an army of around 50,000 workers
  • Controlled large parts of Ruhr for many weeks
  • Army + Freikorps crushed uprising, which led to death of 1000 workers
27
Q

Why did the gov decide to postpone the Reichstag elections from Autumn 1920 to Jul 1921 and was this plan successful?

A
  • They believed this would allow support for Kapp Putsch to dissipate
  • Election was a disaster –> SPD, DDP + ZP only gained 44.6% of vote between them
28
Q

List the events of the left uprising March 1921

A
  • KPD supported an uprising in Merseburg, hoping it would spark a communist rev
  • Crushed by army, 145 died
29
Q

How many strikes were there in 1922, how had this changed by 1924 and what does this show?

A
  • 1922 –> 4500
  • By 1924 –> Number halved w/ declining strikes
  • Shows remaining broad support for republic (until Wall Street Crash)
30
Q

Give one example of a famous political assassination in 1922

A
  • Walter Rathenau was head of influential AEG electrical company + became foreign minister in 1922 (DDP leader)
  • Jun 1922 –> Assassinated by Organisation Consul (right-wing terror grp) for being Jewish and involvement in Treaty of Versailles negotiations
31
Q

What law was passed as a result of this assassination and what had happened by the end of 1922 as a result?

A
  • Law for the Protection of the Republic
  • Designed to last for 5 yrs
  • Increased sentence for politically motivated violence + some extremist organisations would be banned eg. Nazi Party banned in Prussia, Saxony, Baden, Thuringia + Hamburg
32
Q

Who showed opposition to the new law in Sep 1923 and how did this help the growth of extreme right-wing grps?

A
  • Gustav Ritter Von Kahr , leader of local gov of Bavaria
  • Passed emergency law that conflicted w/ Ebert’s
  • Backed by cabinet, Ebert threatened to use Article 48 unless his law was accepted
  • Reached compromise –> Bavaria dropped their law, Ebert promised not to use his law in Bavaria against right-wing grps
  • As a result, Bavaria became the base for many extreme right-wing grps
33
Q

How did hyperinflation in 1923 drastically reduce middle-class support and what was the impact of this?

A
  • Value of middle-class savings + assets collapsed
  • Blamed democracy so moved towards Nazi Party
34
Q

Give numbers to show the unfairness of the judicial system in Germany and why was this the case

A
  • 326 of 354 right wing political assassinations went unpunished
  • None of these were convicted and sentenced to death compared to the 10 that were in the left wing
  • The Ebert-Gröner Pact formed an alliance between the right wing to overthrow left-wing revolts
35
Q

How was the the Law of Protection of Republic used unfairly against left-wing when compared to right-wing?

A
  • No real attempt to investigate assassination of Walter Rathenau
  • Right-wing judges like George Neithardt initiated investigation of left-wingers
36
Q

What was the Küstrin Putsch, when was it and how did Ebert respond to this?

A
  • End of Sep 1923 –> Attempt to overthrow gov + replace it w/ nationalist dictatorship
  • Organised by major Ernst Buchrucker
  • Carried out by Black Reichswehr, right-wing paramilitary grp
  • Putsch happened in Küstrin (garrison city on Poland border) in response to occupation of Ruhr
  • Ebert ordered army
  • Leaders sentenced to prison for treason but maj of grp were let free
37
Q

How is the sentencing of Ernst Buchrucker in the Küstrin Putsch an example of the unfair judiciary system?

A

He was sent to a low-security prison

38
Q

How did Ebert respond to the formation of paramilitary units in Saxony and Thuringia (why were these formed) and how did their hopes end?

A
  • Used Article 48 to dismiss communists from gov in Saxony and Thuringia + army brought in to deal with communist militia
  • KPD in coalition w/ SPD so it was formed in hopes of communist rev like in Russia
  • Hopes for a similar Oct rev 1923 ended in small uprising in Hamburg that was crushed easily by police
39
Q

What did Hitler plan to do with the Munich Putsch?

A
  • Initiate a national rev in Munich, which he hoped would be backed by army in Munich and Bavaria
  • March from Munich to Berlin, picking up army + Freikorps on the way
  • Make Ludendorff president and Hitler would become Chancellor
40
Q

When was the Munich Putsch and what happened?

A
  • 8 Nov 1923 –> SA surrounded a beer cellar in Munich where important officials were in a meeting
  • Hitler crashed in and announced that he and Ludendorff were to form a new gov
41
Q

How did Ebert respond to the Munich Putsch and what happened as a result?

A
  • Declared a national state of emergency (Article 48)
  • Ordered general Seeckt to use army to crush revolt
  • 9 Nov –> Hitler + Lundendorff arrested as they went out to march
  • Feb 1924 trial –> Ludendorff found not guilty + Hitler sentenced to 5 yrs in Landsberg Prison (min security prison w/ considerable freedom under ruling of Neithardt) , but released after 9 months
42
Q

What happened to the Nazi party after Munich Putsch?

A
  • Banned
  • Restarted in 1925
  • New strategy to win power through election rather than a violent Putsch
43
Q

In May 1924, what was support for extremist and moderate parties in elections like and how did this change later in the year?

A
  • Increased vote for extremist parties like KPD and DFVP
  • Moderate party seats lost
  • Later, the opposite happened
44
Q

What changes were seen in 1928 elections, partly due to Stresseman’s effective policies?

A
  • Rise in support for left
  • Creation of gov led by SPD
  • DNVP turned against democracy as they believed people power would only lead to socialism
  • ZP became more authoritarian
45
Q

How many Germans opposed the Young Plan?

A

5.8 mil

46
Q

How did Hindenburg go about preventing extremism?

A
  • Rather than sticking by democracy, which he did not believe was strong enough
  • He tried to replace it with a presidential gov
47
Q

As unemployment grew, how did this affect support for KPD between 1928 + Nov 1932 and where were these votes from?

A
  • 1928 –> 10.6%
  • Nov 1932 –> 14.3%
  • Maj of working class
48
Q

Who calls the 1929 Referendum and what was it based on?

A
  • German nationalist parties
  • Rejection of Young Plan, renunciation of war guilt, end reparations
49
Q

How was propaganda used by both the gov and nationalists during the referendum and what was the final result?

A

Nationalists:
- First 2 weeks of Dec –> intense propaganda campaign
Gov:
- Presented nationalists as liars, issuing factual corrections to their propaganda
- Gov won –> nationalists only took 13.8% of public vote

50
Q

What is a presidential gov and how was the impact of this seen in 1930- 1932?

A

Based on 25/48/53 formula
- Article 25 –> President has power to dissolve Reichstag
- Article 48 –> President can rule by decree
- Article 53 –> President has right to appoint Chancellor
Essentially President has all the power the Kaiser once did.
Decreasing power of Reichstag in law-making:
- 1930 –> Reichstag met on 94 days
- 1931 –> Met on 42 days
- 1932 –> 13 days

51
Q

How many times was Article 48 used by Hindenburg between 1930 and 32?

A
  • 1930 –> 5
  • 1931 –> 48
  • 1932 –> 66
52
Q

Give one example of how Hindenburg’s use of Article 48 was damaging for democracy

A

Jul 1932 –> Von Papen + Hindenburg used it to seize control of SPD led gov in Prussia, which was democratically elected

Germany And West Germany 1918 - 89 (11 decks)

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