Opposition to government

Question 1

when was kiel mutiny

Answer 1

nov 1918

Question 2

when was spartacist uprising

Answer 2

january 1919

Question 3

what was types of opposition in nazi germany

Answer 3

active resistance - acts intended to overthrow regime
protest - altered aspects of nazi policy
non-conformity - didnt adhere to nazi ideology

Question 4

examples of active resistance in nazi period

Answer 4

-little in 1933-39
-independent organisations were destroyed or centralised to nazism
-3 unsuccessful assassination attempts of hitler in 1935, 1938 and 1939

Question 5

examples of protest in nazi period

Answer 5

-catholic church were independent so could speak out
-protested against government censorship of catholic newspapers, integration of catholic youth groups with nazi youth groups
-won rights over catholic schools in 1935, reversed government ban of crucifixes in classrooms
-communists continued to print anti-nazi literature until 1935, then resorted to smuggling printed material
-civil servants resisted full control over government and army

Question 6

how many illegall strikes were there between 1933-35

Answer 6

400 - still focused on improving pay/conditions, not opposing nazis

Question 7

examples of non-conformity in nazi period

Answer 7

-non conformity widespread
-many jokes that poked fun out of nazis
-working class gangs (roving dudes and navajos) rejected militarism of official youth culture
-edelweiss pirates
-young middle class e.g. swing youth listened to jazz

Question 8

what group is an example of non conformity in nazis

Answer 8

edelweiss pirates, loosely organised between 14-17 yrs, attracted support from youn ppl who didnt like gender segregation of nazi youth groups, ambushed members of nazi youth group

Question 9

what middle class young group is an example of non conformity and who were sent to camps because of this

Answer 9

swing youth
-listened to jazz which was banned since 1935 and listened to foreign broadcasts which was banned since 1939
Jutta and Inga Madlung sent to Ravensbruck for owning recordings of jazz

Question 10

describe early resistance from army

Answer 10

1933-34 army leaders concerned with influence of SA and radical nazis
-they wanted government led by Von Papen where nazis played secondary role
-by night of long knives started to support hitler so no more opposition

Question 11

when was the hossbach conference

Answer 11

nov 1937

Question 12

what was hossbach conference and who opposed it

Answer 12

-renewed concerns of senior officers
-hitler outlined plans for lebensraum, generals Fritsch and blomberg feared it would result in war with britain and france and russia and they not ready for war
-himmler and goering forced them to resign

Question 13

who opposed plans to invade sudetenland

Answer 13

general Beck in 1938
-success of invasion led to his resignation in aug 1938
-but later plotted an anti-hitler putsch in 1939 after outbreak of ww2

Question 14

who agreed with general beck’s plan to overthrow hitler

Answer 14

Pope agreed to use influence to set peace talks with allied leaders

Question 15

what other plans did general beck make against hitler

Answer 15

-two unsuccessful bomb plots in 1943
-key role in stauffenburg plot 1944, failed and was arrested

Question 16

who began planning future of germany after nazis looked like defeat

Answer 16

-kreisau circle
-didnt plot to overthrow the regime but supplied info to allies about regime weakness
-included christian priests and supported democracy

Question 17

who were included in the kreisau circle

Answer 17

-german elite
-helmuth james graf von moltke who leaked deatils of nazi death camps
-after death in 1944 the group dissoluded

Question 18

what was the socialist reich party, how many members and when did it end

Answer 18

-short lived
-successor of nazis and had unrepentant members of NSDAP
-members never exceeded 10,000
-dissolved before getting banned by federal constitutional court oct 1952

Question 19

what was the count me out protest

Answer 19

-in 1950s
-opposed siting of nuclear weapons on FRG soil
-mar 1958 SPD joined trade unions to make committee to organise protests against siting of weapons
-CDU/CSU and parliament supported nuclear weapons so quickly ended

Question 20

how many workers went on strike to protest against nuclear weapons

Answer 20

10,000 VW workers

Question 21

what key issues did students protest about

Answer 21

-increasing influence of USA
-FRG support of vietnam war
-increased military spending and participation in NATO, feared it would lead to deployment of nuclear weapons
-overcrowding and lack of student representation in higher education
-failure to completely remove nazis from positions of power
-conservative policies

Question 22

what conference did students oppose

Answer 22

-1959 bad godesberg conference
-SPD announced more conservative policies

Question 23

what were causes of disillusionment and opposition in FRG

Answer 23

-growing materialism
-growing power of establishment and media, thought it was incompatible to democracy
-political dominance of wealthy middle class men, acted in their own interests
-growing authoritarianism

Question 24

who writ an articles that argued against state of education

Answer 24

1964 journalist Georg Picht
-said economic growth would not be sustainable if education too poor
-state governments responded by making 5 new unis in 1964

Question 25

what were problems in the university sector

Answer 25

-overcrowded -underfunded -students lacked representation

Question 26

when was free university opened and features of it

Answer 26

-opened 1948 in west berlin -gave representation to students -attracted radical students also cus west berlin the only area where theirs no military conscription

Question 27

when did students go on strike and why

Answer 27

may 1965 -university authorities banned journalist erich kuby from speaking about the Vietnam war

Question 28

how many students took part in anti war protests

Answer 28

feb 1966 2,500 free university students, confronted by riot police

Question 29

how many protested against US involvement in Vietnam 1968

Answer 29

12,000 students

Question 30

when did students do demonstrations against banning of radical speakers and more representation

Answer 30

june 1966

Question 31

who increased funding for research in attempt to calm student opposition and when

Answer 31

Federal minister of science and research Gerhard Stollenburg -increased to DM260,000 in june 1966 (twice 1955 figure)

Question 32

what was established in jan 1967

Answer 32

kommune 1 -espoused communal ownership and free love

Question 33

what was nature of protest in FRG

Answer 33

more often was street theatre performance rather than violence

Question 34

When was the Red Army Faction (RAF) founded?

