the weimar republic

Question 1

When was WW1 and how did it end?

Answer 1

WW1 was from 1914-1918. Ended with the armistice in November 11th 1918.

Question 2

Why were the German people facing starvation by 1918?

Answer 2

The Allies had set up naval blockades to prevent imports of food and essential goods.

Question 3

When and why did Kaiser Wilhem 2nd abdicate?

Answer 3

When:
9th of November 1918
Why:
By 1918 the country was on the verge of a civil war and many wanted democracy as well as an end to the war.
He was blamed for the war.
Was paranoid he would be assassinated.

Question 4

10th of November 1918?

Answer 4

All state leaders that had been appointed by the monarchy left their posts and monarchy was abolished.

Question 5

Whenwas the Armistice signed?

Answer 5

Agreed on 11th of November 1918

Question 6

What was the political state after the abdication?

Answer 6

A temporary national government was established consisting of the USPD and SPD. It controlled Germany until January 1919 when elections for the new Reichstag were held.

Question 7

Who was the first president?

Answer 7

Friedrich Ebert was the first President with Philip scheidmann as Chancellor.

Question 8

How did the new system work?

Answer 8

The President:
-elected by the people
-had the most power
-elected every 7 years
-chooses the Chancellor
-can dissolve the Reichstag, call new elections and suspend constitution

Reichstag;
-the new German parliament
-members elected every 4 years
-uses Proportional Representation

Reichsrat:
-second less powerful parliament
- can delay measures passed by the Reichstag

Question 9

Constitution (how things would be run)

Answer 9

-0.4% of the vote was needed to get a seat at the Reichstag
-women could now vote and the age was lowered to 20
The German people now had more power but…
-Proportional representation meant it was hard to make decisions
- if a decision couldn’t be reached the President could use Article 48 (this undermined the new democracy)

Question 10

What is Article 48?

Answer 10

In the case of an emergency the President can force their own decision through the Reichstag. However it became an easy way of getting around disagreements in the Reichstag which undermined the new democracy

Question 11

What was the Treaty of Versailles?

Answer 11

The Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 1919. The Germans resented the new government for signing it and most of its terms were made by the Allied leaders (USA, France and Britain)

Question 12

What were the terms of the Treaty of Versailles?

Answer 12

1) The War Guilt Clause. This meant that Germany had to take the blame for the war.
Consequence- Humiliated
2) Armed Forces reduced to 100,00 men
Consequence- Vulnerable
3) £6600 million in reparations.
Consequence- Unfair and long lasting damage
4) Lose its empire. Areas that belonged to Germany were given to the countries on the winning side of the war by the League of Nations.
Consequence- Those in colonies forced to become part of new regions.
5) German military was banned from the Rhineland, an area on western boarder with France.
Consequence- Open to attack from West

Question 13

What did the Germans call the Treaty of Versailles?

Answer 13

A Diktat which is a harsh settlement imposed on a nation. This reflects their resentment.

Question 14

November Criminals

Answer 14

Some Germans believed they could’ve won the war and believed the Armistice was a mistake. Many felt stabbed in the back by the Armistice and called those that signed it, on 11th of November 1918, The November Criminals

Question 15

How did the Treaty of Versailles contribute to the failure of the Weimar Republic?

Answer 15

It harmed the Republic’s popularity and created economic and political unrest that hindered the government for years.

Question 16

Why had the unrest worsened by 1919?

Answer 16

Many were angry with the new government, Germans were poor, starvation and an influenza epidemic had killed thousands

Question 17

How was the government threatened by the left wing?

Answer 17

The Spartacist Revolt:
In January 1919, communists led by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg tried to take over Berlin. They took over important buildings like newspaper headquarters and 50,000 workers went on strike.
The rebellion was stopped when Ebert asked Freikorps (ex-soldiers) to stop the rebellion. over 100 killed.

Question 18

How was the right government threatened by the right wing?

Answer 18

The Kapp Putsch:
In March 1920, some of the Freikorps took part in the Kapp Putsch led by Wolfgang Kapp. They wanted to create a new right wing government. German workers opposed and staged a general strike. Germany was paralysed and Kapp was forced to give up.

