The Weimar Republic 1919-29

Question 1

What were the 4 main political threats from the Left against Germany’s government between 1919-23

Answer 1

The Spartacist Uprising
The Bavarian Soviet Republic
The Red Rising
The German October

Question 2

When and where did the Sparacist Uprising take place

Answer 2

It took place in Berlin, between December 1918 and January 1919

Question 3

What were Spartacists, and who was the Spartacist Uprising led by

Answer 3

A group of communists led by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxembourg

Question 4

Why did the Spartacist Uprising take place

Answer 4

The Spartacists wanted to improve workers conditions and they didn’t support a democratically-elected Parliament

Question 5

What did the Spartacists want rather than a democratically-elected Parliament

Answer 5

They wanted workers’ council to be set up to run Germany

Question 6

Who put down the Spartacist Uprising

Answer 6

The Freikorps

Question 7

Why was the Spartacist Uprising said to have failed

Answer 7

They had no real strategy, and the leaders were badly divided over aims

Question 8

What was the significance of the Spartacist Uprising

Answer 8

It showed how weak the government, as they were forced to set up a new National Assembly in Weimar in Saxony.
It also proved the Government needed help to stop attacks

Question 9

Why was it significant that the Government needed the Freikorps help to put down the Spartacist Uprising

Answer 9

The Freikorps despised the New Democratic Republic, just like the Spartacists

Question 10

What was the Bavarian Soviet Republic, and when did it happen

Answer 10

A siege lasting a number of weeks in Munich, in Bavaria, 1919

Question 11

What did the Spartacist Uprising and the Bavarian Soviet Republic prove

Answer 11

They proved that Germany was split between extreme left-wing and extreme right-wing groups,

Question 12

What was the Red Rising, and when did it happen

Answer 12

An uprising involving 50000 industrial workers hoping to exploit the fact that they had helped the government put an end to the Kapp Putsch, 1920

Question 13

What was so ironic about the Red Rising

Answer 13

The uprising was crushed by the same Freikorps that they had helped to defeat during the Kapp Putsch

Question 14

What 2 parties were involved in the German October

Answer 14

The Social Democrats (SPD), and the Communist (KPD)

Question 15

Where did the German October take place, and what was formed, and when did it take place

Answer 15

A coalition government was formed in Saxony, 1923

Question 16

What events took place in the German October

Answer 16

The Weimar Government sent the army to drive the Communists out of Saxony’s government. Saxony’s Social Democrat Prime Minister resisted. The German Government used Article 48 to remove his government from Office

Question 17

What did the German October prove for Communists

Answer 17

That the Social Democrats could not be trusted

Question 18

What was the Significance of the threats from the left

Answer 18

It proved that had Communist Leadership had been better, they would have taken the Government, due to the high support

Question 19

Give 2 examples of Political threats from the German Right Wing

Answer 19

Kapp Putsch

Munich Putsch

Question 20

What were the main causes for the Kapp Putsch

Answer 20

The Treaty of Versailles had reduced the size of the army
There was a Government attempt to disband a unit of Freikorps
Wolfgang Kapp (leader) was hostile to the new republic

Question 21

What and when was the Kapp Putsch

Answer 21

A Freikorps rebellion, with the attempt to seize large buildings in Berlin, March 1920

Question 22

Why did the Kapp Pustch fail

Answer 22

Workers in Berlin organised a 4-day general strike. This shut off essential supplies such as gas and electricity

Question 23

What were the results of the Kapp Putsch

Answer 23

705 prosecuted, 1 punished
Kapp was captured, but died before he could face trial
Wasn’t dealt with too harshly, as the Government felt they would lose right-wing support

Question 24

Give 1 Political Assassination between 1919-1922, and why

Answer 24

Matthias Erzberger was murdered by right-wing extremists in 1921
He had the responsibility of carrying out the terms of the Treaty of Versailles

Question 25

What was the Nazis’ position in 1923

Answer 25

When Hitler had joined, Nazi membership had gone up from 55 to 20000. However, the Nazis remained largely regional and failed to control all the radical right-wing groups across Germany

Question 26

What were the Causes of the Munich Putsch

Answer 26

Hitler was inspired by the success of the March on Rome in Italy By Autumn 1923, Hitler was convinced that it was the right time to strike against his own Government Hitler was dismayed at how close the Communists came to taking over Saxony Hitler was sure he could get the support of the Right-wing Bavarian Government Hitler thought the army and Police would support him

