The Aftermath of Defeat Flashcards
Where Germany is after WW1 (24 cards)
Background Study
- An overview of Germany at the End of the First World War, to highlight the main social, ecnomic and political conseuqences of defeat
- The impact of post war settlements, particularly the Treaty of Versailles, on Germany
- Establishment and Aims of the Weimar Republic
Who was Kaiser Wilhelm II
- Last Emperor of Germany
- Kasier = Emperor, King
- Cousin of Tsar Nicholas II
- Moustache goes Upwards
Who was the Power Couple of Germany
- Paul Von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff
- Military Dreamteam
- Defeated the Russians in the East = Hindenburg becomes a legend
- Hindenburg had retired before WW1
- Ludendorff is the right hand man of Hindenburg
What did the Old System Look Like?
*Kasier (Heriditary for Life) <Appoints Government < Summons Imperial Parliament < Commands Army
Government <Chancellor Ministers
Imperial Parliament < Bundesrat - made up of States representatives supported the Kaiser. Made Laws - Members chosen by state governments <
Reichstag ` A debating chamber with some control over finance, can only approve laws. - Elected by men over 25.
What is the Stab in the back Myth?
Germany “Stabbed in the Back” by…
Socialists
War Profitiers
Pessimists
Jews
Why Would the Victorious Powers not negotiate with Germany Originally?
Prince Max von Baden - German Chancellor
Armistice Negotiations with USA
Democratic Changes within Germany
The military during the war was given power
What did the civillians who negotiated the armistice in 1918 become known as?
The November Criminals
What was the Nazi’s Key Point when Trying to Win Power?
The Stab in the Back Myth
What was the Unrest at Home in Germany because of?
The unrest at home was a consequence, not a cause of military failure. - Ian Kershaw
Who Fed the Stab In the Back Myth and Invented it?
The Right, the very nationalist people on the right wing of Germany fed and invented the stab in the back myth. - Ian Kershaw
Why was there a revolution in November in 1918 in Germany?
German Generals urged the liberal Prince Max Von Baden to form a new German Government based around democracy compared to the monarchy under Kaiser.
Baden was unable to control the Navy leaders who wanted to go down fighting rather than surrender
Germany Navy Sailors conducted a Mutiny
This caused unrest, therefore Kaiser Abdicated and Baden resigned on November 10.
What is Kiel Mutiny?
Mutiny in the German Navy, triggered the revolution
The Supreme Naval Command were determined to restore the honour of the service
Decided to launch an attack on the superior British Navy Fleet
The Sailors refused to get up steam or raise the anchors
The mutiny of the sailors sprread to the nearby port of Kiel, where the workers joined them in protest.
What was the Workers and Soldiers Councils?
The Kiel Workers and Soldiers Council was set up in November 1918
A political association made up of workers and returning soldiers who modelled the Soviets who rose up during the Russian Revolution
The revolutionary action spread to Lubeck, Hamburg, Cologne, Leipzig and Bremen
Was a result of sheer frustration, war weariness and disillusionment on workeers and returning soldiers
Led by moderate socialists who demanded Democracy, freedom of speech, social reform, release of political prisioners, the removal of the Kasier and the Immediate End of the War
What was the Bavarian Republic?
On the 8th of November Bavaria declared itself to be an independent republic
A revolutionary Act
The Bavarian Monarchy was abolished and a new government, led by the radical socialist Kurt Eisner claimed power.
Civil unrest and the breakdown of Order were spreading across Germany as a sense of defeat and disillusionment grew.
When and what was the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II?
The wave of unrest in North Germany and the fall of the monarchy in Bavaria increased pressure for the removal of the Kaiser.
The High Command also believed for the sake of Germany the Kaiser had to go.
Wilhelm II resisted all pressure to abdicate
General Wilhelm Groener told the Kaiser that he no longer had the support of the army or the nation.
On November 10, 1918, the Kaiser left Germany for exile in Holland and never saw Germany again.
How did Germany Become A Republic?
On the day of the Kaiser’s abdication, Prince Max Von Baden resigned as chancellor
He handed the government of Germany to Friedrich Ebert, the leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the largest political group in the Reichstag.
What is Left Wing and Right Wing?
Left Wing ——— Public Economic Ownership and Equality
Right Wing ——— Private Economic Ownership and hierarchy
What were the Left Wing Parties in Germany?
The Social Democratic Party (SPD) = Moderate led by Friedrich Elbert
The Independent Social Democratic Party (USPD) = Radical led by Karl Kautsky
Spartacist League - Communist Party of Germany (KPD) = Extreme led by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg
Left Wing: Communist Party of Germany (KPD)—————The Independent Social Democratic Party (USPD)—————The Social Democratic Party(SPD)
What was the SPD?
Largest Political Party in the Beginning of World War I
A reformist Party
Democracy Driven
What was the USPD?
Split from the SPD in 1917
Believe they can’t reform Germany until social changes were made to allow for democracy
Believed the whole system had to be overthrown
What was the KPD?
Wanted a Soviet State taking influence from the Soviets and Bolsheivks
Wanted to overthrow the SPD Government
Who was Kurt Eisner?
A left wing socialist and indepdent social democrat
A socialist, A jew and a pacifist
Led peaceful uprising in Munich
Declared Bavaria a free socialist republic Nov 7th, 1918
Bavarian monarchy Removed
What was the Assassination of Kurt Eisner and what happened after?
Assassinated by a right wing aristocrat after the revolution
Left wing radicals try and seize control of Bavaria (April - May 1919)
A Soviet Socialist State - Bavarian Soviet Republic
Government sent to the Freikorps to crush the uprising
Who were the Freikorps?
“Free Corps”
Ex - Soldiers
Nationalists
Anti-communists
Often Anti-democracy
