The Weimar Republic 1918-29 Flashcards
(52 cards)
1
Q
ORIGINS OF WEIMAR
What was the impact of the first world war on Germany?
A
- 2 million German troops died and over 4 million were wounded
- Government debts increased from 50 billion to 150 billion
- More than 750000 Germans died because of food shortages
Some people revolted by striking and rioting
2
Q
ORIGINS OF WEIMAR
When and what was the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II?
A
- 9 Nov 1918 - Kaiser visited army headquarters, ministers tried to persuade the Kaiser to abdicate
- Army officers refused to support the Kaiser
- 10 Nov 1918 - Kaiser fled to Holland
3
Q
ORIGINS OF WEIMAR
When was the declaration of the Republic?
A
- 9 Nov 1918
10 Nov Friedrich Ebert suspended the old Reichstag and formed the Council of people’s Representatives as a temporary measure
4
Q
ORIGINS OF WEIMAR
What was the revolution after the declaration?
A
- Berlin Streets were crowded, some being armed and were hoping to take over parts of the city
- Scheidemann of the SDP - declared the new Republic to the crowds, fearful that armed rioters were preparing to declare a communist government
- Revolution continued until August 1919 when the Weimar Republic was established
5
Q
ORIGINS OF WEIMAR
When and what was the Armistice?
A
- 11 Nov 1918
- Peace agreement between Germany and the allies
- First major decision of Ebert’s new Republic
- Terms of the peace, the Treaty of Versailles became a very big burden for the country
6
Q
ORIGINS OF WEIMAR
What was the Weimar Constitution like?
A
- Head of State
- The Government - Chancellor - Cabinet
- Parliament - Reichstag - Reichsrat
- Electorate -
7
Q
ORIGINS OF WEIMAR
What was the Head of State?
A
Head of State - Head of the Weimar Republic, selected by the people, chose the chancellor, could suspend the constitution and pass laws by decree
8
Q
ORIGINS OF WEIMAR
What was the Government?(2)
A
- Chancellor: head of the government in Weimar republic, chose all government ministers
- Cabinet: main decision making body of the government
9
Q
ORIGINS OF WEIMAR
What was Parliament?(3)
A
- Reichstag: more powerful, controlled taxation, directly elected by the people
- Reichsrat: elected by the people, represented the regions of Germany, each region sent a certain number of representatives depending on its size
- Electorate - consisted of all men and women of 21 years old and over
10
Q
ORIGINS OF WEIMAR
What were the 6 strengths of the Weimar Republic?
A
- Proportional representation - small parties had a fair share of seats
- Women able to vote as well as men
- Voting age reduced from 25 to 21
- No one group or person could have too much power
- Election for president every seven years
- Reichsrat could regulate the power of the Reichstag by delaying new laws
11
Q
ORIGINS OF WEIMAR
What were the 3 main weaknesses of the Weimar Republic?
A
- Proportional representation - coalition governments that were unstable, or found it difficult to have strong policies
- Lack of strong government - weakness in a crisis: Article 48 - enabled president to pass laws without consent from the Reichstag
- Not the choice of the people so it was not that popular
12
Q
CHALLENGES TO WEIMAR
Why was the Republic unpopular?
A
- Treaty of Versailles damage Germany’s economy making the Weimar Republic weak from the beginning
- People blamed the leaders of the new German republic for signing it - ‘November Criminals’ because they surrendered in Nov 1918 and were seen as traitors to their country
13
Q
CHALLENGES TO WEIMAR
What were the terms of the Treaty of Versailles?
A
- Army was limited to 100 000
- Navy limited to six battleships, six cruisers, 12 destroyers and 12 torpedo boats
- All planes destroyed and no air force was allowed
- No military was allowed in the land bordering France(the Rhineland)
- Loss of 13% of European territory, 11 colonies
14
Q
CHALLENGES TO WEIMAR
What was the ‘Stab in the back’ theory?
A
- Many Germans never believed their army had been defeated in the war
- Said the army had been betrayed by politicians - ‘stabbed in the back’ and forced to surrender when they could have won
15
Q
CHALLENGES TO WEIMAR
What was the Spartacist challenge to Weimar?
A
- Left wing
- Came from the Independent socialist party
- Had backing from soviet union
- Based in Berlin
16
Q
CHALLENGE TO WEIMAR
What was the Freikorps challenge to Weimar?
A
- Right wing
- Ex-soldiers who had kept their weapons
- 250 000 men
- Organised by regular army
17
Q
CHALLENGES TO WEIMAR
What and when was the Spartacist Revolt?
