The Weimar Republic: 1918-1929

Question 1

What is the Kiel Mutiny?

Answer 1

-On November 3rd at the main German naval base in Kiel, German sailors mutinied instead of following orders to attack the British Royal Navy
-The mutiny sparked rebellions all over Germany and in a matter of days led to the collapse of the German government which forced the Kaiser Wilhelm II to abdicate on November 9th
-Following his abdication, Friedrich Ebert, leader of the Social Democratic Party became chancellor and took power over Germany

Question 2

What was the armistice?

Answer 2

-On November 11th 1918, WW1 ended when an armistice was agreed with the allies and Germany surrendered
-The armistice was signed by representatives of the new, civilian government, including Ebert and members of the SPD
-The opponents of the armistice called the people who signed the ‘November Criminals’
-This became known as the ‘stab in the back theory’

Question 3

How did the Weimar Republic gain power?

Answer 3

-In January 1919, elections gave the SPD party the most power, Friedrich Ebert was the first democratically chosen president
-He and his party started to draw up a new constitution for Germany
-They met int the town of Weimar as Berlin was deemed as too unsafe after the Spartacist uprising
-Although a considerable number of deputies voted against it, the constitution was eventually approved and signed in August 1919

Question 4

What were the strengths of the Weimar constitution?

Answer 4

-A genuine democracy: Elections for parliament and presidents took place every four years and all Germans over 30 could vote
-The power of the Reichstag: The Reichstag appointed the government and made all laws, this was very different from its powers before the war under the Kaiser
-A Bill of Rights: Guaranteed every German citizen freedom of speech and religion, and equality under the law

Question 5

What were the weaknesses of the Weimar constitution?

Answer 5

-Proportional Representation: Each party got the same percentage of seats in parliament as the percentage of votes they received in an election, this meant lots of small parties in Parliament made it difficult to pass laws and led to weak often short governments
-Article 48: Gave the president the power to act without Parliament’s approval in an emergency, but never defined what an emergency was so the power was overused, removing trust in the democracy

Question 6

Why did the Weimar republic get of to a troubled start?

Answer 6

-Many Germans hated the government for signing armistice, they called them November criminals. The defeat came as a huge surprise to the German people, and many ordinary soldiers, which led to a theory that the army have been ‘stabbed in the back’ by politicians
-In early 1919, the allies met to discuss how to punish Germany and on June 28th 1919, the new government was forced to sign a peace settlement called the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty punished Germany, and made Germans feel like their country had received a very harsh deal in the treaty and they started to resent the government for signing it, but if they didn’t they had risked an invasion within five days

Question 7

What were the terms about Blame, Reparations, and armed forces in the treaty of Versailles?

Answer 7

Blame:
-Germany was forced to accept the blame for starting the war under Article 231 of the treaty, known as the war guilt clause
Reparations:
-The amount Germany had to pay was at £6.6Billion
Armed Forces:
-Germany’s army and navy were significantly reduced and the air force was abolished
-This meant that only 100,000 troops were allowed and conscription and tanks were banned
-Germany’s navy was reduced to 15,000 personnel, and 6 battleships with no submarines

Question 8

What were the terms for territory in the treaty of Versailles?

Answer 8

-Alsace-Lorraine went back to France
-Eupen-Malmedy was recognised as Belgian
-France took coal from the Sara region, which later became a League of Nations protectorate for 15 years
-Upper Silesia went to the new Czechoslovakia, and some to Poland, Germany also had to recognise them as independent countries
-Posen and Danzig was given to Poland so they would have access to the sea- the ‘Polish corridor’
-East Prussia was cut off from the rest of Germany by Poland in the middle
-The Rhineland was demilitarised which would provide a ‘buffer zone’ of protection to France
-Land Germany took from Russia became the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
-Anschluss- The union of Germany and Austria- was forbidden

Question 9

What was the Spartacist uprising?

Answer 9

-During 5-12 January 1919, 50,000 members of the Communist party, known as Spartacists, rebelled in Berlin, led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht
-The government was saved when it armed bands of ex-soldiers, known as the Freikorps, defeat the Spartacists
-Communist worker’s councils seized power all over Germany, and a Communist People’s Government took power in Bavaria
-Liebknecht and Luxemburg were killed after being arrested on the 15th, Luxemburg’s body was dumped in a canal
-By May 1919, the Freikorps had crushed all of these uprisings

Question 10

What was the Kapp Putsch?

