Section 3 - The Democratic Experiment, 1919-1929 Flashcards
(38 cards)
What was the new system formed post WW1?
Post January 1919 elections, a Nation Assembly met in the city of Weimar to form an interim parliament and to agree a new constitution.The largest party in the Assembly was the SPD (38%). The SPD aimed to form a democracy that secured rights for workers, however they had to co-operate with other pro-democratic parties, such as the Centre Party and DDP (German Democratic Party). They agreed a liberal democratic system with protections for workers.
What was the Weimar Republic?
Germany’s name between 1919-1933. Was a period of democracy. It had two presidents; Friedrich Ebert (1919-1925) and Paul von Hindenburg (1925-34).
What were the key points of The Constitution?
A president was elected every 7 years, with powers to elect and dismiss the chancellor (who formed the government).
President was Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, could dissolve the Reichstag and call a new Reichstag election under Article 25 of the constitution. A new election had to occur 60 days later though.
The Chancellor and government were accountable to the Reichstag and had to resign if they lost the confidence of the Reichstag.
Reichstag: Elected every 4 years. There was universal suffrage for all people over the age of 20. Elections were to be conducted using proportional representation. 60’000 votes was the minimum in order for a seat in the Reichstag.
It was a federal system: Germany was divided into 18 regions/states, each of which had its own parliament and local powers.
The Reichsrat could propose amendments or postpone legislation passed by the Reichstag.
Referenda on single issues could be held if enough people petitioned for one.
What were the key attributes of the Bill of Rights?
Freedom of speech, association and religion
the right to work (government had to find everyone a job or give financial support
Workers given special protection in the new state
Welfare rights (protection for the disabled etc)
The right to own property
What emergency provisions were set in place within the constitution?
Under article 48 of the new constitution, the president had the power to rule via presidential decree in the event of an emergency. This power was checked as the Reichstag had the power to review or overturn any decree issued under Article 48.
What were the democratic features of the Weimar Republic?
The President was elected.
Universal suffrage and the government were now accountable to the Reichstag.
Proportional representation produced very democratic results, people in the Reichstag were all elected.
An element of direct democracy was included, which allowed for referenda.
The President selected the Chancellor, but as the Reichstag had to support the government, a member of the Reichstag often became the Chancellor. This represented a change from the Second Reich when Junkers usually became Chancellors.
Checks and balances were also implemented to ensure one political system couldn’t become to powerful. The President could dissolve the Reichstag, but needed the Reichstag’s support to get the governments agenda into law.
The Bill of Rights also contained liberal reforms that helped support democracy, such as freedom of speech.
What were the criticism of the Weimar Constitution?
Arguably Article 25 and 48 gave the President too much power, although both containing limitations. Proportional representation has been argued to have creating a fragmented party system, making it hard to form durable coalition governments and enabled extremist groups to gain backing — There were 20 separate coalition governments within Germany.
Who supported the Weimar Constitution?
Supporters:
SPD, Centre Party and DDP were pro Weimar and won a majority in the 1919 elections.
After 1920 the DVP (German Peoples Party) started to supported the Weimar.
Who opposed the Weimar Constitution?
The conservative DVP initially opposed the Weimar as they wished for a constitutional monarchy.
Right-wing DNVP (German Nationalist Peoples Party) wavered in their support for the Weimar, with many opposed prior to 1925 and after 1929
Many industrialists and business owners believed that the constitution gave to many rights to workers, resulting in a general lack of support by the early 1930’s.
What was the Legacy of WW1?
Defeat presented problems. Politicians couldn’t refuse to sign the armistice, ending the war in November 1918. Many democratic politicians were labelled ‘November Criminals’. The ‘stab in the back’ myth also arose, portraying the German loss to be the result of a revolution and betrayal by the democratic and socialist politicians.This reduced support for Weimar Germany. The Treaty of Versailles caused problems for the new political system as it was imposed on the population. Inflation was another result of the war, contributing to post war economic problems.
What restrictions did the Treaty of Versailles place on Germany?
Germany’s army was restricted to 100’000 men
Only 6 battle ships, no submarines, no air force.
Germany lost territory. e.g. West Prussia going to newly created Poland. Alsace Lorraine went to France.
The Rhineland which bordered France was demilitarised and the Saarland was put under League of Nations control.
Union with Austria (Anschluss) was banned and Germany had to accept liability for the war in the ‘War Guilt’ clause and pay reparations to the victors for damages. 269 billion gold marks decided in 1921.