Answer 34

1970

Question 35

How many people were killed by the RAF during their active years?

Answer 35

Around 34 people between 1970 and 1993.

Question 36

When was Benno Ohnesorg killed, and what was the impact?

Answer 36

He was killed on 2 June 1967 during a protest — his death radicalised parts of the student movement and helped justify more militant opposition.

Question 37

When did the Grand Coalition form, leading to increased APO activity?

Answer 37

1966 — the SPD and CDU/CSU coalition reduced parliamentary opposition, pushing dissent outside.

Question 38

When were the Emergency Laws passed and what did they allow?

Answer 38

Passed in May 1968, they allowed the government to limit civil liberties during national emergencies, sparking mass protests.

Question 39

When did the FRG pass legislation to ban radical groups from civil service jobs?

Answer 39

1972 – the Radikalenerlass (Radicals Decree) was introduced to block far-left or far-right applicants.

Question 40

By how much did support for the Green Party grow by 1983?

Answer 40

In 1983, the Greens entered the Bundestag with 5.6% of the national vote.

Question 41

What was the unemployment rate during the 1970s recession that fuelled discontent?

Answer 41

It rose to around 5% by 1975, the highest since the FRG’s foundation.

Question 42

How many RAF members were imprisoned by the late 1970s?

Answer 42

Over 250 RAF members had been arrested by 1977.

Question 43

What kind of cultural opposition existed in the FRG?

Answer 43

Writers, filmmakers, and intellectuals challenged consumerism, authoritarianism, and lingering Nazi influences through critical media and art.

Question 44

Did opposition in the FRG ever threaten the stability of the state?

Answer 44

Not seriously — though groups like the RAF caused fear, the FRG remained a stable democracy throughout.

Question 45

What was the Spartacist Uprising?

Answer 45

A communist revolt led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht in January 1919, aiming to overthrow the Weimar government and establish a Soviet-style regime. Result: Crushed by the Freikorps. Leaders murdered. Showed the threat from the left.

Question 46

What was the Kapp Putsch and why did it fail?

Answer 46

A right-wing coup attempt by Wolfgang Kapp and the Freikorps to overthrow the republic and restore the monarchy. Failure: Collapsed after a general strike organised by workers. Highlighted fragility of Weimar.

Question 47

What was the Munich Putsch?

Answer 47

A failed coup by Hitler and the Nazi Party to seize power in Munich and march on Berlin. Result: Failed, Hitler imprisoned, but used trial to gain publicity. Wrote Mein Kampf in prison.

Question 48

Who were the Freikorps and why were they dangerous?

Answer 48

Right-wing paramilitary groups made of ex-soldiers. Used to crush left-wing revolts. Anti-democratic and later helped Nazis.

Question 49

Why was 1923 a year of crisis for Weimar?

Answer 49

Hyperinflation, Ruhr Occupation, and the Munich Putsch all happened. Threatened stability from both left and right.

Question 50

Did political extremism decline in the Golden Years?

Answer 50

Somewhat — economic stability reduced support for extremists. But Nazis and Communists still gained votes and had loyal followings.

Question 51

How many political assassinations occurred and who were the main victims?

Answer 51

376 political murders — 354 by right-wing extremists. 🕊️ Example: Walter Rathenau, Jewish foreign minister, assassinated in 1922 by Organisation Consul.

Question 52

How many people were involved in the Spartacist Uprising

Answer 52

Around 100,000 workers went on strike.

Question 53

How many troops supported the Kapp Putsch, and how was it stopped?

Answer 53

Around 12,000 Freikorps troops marched on Berlin. 🗯️ Stopped by a general strike involving 12 million workers — showed power of workers and weakness of judiciary (few putschists punished).

Question 54

How many Nazis took part and what was the result of the Munich Putsch?

Answer 54

2,000 Nazis, including Hitler, tried to seize power. ⚖️ Hitler sentenced to 5 years, served just 9 months. 📝 Wrote Mein Kampf, gained national fame — key turning point.

Question 55

How many seats did extremist parties hold in 1930?

Answer 55

Nazis: 107 seats, Communists: 77 seats 📈 Extremist parties gained ~40% of vote — shows democracy under pressure.

Question 56

What powers did the Reichstag Fire Decree give?

Answer 56

Suspended civil liberties; 4,000 Communists arrested. 🧨 Blamed on Marinus van der Lubbe — used by Hitler to destroy KPD as a rival.

Question 57

How many Freikorps soldiers were there and how were they used?

Answer 57

Up to 250,000 strong. 🪖 Used to crush uprisings in Berlin, Bavaria, and the Ruhr. 🔁 Later many members joined the Nazis.

Question 58

What % of vote did extremists get in 1928?

Answer 58

Nazis: 2.6%, KPD: 10.6% — much lower than before. ✨ Stresemann’s policies = stability, but it was surface level and economically fragile.