Answer 10

-The terms of the ToV meant Germany’s army had to significantly reduced and the Freikorps disbanded
-During 13-17th March 1920, the right-wing nationalist, Dr Wolfgang Kapp led a Freikorps takeover in Berlin
-The regular army refused to attack the Freikorps; Kapp was only defeated when the Workers went on strike and refused to cooperate

Question 11

What were other acts of violence towards the Weimar republic?

Answer 11

-Nationalist terrorists assassinated 356 government politicians, including Walter Rathenau- June 1922- the foreign minister, and Matthias Erzberger, the finance minister
-Judges in their trials, many preferred the Kaisers government, gave the terrorists light sentences of let them go free
-Rathenau’s killers only got 4 years in prison, despite the fact over a million people marched through Berlin, in mourning over his death

Question 12

What was the cause of the occupation of the Ruhr?

Answer 12

-In November 1922, Germany defaulted on their payments
-The first reparations payment has taken all she could afford to pay
-The French believed Germany could make the repayment but were choosing not to, however the German government argued they could not afford to pay
-In response, France and Belgium sent troops into the Ruhr, Germany’s main industrial area
-They wanted to confiscate goods as reparations payment as they didn’t believe Germany was unable to pay
-They occupied coal mines, railways, steelworks and factories

Question 13

What did Germany do in response to the occupation of the Ruhr?

Answer 13

-The government ordered workers to follow a policy of ‘passive resistance’ refusing to work or co-operate with the foreign troops and in return the government continued to pay their wages
-The French responded firmly - in the Krupp steel works, workers refusing to take orders were short and others expelled from the area altogether
-Overall, 132 were killed and 150,000 expelled
-To repay the workers, the government printed more money contributing to hyperinflation
-A general strike was called, and political instability was called

Question 14

What was the hyperinflation of 1923?

Answer 14

-Germany was suffering from high levels of inflation due to the war and increasing government debt
-The ‘passive resistance’ meant that the workers were on strike, resulting in less goods being produced which weakened the economy further
-In order to pay back the striking workers, the government printed more money causing hyperinflation
-Prices ran out of control, a loaf of bread was 250 marks in January 1923, 200,000 million marks in November 1923
-By Autumn 1923, it cost more to print a note than the note was worth
-During the crisis, workers were paid twice per day because prices rose so fast wages were worthless by lunchtime

Question 15

Who were the winners because of the hyperinflation of 1923?

Answer 15

-Borrowers, such as businessmen, landowners and those with mortgages, found they were able to pay back their loans with worthless money
-People on wages, they constantly renegotiated, but eventually failed to keep up with prices
-Farmers, as their products remained in demand and received more money for them

Question 16

Who were the losers of the hyperinflation of 1923?

Answer 16

-People on fixed incomes, like students, pensioners or the sick, sound their incomes did not keep up with the prices
-People with savings and those who lent money, as their money became worthless

Question 17

What rebellions occurred due to the hyperinflation of 1923?

Answer 17

-A nationalist group called Black Reichswehr rebelled in September
-Communists took over the governments of Saxony and Thuringia in October
-In the same month, they also took over the Rhineland and declared it independent
-A fascist group called the Nazis attempted a putsch in Munich in November

Question 18

Who was Gustav Stresemann?

Answer 18

-In 1923, the Weimar was on the verge of collapse socially and economically
-This crisis was followed by a series of stability and success
-Gustav Stresemann became Chancellor in August 1923, during the hyperinflation crisis
-Stresemann was only chancellor for three months before becoming the Foreign Minister, rebuilding and restoring Germany’s international status until his death in October 1929

Question 19

How did Stresemann end hyperinflation?

Answer 19

-In three months he:
-Calling off ‘passive resistance’ of German workers in the Ruhr, this helped German economy because goods were back in production and the Government could stop printing money to pay striking workers
-Promising to begin reparations payments again, which persuaded France and Belgium to end the occupation of the Ruhr by 1925
-Introducing a new currency called the Rentenmark, which stabilised prices as only a limited number were printed meaning money rose in value, which helped restore confidence in the German economy internally and internationally
-Reducing the amount of money the government spent - 700,000 government employees lost their jobs - so that’s its budget deficit was reduced

Question 20

What was the Dawes Plan?

