POLITICS 1919-1928

Question 1

WHAT are some reasons why Chancellors were brought down during the years 1919-1923?

Answer 1

• Issues concerning Versailles
• Collapsing coalitions
• Political violence
• Votes of no confidence

Question 2

WHICH Chancellors fell due to issues relating to the Treaty of Versailles?

Answer 2

• Schiedemann (Feb - June 1919) resigned as he refused to sign the treaty
• Ferenbach’s (June 1920 - May 1921) coalition collapsed after the reparations ultimatum
• Wirth (May 1921 - November 1922) resigned over Upper Silesia being given to Poland

Question 3

WHICH Chancellors fell due to collapsing coalitions?

Answer 3

• Ferenbach (June 1920 - May 1921) over reparations
• Marx (November 1923 - January 1925) had coalitons collapse twice

Question 4

WHICH Chancellors fell due to votes of no confidence?

Answer 4

• Cuno (November 1922 - August 1923) SPD took a vote of no confidence after the Ruhr invasion
• Stresemann (August 1923 - November 1923) SPD took a vote of no confidence

Question 5

WHY did Bauer (Chancellor June 1919 - March 1920) resign?

Answer 5

Because of the Kapp Putsch

Question 6

WHY did short-lived coalition governments create resentment of the Weimar Republic?

Answer 6

• Despite the changes in government, the coalitions often had many of the same parties and so changes in policies were not as great as some voters may have expected
• Deals and compromises had to be made meaning that each party could not hold true to their promises

Question 7

WHAT was the prominence of extremist parties by 1924?

Answer 7

They were beginning to find themselves now at the political fringe

Question 8

WHAT could be a reason for the decrease in Nazi votes during the period 1924-29?

Answer 8

• Respectable voters shunned them as they disliked their violent reputation
• Increasing stability led to less support for extremism

Question 9

WHICH parties saw a decrease in support in the ‘golden age’ 1924-28?

Answer 9

• KPD (although they still held around 10%)
• USPD (to almost 0%)
• DDP (down to around 5%)
• DVP (slowly declining, especially after the death of Stresemann)
• NSDAP (2.6% in May 1928)

Question 10

HOW do voting patterns show that the Weimar Republic was becoming more stable in the period 1924-28?

Answer 10

• Less of a spread of the vote (concentrated on fewer parties like SPD, DNVP and Centre)
• Slightly more support for centrist parties
• Less support for extremist parties (particularly right wing parties - although it could be argued that the right’s vote went mostly to the DNVP)

Question 11

WHEN did President Ebert die?

Answer 11

28th February 1925

Question 12

WHAT were the rules for the 1925 Presidential election?

Answer 12

If no candidate got 50% in the 1st round, there would be a 2nd round. Parties could nominate a new candidate for the 2nd round and the candidate with the most votes (not necessarily majority) in the 2nd round would be President.

Question 13

WHAT was the outcome of the first round of the 1925 Presidential election?

Answer 13

NO PARTY GOT MAJORITY
- Karl Jarres (DVP): 38.8%
- Otto Brawn (SPD): 29.0%
- Wilhelm Marx (Z): 14.5%

Question 14

WHICH parties supported Hindenburg in the 2nd round of the 1925 presidential elections?

Answer 14

All of the right wing: DVP, DNVP, BVP and NSDAP

Question 15

WHAT was the result of the 2nd round of the 1925 presidential election?

Answer 15

Hindenburg: 48.3%
Wilhelm Marx: 45.3%
Ernst Thalmann: 6.4%

Question 16

WHICH parties supported Wilhelm Marx in the 2nd round of the 1925 presidential elections?

Answer 16

All of the left, but the KPD: Z, SPD, DDP

Question 17

WHAT was the mistake of the left during the 1925 presidential elections?

Answer 17

Because of the KPD’s mistrust of the SPD, the left was split. If they had combined their votes, hypothetically they could have won the election by about 3%.

Question 18

WHAT did Hindenburg allegedly do before agreeing to stand as a candidate in the 1925 presidential elections?

Answer 18

Ask the exiled ex-Kaiser for his permission

Question 19

WHY did people vote for Hindenburg in the 1925 Presidential elections?

Answer 19

He attracted political groups and voters who wanted an authoritarian government as he was a monarchist

Question 20

In WHAT ways would the election of Hindenburg strengthen Weimar democracy?

Answer 20

• Possibly helped convince some elites to support Weimar, but only because Hindenburg was seen as more authoritarian
• Took his oath seriously and never did anything unconstitutional

Question 21

In WHAT ways would the election of Hindenburg weaken Weimar democracy?

Answer 21

• He was a symbol of the past (military uniform and authoritarian views)
• Instilled hope that he would restore old order
• Not even the majority vote
• He did not believe in democracy and would not defend it against its enemies

Question 22

WHAT is an Ersatkaiser and WHO was seen as one?

Answer 22

An Ersatkaiser was a subsitute emperor and the right saw Hindenburg as this due to his monarchist and authoritarian views

Question 23

WHAT percentage of votes in May 1928 were for pro-Weimar parties?

Answer 23

72.8%

Question 24

WHAT did historian Peukert say about attitudes/voting in the late 1920s?

Answer 24

Peukert argued that there was a decline in liberalism in the late 1920s (e.g. the DDP lost ground)

Question 25

WHAT did historian Bookbinder say about support for the Weimar Republic in the late 1920s?

Answer 25

That there was not enough inspirations from political leaders and insufficient encouragement of democracy among opinion formers (e.g. teachers, clergy, newspaper editors, etc.) for the lack of support/change for the Weimar Republic in these years

Question 26

WHAT was the opinion of the middle class on Weimar during the late 1920s?

Answer 26

They often felt left behind by the government as they did not benefit from any wage rises or by the welfare state. They also weren’t given any compensation after hyperinflation

Question 27

WHAT were the main factors which influenced an individual’s vote?

Answer 27

• Religion
• Class
• Region

Question 28

WHAT percentage of the electorate was working class?

Answer 28

40%

Question 29

HOW MANY votes was needed for a political party to get a deputy in the Reichstag?

Answer 29

Only 60,000