A
- January 1919
- Took over the government newspaper
- Tried to organise a general strike in Berlin
- Weimar government sent Freikorps units to put down the revolt
18
Q
CHALLENGES TO WEIMAR
What and when was the Kapp Putsch?
A
- March 1920
- Freikorps troops, fearing unemployment, decided to march on Berlin
- Dr Wolfgang Kapp was put in charge by the rebels and the Weimar government fled Berlin seeking safety
- Government organised the trade unions to go on strike - caused chaos so Kapp could not rule Germany and was forced to flee
19
Q
CHALLENGE TO WEIMAR
What were the political attacks to the Weimar Republic?
A
- Left-wing parties in the Reichstag
- Right-wing parties in the Reichstag
- Kapp Putsch
- Spartacist Revolt
- Right-wing bias in the courts
- Political assassinations
- Left-wing and right-wing political armies
20
Q
CHALLENGES TO WEIMAR
What were the Politcal assassinations worry? How many assassinations took place?
A
- 1919-23 politicians in the Weimar republic were worried about assassinations
- Early years 376 assassinations took place
21
Q
CHALLENGE TO WEIMAR
What was hyperinflation?
A
- When the price of goods increases spectacularly
- Made Germany currency worthless
22
Q
CHALLENGE TO WEIMAR
Why was there hyperinflation?
A
- 1914-18 - Government printed more money to pay for WW1 but it didn’t have more gold, it was bankrupt
- 1918-22 - Weimar government printed more money for post-war shortages and asked for longer to pay the first reparations instalment
- Jan 1923 - French troops invaded the Ruhr to take reparations payments in goods and raw materials, German workers went on strike, 80% of German coal, iron and steel reserves were in the Ruhr and many of its factories
- Weimar government printed more money to pay strikers and make up for loss of coal, steel and iron production
- Nov 1923 - German mark was worthless
23
Q
CHALLENGE TO WEIMAR
What were the negative effects of hyperinflation?
A
- No essentials like bread
- Wages rose but not as quickly as prices
- Some businesses went bankrupt
- People with fixed incomes suffered most
- Savings became worthless - affected middle classes
- People blamed the Weimar government, which made it even more unpopular
24
Q
CHALLENGES TO WEIMAR
What were the positive effects of hyperinflation?
A
- Farmers benefited as they were paid more for food
- Pay off loans and mortgages
- Fixed rents for rooms or shops became very cheap
- Foreign visitors could buy more for their money
25
# RECOVERY OF THE REPUBLIC
When did Stresemann become chancellor?
August 1923
26
# RECOVERY OF THE REPUBLIC
What did Stresemann's work involve?
- Sep 1923 - ends passive resistance in the Ruhr - in response to french and belgian occupation Steseman calls off Germany’s policy of non-cooperation to stabilise the economy
- Nov 1923 - set up Rentenbank an issued a temporary currency called the Rentenmark
- This new currency’s supply was tightly controlled, the value was tied to the price of gold and they were backed by German industrial plants and agricultural land
- Aug 1924 - Reichsbank given control - renamed Reichsmark. Hyperinflation was over
27
# RECOVERY OF WEIMAR
What and when was the Dawes Plan?
- 1924
- Since 1919 Germany couldn’t pay reparations payments
- USA was in a position to help Germany as they had experienced a boom in their economy - Britain and France were repaying their wartime loans
- Charles Dawes, an American banker, designed a plan so Germany could pay its reparations, signed by Gustav Stresemann
28
# RECOVERY OF WEIMAR
What were the terms of the Dawes plan?
- temporary reduction of reparations to £50 million a year
- a guarantee of US bank loans for German industry
29
# RECOVERY OF WEIMAR
What were the impacts of the Dawes Plan?
- reparations became more manageable - allies trusted Germany, Streseman called of the passive resistance in the Ruhr and France agreed to leave
- the USA gave $25 billion to Germany 1924-30 - germany’s industrial output increased by 50%
30
# RECOVERY OF WEIMAR
What and when the Young Plan?
- 1929
- Allies believed they could give Germany more help
- June 1929 - Allies established a committee to reduce reparations, led by an american banker called Owen Young
31
# RECOVERY OF WEIMAR
What were the terms of the Young Plan?
- Reduction of total reparations from 6.6 billion to 2 billion
- Payments could be made over a longer period of time, up until 1988
32
# RECOVERY OF WEIMAR
What were the impacts of the Young Plan?
- Lower reparations meant lower taxes on German citizens - boosted German industry and created more jobs
- Less pressure on Germany to pay off the reparations debt - improved relations between Germany and the Allies, France leaves the Rhineland in 1930
- NEGATIVE: a lot of opposition from the extreme political parties who felt it was extending the burden for future generations
33
# RECOVERY OF WEIMAR
What were the positive impacts in the economy?