Question 27

What were the Events of the Munich Putsch

Answer 27

- Nightime on the 8th November 1923, Hitler and the Sa surrounded a Beer Hall in Munich where the Bavarian Government was having a meeting - Hitler announced that he was taking over the Bavarian government in the Beer Hall - Kahr and Lossow were forced to support, but escaped - Kahr ordered the Bavarian police to fire on Hitler and 2000 Nazis

Question 28

What was the significance of the Munich Putsch

Answer 28

It was put down by those whom Hitler was depending as Allies Hitler failed to win the expect support of the army The Nazi party was temporarily banned until 1925 and Hitler was forbidden from speaking in most German states until 1927

Question 29

How was Hitler able to turn the failure of the Munich Putsch into a success

Answer 29

He used his trial in January 1924 as a huge publicity exercise Hitler was sentenced to 5 years in prison, but he only served 9 months Hitler used his time to rethink his ideas and set them out in his book, mein Kampf The Munich putsch led to decisive changes in Nazi tactics

Question 30

What was the significance of the threats from the right wing

Answer 30

They gained more support from the authorities | No nationalist leader seemed capable of uniting the German right

Question 31

What did the National Assembly do

Answer 31

If officially elected Albert as president of the new republic It accepted the Treaty of Versailles in June 1919 It drew up a constitution for Germany, to be known as the Weimar Constitution in August 1919

Question 32

What happened in Germany in June 1920

Answer 32

Parliament was restored in Berlin. This Parliament was called the Reichstag

Question 33

When was the Treaty of Versailles drawn up

Answer 33

June 1919

Question 34

Why did the Treaty of Versailles weaken the Weimar constitution

Answer 34

Germany’s armed forces were reduced to 100,000 in the army Germany has to pay reparations of about 136,000 as they were given sole responsibility for the outbreak of WWI Reparations were so high that it led to the hyperinflation crisis in 1923 Germany lost 13% of its land, 16% of its coal production and 48% of its iron ore to the USA

Question 35

What was the short term impact of the Treaty of Versailles

Answer 35

Gustav Stresemann proved that the German economy was capable of surviving the effects of the Treaty, and Germany were still in a much better economic state than France

Question 36

What were some strengths of the Weimar Constitution

Answer 36

Proportional representation was introduced A bill of rights was drawn up Leading politicians powers were restricted

Question 38

What was Proportional Representation

Answer 38

A voting system whereby the percentage of each for each party in the German Parliament would be roughly in proportion to the percentage of votes they received in elections