Question 19

What was the occupation of the Ruhr?

Answer 19

By 1923 Germany couldn’t keep up with reparation payments so France and Belgium decided to occupy the Ruhr which was the richest industrial part of Germany. This gave them access to Germany’s iron and coal reserves. This enraged Germans causing a huge strike in the Ruhr. German industry was yet again devastated. The strike ended in September 1923 by Stresemann which reduced tensions and meant the government could stop paying compensation payments to strikers.

Question 20

What did Germany do to ty solve their debt problem in 1923?

Answer 20

Germany started to print more money causing hyperinflation. An egg in 1918 costed 1/4 of a mark but by November 1923 it costed 80 million marks.

Question 21

Who was Gustav Stresemann?What did he do?

Answer 21

Gustav Stresemann was chancellor from August 1923- November1923 after which he became foreign minister. As Chancellor he helped the economy to recover with his domestic and international policies resulting in The Golden years (1923-1929). In November of 1923 he replaced the German Mark with the Rentenmark to stabilise Germany’s currency. Stresemann created the great coalition- a group of pro-democracy socialist parties in the Reichstag that agreed to work together.

Question 22

What did Gustav Stresemann do as Foreign Minister to improve international relations?

Answer 22

The Dawes Plan, The Young Plan, The Locarno Pact, join the League of Nations and the Kellog-Briand Pact. These plans restored faith and popularity to the republic which was very strong in the 1928 elections (Nazi’s only got 12).

Question 23

What was the Dawes Plan?

Answer 23

The Dawes Plan was signed in 1924. Stresemann secured France and Belgium’s withdrawal from the Ruhr and agreed more realistic payment dates for the reparations. The USA lent Germany £40 million to pay off debts.

Question 24

What was the Young Plan?

Answer 24

The Young Plan was agreed in 1929. The Allies agreed to reduce the reparations to a quarter of the original amount and Germany was given 59 years to pay them.

Question 25

What was the Locarno Pact?

Answer 25

The Locarno Pact was signed in October 1925. Germany, France and Belgium decided to respect their joint borders and the Rhineland was demilitarised. Germany was now treated as an equal and confidence began to grow.

Question 26

Did the League of Nations ever allow Germany to rejoin?

Answer 26

In 1926 Germany was allowed to join and re-established as an international power.

Question 27

What was the Kellog-Briand Pact?

Answer 27

The Kellog-Briand Pact was signed in 1928 alongside 65 other countries. They promised not to use violence to settle disputes.

Question 28

Who was Hindenburg?

Answer 28

Hindenburg led the German army in WW1 and became President in May 1925. He was a symbol of old to new.

Question 29

How did the Wall Street Crash effect The Golden Years?

Answer 29

The Wall Street Crash ended The Golden Years as a massive stock market crash caused a global depression. This stopped plans such as the Dawes Plan from being effective and Stresemann had died in October of 1929 just before the crash. Things were now going to get worse again.

Question 30

How did the Golden Years improve living standards for the working class?

Answer 30

Unemployment:
The unemployed were more protected than ever and in 1927 unemployment insurance was introduced. Workers could pay into the scheme and if they became unemployed they would receive cash benefits.

Wages:
Wages for industrial workers rose quickly in the 1920s and the working class became more prosperous.

Housing:
The government launched mass housing projects and more than 2 million new homes were built between 1924-1931. This also provided extra employment.

Question 31

How did the Golden Years effect the middle class?

Answer 31

The middle class could not access the benefits the working class had been given so they felt ignored. This led to much resentment which allowed the governments political opponents to gain support.

Question 32

How did the Golden Years impact women?

Answer 32

• women could vote
  -after the war more young women started to work
• new clubs and societies were set up for women, -
• they had more opportunities
• divorce became easier

Question 33

How did the Golden Years affect Weimar culture?

Answer 33

• Art: Many artists became part of he new Expressionism movement to comment of topics such as the war
  -Cinema: Before cinema was used for propaganda but now censorship laws had been relaxed it was used for entertainment. Some films even criticised the government.
  -Architecture: New materials and designs were being used and experimented with and the Bauhaus School of Design played a leading role