Answer 20

-Stresemann’s changes made other countries feel sympathy for Germany
-Proposed April 1924, agreed September 1924
-Stayed the same overall reparations needing to be paid but they only had to pay 1Billion makes per year for the first 5 years and 2.5Billion per year after
-Germany was loaned 800Million marks from the USA

Question 21

What was the Young Plan?

Answer 21

-Proposed August 1929, agreed January 1930
-Reduced the total amount by 20%, Germany was to pay 2Billion marks per year, two/thirds of which could be postponed each year if necessary
-To be paid over 59 years, with it ending in 1988
-US banks would continue to loan Germany money, led by J.P Morgan, one of the world’s leading bankers

Question 22

What were the signs of recovery in the Golden years of the Weimar republic?

Answer 22

-By 1928, Industrial production levels were higher than those of 1913
-Between 1925 and 1929, exports rose by 40%
-Hourly wages rose eery year from 1924-1929 and rose by 10% in 1928 alone
-IG Farben, a German chemical manufacturing company, becomes the largest industrial company in Europe
-Generous pension, health and unemployment insurance schemes were introduced in 1927

Question 23

What were the signs of continued weakness in the Golden years in the Weimar republic?

Answer 23

-Agricultural production did to recover to its pre-war levels
-It spent more on imports than it earned from exports, so Germany was losing money every year
-Unemployment did not fall below 1.3Million and in 1929 increased to 1.9Million
-German industry became dependent on loans from the USA
-The government ended up spending more than it received in taxes, so continued to run deficits from 1925 onwards

Question 24

What was the Locarno Treaty?

Answer 24

-In October 1925, Germany, France and Belgium agreed to respect their post-versailles borders, whilst Germany agreed with Poland Czechoslovakia to settle any border disputes peacefully
-Germany had previously complained bitterly about their loss of territory

Question 25

What was the League of Nations 1926?

Answer 25

-When the LoN was set up, Germany was initially excluded
-After signing the Locarno Treaties Germany, it showed the other countries, Germany was willing to accepting the Versailles settlement
-A year later, Germany was accepted as a permanent member of the Council of League, making it one of the most powerful countries in the league

Question 26

What is the Kellogg-Briand pact 1928?

Answer 26

-Germany was one of 62 countries that signed up to the agreement, which committed its signatories to settling disputes between them peacefully

Question 27

What were the consequences of the improvement of international relations?

Answer 27

-Meant that Germany was accepted into the emerging ‘international community’ that sought to work together during the 1920s to avoid another destructive war
-It helped Germany’s internal wounds to heal - the government was seen to be taking decisive action to make life better for people and right some of the wrongs that the ToV had caused
-This led to greater political stability and less extremism, the ethos of collaboration and peaceful cooperation, but this only lasted until the onset of the Great Depression following the Wall Street Crash of October 1929

Question 28

What were the changes in the standard of living in the ‘Golden Years’?

Answer 28

-Hourly wages rose in real terms every year from 1924-1930, with a rise of 10% in 1928 alone
-Pensions and sickness benefits schemes were introduced
-Compulsory unemployment insurance was introduced in 1927, which covered 17Million workers
-Governemnt subsidies were provided for the building of local parks, schools, sports facilities, and there was a massive programme of council house construction
-However, a large increase in the working age population during the mid-20s led to increasing unemployment, and farmers in particular suffered from declining incomes

Question 29

What were the changes in the position of women in work?

Answer 29

-German women contributed massively to the war effort during WW1, however, the government ordered women to return to their pre-war roles, either in low-skilled jobs or in the homes
-Women experienced pressure to return to their ‘traditional’ role as wives and mothers
-However, attitudes towards women and work changed according to how well the economy did
-During times of economic crisis, in 1923 and the great depression, women retuning home were seen as a solution to the problem of unemployment
-During the recovery of the mid-1920s women were welcomed into the workforce, the number of women in work was 1.7Million higher in 1925 than that in 1907
-Women were increasingly taking on white collar jobs, though these were mainly done by single women under 25
-Overall, the percentage of women in work only rose by less than 1 percent between 1907 and 1925

Question 30

What were the changes in the position of women in politics?

Answer 30

-German women achieved the vote on an equal basis with men when the new German constitution was announced in August 1919, along with the right to be elected to the Reichstag and all other governmental bodies
-There is evidence that women’s roles in politics grew during the Weimar republic but there were also limitations to the progress they made

Question 31

What were the progress women made in politics during the ‘Golden Years’?