What was the support like for the Democracy?
Didn’t have the support from the public. The 1919 election saw the majority of support for the Weimar, whereas the 1920 election saw support slump to 45%
What remained from the old regime?
The further issue was that many of the second Reich’s old elite remained in place. In 1918, the radical socialist USPD had called for the comprehensive removal of all these people from the positions of power. However, moderates in the SPD, seeking to promote stability and avoid the possibility of an army rebellion, chose instead to reach a compromise. The deal left the armed forces, judiciary and civil service unreformed, still dominated by old elites. These elements from the old regime sometimes undermined democracy. In 1920, during the Kapp Putsch, the army didn’t support the government, and the judiciary response to right-wing rebellions was weak. In 1924, Hitler was found guilty of treason following the Munich Putsch and was only sentenced to 5 years in jail, only serving 9 months though. The lack of support for the new system from some elites undermined it.
What did the extreme left want?
Some Left extremists wanted a communist state like the Soviet Union, therefore seeking to destroy the Weimar Republic
What was the The Spartacist Uprising, 1919?
The Spartacists were a communist political group and took advantage of a large political protest in Berlin to launch an attempted communist revolution. President Ebert ordered the paramilitary Freikorps, volunteer armed ex-servicemen, to crush the rebellion. The leaders of the Spartacists were killed.
What made the left wing seem like more of a threat than the right?
Widespread strike action and communist street violence contributed to political instability and caused many to fear a communist revolution within Germany. This caused many to overlook the extreme right who were the larger threat of danger.
What was Kapp Putsch, 1920?
Following the disbandment of a Freikorps group as part of post war disarmament, a group of right-wing politicians and soldiers, led by Wolfgang Kapp, seized control of Berlin. The government fled to Stuttgart. The Putsch had little support from the public or elite so quickly collapsed.
What was the ‘White Terror’? Facts and Figures
354 assassinations between 1919-1922 by right-wing death groups, primarily from Organisation Consul. Centre Party Matthias Erzberger and foreign minister Walther Rathenau were among those murdered.
Out of the 354 murders, 326 were unpunished. Only one life sentence and a total of 90 years in prisons were handed out.
By comparison, 22 murders were committed by the left, only 4 went unpunished. 10 death sentences were handed out, and a total of 250 years in prison were handed out.
What was the year hyper inflation began?
1922-1923
Why was 1923 dubbed the beginning of the years of crisis?
Many of the political and economic problems of Weimar Germany reached crisis point by 1923, as inflation spiralled out of control, the Ruhr was invaded and the Nazis attempted to overthrow the government.
What was Wartime and Demobilisation Inflation?
WW1 left Germany with high inflation: most of the costs for the war were paid for by increasing the money supply.
Wartime shortages exacerbaed the problem and caused price rises.
After the war government expenditure remained high as the government had to support war widows, injured war veterans and demobilised soldiers.
The new constitution made social security a constitutional right, obligating the government to provide support for the unemployed.
When did reparation payments begin and what were the problems that arose?
From 1921, problems increased due to the reparation payments
Most reparations had to be paid in gold marks, which held its value as the German currency declined
As inflation increased, the burden became greater.
In 1922, The German government sought to postpone reparation payment, but were declined
By 1923, Germany was failing to meet all of its reparation obligations.
What was the Ruhr crisis?
January 1923, Belgium and French governments responded to German failures in reaching all reparation payments, by ordering an invasion of the German industrial region, the Ruhr. The armies occupied factories and mines and seized raw materials. With government support, workers and business owners employed a policy of passive resistance., refusing to cooperate with the invaders by going on strike. The German government compensated the German workers and owners for lost revenue, further adding to public expenditure. This situation damaged the economy.
Following the Ruhr Crisis, how was Hyperinflation effected?
Following the Ruhr crisis, the already high inflation spiralled into the collapse of German currency and economy due to the lack of confidence following the crisis. The government continued to print more money to try and meet spending obligations, but simply furthered the deterioration of the currency. In 1923, 300 paper mills and 150 printing presses worked 24 hours a day to print money. While the government of Stresemann struggled to resolve the crisis, the Nazi’s failed a putsch in Munich in November 1923. Eventually hyperinflation was resolved, however not without a great shock to Germans, who’s savings and standards of living were eradicated. Debtors and and businesses however benefited, with the value of their debts wiped out by hyperinflation.