Question 39

What did the Bill of Rights include

Answer 39

``` The right to freedom of speech The right for workers to belong to a trade union Equality of all Germans before the law Limited welfare provision Protection of labour ```

Question 40

What was enforced so that there could be a party with a majority in the Reichstag, and was it effective

Answer 40

Coalitions. It worked well at times, but fell apart in times of crisis

Question 41

What did article 48 allow the president to do

Answer 41

This allowed him to rule by decree, a law passed by the government without consolidating the Reichstag, effectively suspending Germany’s democracy

Question 41

When was the Hyperinflation crisis

Answer 41

1923

Question 42

What were the Causes of Hyperinflation

Answer 42

Germany lost key resources including 15% of its agricultural products, and 48% of its iron ore products to the Treaty of Versailles Reparations were set at 136,000 marks. They managed to pay the first instalment but couldn’t pay the second

Question 43

What was the French reaction to Germany not being able to pay all the reparations, and how did Germany respond

Answer 43

They decided to invade the Rühr, to take control of its coal | The German Government halted industrial production in the Rühr, but the government still had to pay striking workers

Question 44

Give an example of Hyperinflation

Answer 44

In 1919 £1 was worth 20 marks | In 1923 £1 was worth 20000 million marks

Question 45

What were the weaknesses of the Weimar constitution

Answer 45

No one party ever had a majority in the Reichstag In a crisis only one person could govern effectively- Article 48 The constitution failed to reform Germany’s traditional institutions Basic political attitudes of traditional Germans hadn’t changed

Question 48

What were the strengths of the Weimar economy 1924-29

Answer 48

Hyperinflation brought Gustav Stresemann into government A new currency was formed, ‘Rentenmark’ to replace the old devalued one Stresemann appointed Hjalmar Schacht, in an attempt to overcome hyperinflation - success Stresemann promised to pay reparations, as a result, France withdrew their troops from the Rühr Stresemann secured help from the former Allies in the payment of reparations

Question 49

Who appointed the Young Plan, when was it introduced, and what did it contain

Answer 49

In 1929, Owen Young produced the Young Plan The amount of reparations were reduced to just 25% of the 1921 figure The period for repayment was extended to 58 years

Question 50

What did the new currency introduced in 1924 provide

Answer 50

It created greater financial stability and helped end the Hyperinflation crisis

Question 51

What were some signs of economic recovery in 1927 in Germany

Answer 51

Heavy industry revived to almost pre-war levels of production. By 1927, steel production was up to 86% of these levels, and by 1929, Germany was producing 33% more than in 1914 Unemployment fell, in 1928 industrial wages rose by 12%

Question 52

What were the weaknesses of the German economy 1924-29

Answer 52

As a result of Dawes plan, the economy was now heavily dependant on loans Unemployment was still over 1 million Germans trade deficit was still 2.9 million marks in debt by 1928 German agricultural production was at only 75% of pre-war levels By 1929, the middle-class employees seeking unemployment benefit didn’t qualify

Question 53

What were the initial steps to the restructuring of the Nazi party in 1924 - 1929

Answer 53

Hitler exploited the opportunity of his trial in January 1924 to gain valuable publicity and establish himself as a nationwide figure for the first time He used his time in prison to set out his ideas, including his nationalist and anti-Semitic views in a book, Mein Kampf He decided to change tactics - to take the political path to destroy the Weimar Republic. Hitler was more reluctant to change than some of his colleagues and took several weeks after his trial to be convinced this was the right approach

Question 54

What was the first key event in the reorganisation of the Nazi Party

Answer 54

The Bamberg conference of 1926, where he re-established his control over the Nazi Party

Question 55

What were the results of the Hyperinflation crisis

Answer 55

Germany was turned into a barter economy. Middle-class savers were hit badly and were unable to recover their fortunes Trade unions were hit hard by the collapse of industry and their power went into decline Those in serious debts saw their debts wiped out The crisis did not result in a surge of support for radical right wing groups It inflicted wounds that in the long term contributed to Weimar death

Question 56

When was the Dawes plan drawn up, and what did it state

Answer 56

1924 Germany would pay what it could over the next 5 years The USA would provide a loan of 800 million marks The overall total Germany had to pay was reduced Germany got more time to pay

Question 57

How did Hitler continue to restructure the Nazi Party in the mid 1920s

Answer 57

New Nazi organisations sprang up The SS was set up in 1925 The Hitler Youth was set up in 1926, to tap into the considerable Nazi support from young people The Nazis Teachers Organisation was also established at this time, to harness support from Germany’s teachers

Question 58

How was Nazi propaganda increased, and give examples in early 1930s

Answer 58

Josef Goebbels was appointed as chief of Propaganda Cleverly worded posters of specific Nazi themes He made best use of newspapers, radio appeals and mass rallies

Question 59

How had Nazi support risen from 1925 to 1927

Answer 59

They now had 72000 party membership compared to 27000 in 1925

Question 60

How did Gregor Strasser reorganise the Nazi party structure in the 1920s

Answer 60

He made it a centralised organisation with a clear vertical comman structure He helped give it a high propaganda capability The Berlin SA as was set up in 1926

Question 61

What were some advantages of the appointment of Gregor Strasser in 1921

Answer 61

Nazi party membership rose from 27000 in 1925, to 800000 in 1931 The Nazis had now become firmly established in northern and western Germany

Question 62

What did Hitler fear about Gregor Strasser in 1931, and how did Hitler react

Answer 62

He was concerned about his socialist ideas and feared Strasser’s strength in northern and western Germany Hitler had him dismissed from all his posts, and has him murdered in the Night of the Long Knives

Question 63

What was Combat Publishing

Answer 63

A Nazi publishing organisation founded by Strasser, which published a variety of propaganda journals

Question 64

How did Nazis appeal to Peasants

Answer 64

The Nazis promised fair prices to farmers who were restricted in how much they could charge for goods

Question 65

How did Nazis target Farmers with their propaganda, and what did this achieve

Answer 65

Their ‘Blood and Soil’ campaign | As a result, in 1930, the Nazis won 22.6% of the rural vote. In 1933, they won 50.4%