The early Weimar Republic (1918 - 1923) Flashcards
(32 cards)
Who was Germany’s president?
Friedrich Ebert
When was the Weimar Republic created?
31st July 1919 by the National Assembly
What was article 1 of the Weimar Constitution?
- Germany was to be a democracy
- The voting age was lowered from 25 to 21
- Women were also allowed to vote
What was article 48 of the Weimar constitution?
It allowed the President to enact a state of emergency in a crisis, and they would be able to pass laws without taking it up with the Reichstag
What was the bill of rights?
It established civil rights to Germans, such as free speech, equality, labour rights etc
What election system was used in the Reichstag?
Proportional representation - The percentage of votes = the percentage of Reichstag seats
Strengths of the Weimar Republic
- No one person has all the power
- Democracy
- The people in power change every few years
(chancellor = 4 and president = 7) - Fair election system (proportional representation
and the bill of rights) - State governments could keep their traditions
Weaknesses of the Weimar Republic
- Article 48 could be exploited like Hitler did in 1934
- No party held the majority of the power, so it was hard to pass laws since there were so many parties present
- The Weimar Republic was tainted with the betrayal of surrendering and “stabbing Germany in the back” (Dolchstoss)
Who were the Big Three in the Paris peace conference?
Britain - David Lloyd
France - George Clemenceau
USA - Woodrow Wilson
What were the 4 main categories in the Treaty of Versailles?
Land
Arms
Money
Blame
Treaty of Versailles - LAND
- Alsace Lorraine had to be returned to France
- All colonies had to be given to the Allied Powers
- Germany could form no union with Austria
- Posen and West Prussia had to be given to Poland
- The Saar land had to be administered by League of Nations
Treaty of Versailles - ARMS
- No naval vessel could be greater than 10,000 tonnes
- The German army could not exceed 100,000
- No tanks, armoured cars, or heavy artillery
- No submarines or aircraft
- The Rhineland area could have no military
Treaty of Versailles - MONEY
- Germany had to pay reparations of £6.6 billion
- Germany had to build merchant ships to replace the Allied ships sunk by U-boats
- Cattle and sheep had to be given to France for reparations
- Coal was to be mined in the Saar by France
Treaty of Versailles - BLAME
Article 231 - Germany had to take the blame for WW1 and accept “war guilt”
Characteristics of Communism (LEFT-WING)
- Favours cooperation over competition
- Believes in the equality of all people
- Liberal democrats are a modern example
- More protection and benefits for the working class
- Favours higher tax and government control
Characteristics of Capitalism (RIGHT-WING)
- Favours competition over cooperation
- Believes that people are unequal and likes status and hierarchy
- The Conservative party would be a modern example
- The Fascist party of Mussolini would be an extreme example
- Favours greater freedom for businesses and less government control
Who were the Spartacist League and who did they support?
They were extreme socialists from the USPD, they supported Communism
Who led the Spartacists?
Rosa Luxemborg, Karl Liebknecht
When was the
What was the Spartacist Uprising?
- Ebert sacked the popular police chief, and the workers protested
- The Spartacists called for an uprising and general strike (over 100,000 workers)
- They seized control of newspaper and telegraph offices (Weimar gov was losing control)
Who were the Freikorps?
Soldiers released from the army who had returned to Germany
How did Ebert stop the Spartacist Uprising?
- He set the Freikorps on the workers
- Luxemborg and Liebknecht were arrested
When was the Kapp Putsch?
March 1920
What was the Kapp Putsch?
- Ebert was struggling to control the Freikorps
- Fearing unemployment, they turned against the Republic
- 5000 armed men marched on Berlin
- “Reichswehr does not fire upon Reichswehr”
- The rebels controlled the city