Answer 31

-Women’s voting turnout in the elections for the national assembly in January 1919 was the same as men’s at 82 percent
-Political parties quickly realised the need to appeal to the women’s vote and much propaganda was directed towards them
-Women were elected to local and regional assemblies all over Germany and typically made up around 8% percent of the representatives in the Prussian Landtag, the most powerful regional parliament

Question 32

What parts of politics stayed the same for women within the ‘Golden Years’?

Answer 32

-During the rest of the Weimar period, women’s voting was typically 5-10% less than males
-Propaganda usually appealed to women as wives and mothers, rather than asking for their vote on the basis of improving their own lives
-By 1933 women made up just 4.6% of the representatives in parliament
-No women held cabinet posts during the Weimar Republic’s 14 year existence and no women sat in the upper house of parliament, the Reichsrat
-Women and men voted for similar parties, altos women were more likely to vote for religious parties, which tended to be more conservative
-Historians disagree on how decisive women’s votes were in bringing the Nazis to power in 1933, but the party’s propaganda targeted women heavily

Question 33

What stayed the same for women in terms of leisure in the ‘Golden years’ of the Weimar?

Answer 33

-Most women continued to enjoy reading as their main leisure activity, with romantic fiction being their preferred genre
-Both working and middle class women enjoyed attending tea dances, when they could meet young men
-Women enjoyed needlework in the home
-Gymnastics was a popular sport among women, in 1914, there was 88,000 women in gymnastics association and by 1930, the number rose to 200,946

Question 34

What changed for women in terms of Leisure within the ‘golden years’ of the Weimar?

Answer 34

-There was a huge increase in the number of newspapers and magazines following the abolition of censorship, and many of the new publications were aimed specifically at women
-In urban areas young middle class women began to go out to dance alone, with the American dance known as the Charleston becoming popular in Berlin
-Women were estimated to have made up around 75% of cinema audiences during the 1920s, films were cheap to watch, but only 2% of small towns had a cinema so it was mainly urban women who benefitted
-Women began to take part in a greater range of sports, in 1928, Hilde Krahwinkel won an olympic gold medal in the 800m and in 1931 Cilly Aussem became the first German woman to win Wimbledon

Question 35

Who was Walter Gropius?

Answer 35

-1883-1969
-He set up the Bauhaus school, which contained the most influential visual arts movement in Weimar in 1919
-Regarded as a pioneer in modern architecture and founder of the Bauhaus movement
-Bauhaus theory was that all architecture and design was an opportunity to introduce beauty and quality to all, through well-designed and industrially produced items
-He became famous for iconic door handles, and several public buildings across Weimar
-Bauhaus’ impact on architecture was limited, because it was only focused on architecture after 1927 and then suppressed by the Nazis in 1933
-After this most of its followers fled abroad, where they developed their work further, however Gropius did design several apartment blocks that are still in use today

Question 36

What were the two main movements in art?

Answer 36

-Dada- Started in Zurich during WW1, it was a protest against the traditional conventions of art and western culture, in which the war had begun, its output included photography, sculpture, poetry, painting and collage, artists included Marcel Duchamp and Hans Arp
-New Objectivity- The new objectivity movement started in Germany in the aftermath of WW1, it challenged its predecessor expressionism, which was a more idealistic and romantic movement, artists returned to a more realistic way of painting, reflecting the harsh reality of war, artists included Otto Dix and George Grosz
-Experimentation in German art came to an end when the Nazis came to power in 1933, Hitler rejected modern art as morally corrupt and many of the best German artists such as Max Beckmann, Max Ernst and Paul Klee fled abroad

Question 37

What were the affects of cinema from the ‘golden years’ of the Weimar?

Answer 37

-An ‘expressionist’ style became common films, which often had unrealistic sets and exaggerated acting techniques
-Economic instability meant less money for the arts, the shortage of funding gave rise to the Kammerspielfilm movement, with atmospheric films made on small sets with low budgets
-Expressionist film-makers favoured darker storylines and themes, including horror and crime
-The most prominent film directors of the time were Fritz Lang and F.W. Murnau
-The most famous films of the period were The cabinet of Doctor Calgary (1920), Nosferatu (1922- based on dracula), Phantom(1922), the Last Laugh(1924) and Metropolis(1927)