- Industrial output doubled by 1928 and passed pre-First world war levels
- Employment and trade increased - catalyst for Golden age
- Passive resistance ended in the Ruhr
34
# RECOVERY OF WEIMAR
What were the negative impacts for the economy?
- Extreme political parties were still against Germany paying the reparations at all
- TofV still not popular - Dolchstoss theory
- Economic recovery depended on American loans - remained fragile
35
# RECOVERY OF WEIMAR
What did Stresemann's success involve?
- Strengthened the confidence of the German people in the Weimar republic
- Reduced the support for extremist political parties like the Nazis and the communists
- Increased support for moderate parties
- Reduced the economic hardships of the German people
36
# RECOVERY OF WEIMAR
What and when was the Locarno Pact?
- 1925
- Agreement between Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Belgium
- Germany agreed to its new border with France(improved relations with French)
- Allies and Germany agreed to permanent demilitarisation of the Rhineland
- German membership of the League of Nations was up for discussion
37
# RECOVERY OF WEIMAR
Why was the Locarno Pact a success?(4)
- Improved relations with France with border agreement
- Locarno Pact was not imposed on Germany
- Increased status and popularity of Weimar republic
- Helped boost confidence in more moderate political parties
38
# RECOVERY OF WEIMAR
What and when was the League of Nations Entrance?
- 1926
- New international border that hoped to discuss world problems to avoid war
- Initially Germany was excluded in 1920
- 1926 they were invited to join and became a member
39
# RECOVERY OF WEIMAR
Why was the League of nations entrance a success?(2)
- Showed Germany’s views counted
- Boosted the confidence held by most Germans in the Weimar government
40
# RECOVERY OF WEIMAR
What and when was the Kellogg-Briand Pact?
- 1928
- Agreement between 62 nations - committed countries to avoiding the use of war to achieve foreign policy objectives
41
# RECOVERY OF WEIMAR
Why was the Kellogg-Briand Pact a success?
- Showed that Germany was once again a major power
- Moderate political parties could build Germany’s strength internationally
- Increased public confidence in Germany’s leadership
42
# RECOVERY OF WEIMAR
Why was the Kellogg-Briand Pact not a success?
- Hated terms of Treaty of Versailles still in place
- League of Nations as a symbol of TofV
- Some didn't like the border with France
43
# CHANGES IN SOCIETY
What were the changes in living standards?
- Improved after 1924, brought about by government funding and policies
44
# CHANGES IN SOCIETY
What were the changes to wages and work?
- Working hours reduced
- Wages rose
- Working conditions improved
- Hyperinflation made employment insecure
- Well-off Germans resented seeing workers benefitting
45
# CHANGES IN SOCIETY
What were the changes in housing?
- 15% rent tax was introduced to fund building associations
- 1925-1929 101 000 homes were built
- There was still a housing shortage but things had improved
46
# CHANGES IN SOCIETY
What was the unemployment insurance changes?
- 3% of workers’ earnings were deducted to be put towards insurance that would give them a basic amount of benefits if they became unemployed or sick
47
# CHANGES IN SOCIETY
What were the changes for women at work?
- Drop in women working from 75% in 1918 to 36% in 1925
- Women were paid 33% less than men
- Number of female doctors rose from 2500 to 5000
- Women were encouraged to go to university
48
# CHANGES IN SOCIETY
What were the changes to women at leisure?
- More independence for younger, single women
- Short hair, more makeup, jewellery, smoke and drank in public
- The behavior of ‘new women’ was not liked by some men and women who felt traditional values were being eroded (Otto Dix painting of Sylvia Von Harden - not typically feminine)
49
# CHANGES IN SOCIETY
What were the changes to women in politics?
- 1918 - earned the vote
- 1932 - 112 women had been elected into the Reichstag
- The Republic strengthened the rights of women - equal rights to men, marriage was an equal partnership and same professions
50
# CHANGES IN SOCIETY
What were the cultural changes to art?
- Painters like Otto Dix painted expressionist versions of scenes of German life, wanted to comment on problems in German society
51
# CHANGES IN SOCIETY
What were the cultural changes to film?
- Films became popular, first sound film in 1930 and there were 4000 German cinemas showing films with sound
52
# CHANGES IN SOCIETY
What were the cultural changes to architecture?
- Architecture - influenced by the Bauhaus school of design, their ideas challenged traditional styles and their approaches were unlike anything seen before, futuristic, some said that the spending was extravagant and money was needed for those who needed basic help
