Social Developments Flashcards
Info that is on the specification (45 cards)
What were social attitudes like at the start of the war?
patriotic with a spirit of unity
How did the positive pre-war attitudes bring change to society?
cut across the bitter class divisions that existed before 1914
What were the different class motivations towards war?
elites = to confirm German superiority under the Kaiser Reich
working men = hope for better times ahead
What caused the evaporation in the ‘spirit of 1914’?
war being dragged on & food shortages
What were the economic differences in wages between classes?
working men’s wages generally held up but middle-class professionals increasingly lost out
How did the roles of many women change?
many women sought out employment to compensate for the absence of their husbands & wage differences between sexes narrowed out
What was the ratio of women in the workforce like by 1918?
1/3 of the workforce were women
How were families effected by the war?
- working and absent parents left children neglected
- education interrupted due to teachers going to war
- lack of coal meant that schools could not be heated during the winter months
- poorer families suffered malnutrition
What factors contributed to the years of turbulence and the condition of Germany?
- direction of resources to the war effort
- disruption of agriculture due to conscription
- British blockade
How did living conditions worsen?
- many ordinary Germans reduced to starvation
- electricity supplies cut to conserve energy
- public transport no longer had a reliable schedule
- businesses could not function
- economy on the brink of collapse
- Spanish flu epidemic
What event changed social attitudes on the same scale as war?
hyperinflation
What type of people suffered the most due to hyperinflation?
those relying on savings, investments, fixed incomes, pensions, and welfare support
What type of people benefitted the most due to hyperinflation?
people who had debts, loans, or mortgages could pay off the money they owed in a worthless currency
What did the Republic wish to extend their involvement in?
social welfare
What were some of the principles of a welfare state in the Republic’s constitution?
- promises to redistribute wealth
- provide for the working classes
How was social welfare expanded after the war?
- workers granted an 8 hour work day
- war victims’ benefits added
- Youth Welfare Act
- accident insurance programme
How did the expansion of social welfare impact the government?
when many became unemployed during the period of passive resistance the benefit system nearly collapsed
How did the expansion of social welfare impact class interaction?
the schemes required higher taxation which lead to friction between elites and the working class
- elites = attack on wealth
- workers = development of raised expectations that could not be met in Germany’s difficult economic circumstances
What were women given in the Republic?
formal equality + the right to vote
How did opportunities for women develop during the war?
- employment rose
- numbers of women going to higher education increased
- large numbers of female doctors and teachers
How did the position of women not change?
political parties on both the left and right still maintained the belief that a woman’s place was the home and assumed that women would stop working when they married
also active resistance to women in the workplace
How were families effected?
became smaller due to cheaper methods of contraception becoming more widely available
How were racial minorities treated by the Republic?
the rights of minorities were typically respected
What are examples of minorities in Germany?
Poles, Danes, and German Jews
