‘The most significant threat to the Weimar Republic, in the years 1919–23, came from the extreme left.’ Flashcards
(17 cards)
What was the Spartacist Uprising (Jan 1919)?
A communist revolt led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht aiming for a Soviet-style revolution. It was crushed by the Freikorps with 150–200 protestors killed.
What was the Ebert-Groener Pact?
An agreement that gave the army’s support to Ebert’s government in exchange for protecting the military from reform and left-wing revolution.
Why was the left considered a weaker threat?
It lacked middle-class support, was poorly organized, and was suppressed quickly by the military.
What was the Kapp Putsch (1920)?
A right-wing coup attempt involving 12,000 Freikorps troops seizing Berlin. It failed due to a workers’ general strike, not military opposition.
What did the Munich Putsch (1923) involve?
Hitler and the NSDAP attempted to seize power by force, inspired by Mussolini’s March on Rome. It failed, but Hitler’s light sentence showed judicial bias.
How many political assassinations were carried out by the right between 1919–1923?
356, mostly by nationalist Freikorps members.
Why was the right a more serious threat than the left?
It had backing from parts of the military, judiciary, and elites, and posed both immediate and long-term danger to democracy.
What caused the French occupation of the Ruhr in 1923?
Germany failed to pay reparations, leading France and Belgium to seize industrial assets.
How did the German government respond to the Ruhr occupation?
By encouraging passive resistance and printing more money, which caused hyperinflation.
How extreme did hyperinflation become?
By 1923, 1 USD = 4.2 trillion marks; printing money cost more than its face value.
What were the consequences of hyperinflation?
People’s savings were wiped out, causing loss of faith in democracy and a rise in support for extremists.
What was proportional representation and why was it problematic?
Every 60,000 votes = 1 seat, leading to many small parties in the Reichstag and unstable coalitions.
What was Article 48 and how was it abused?
It allowed the president to pass laws without Reichstag approval in emergencies; used 205 times before Hitler took full power.
Despite its flaws, how was the Weimar Constitution progressive?
It granted universal suffrage at 21 (including women) and included a Bill of Rights with 62 freedoms.
Why was the right a bigger threat than the left between 1919–1923?
The right had structural support (military, judiciary), carried out more violent actions, and helped undermine democracy more deeply.
What other key factor made democracy unstable?
The Treaty of Versailles — economic burden, war guilt (Article 231), and national humiliation sparked resentment and nationalism.
What long-term issue weakened Weimar democracy from the start?
The abrupt shift from monarchy to democracy in just six weeks left many Germans unprepared and resistant to the new system.
