Timeline

Question 1

Kiel mutiny

Answer 1

3 November 1918

Political

A revolt by Germany sailors, which sparked rebellions all over Germany, leading to the collapse of the German government, and the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm on 9 November.

Question 2

Ebert appointed Chancellor

Answer 2

9 November 1919

Political

He was the leader of the SPD (largest political party), and was appointed temporary leader of Germany, declared Germany would be a democratic republic, ended the war, and promised to hold elections in January - which he won.

Question 3

Defeat in WW1

Answer 3

11 November 1918

Political / Military

An armistice was signed with the Allies, a suspension of fighting pending a final peace settlement.

Question 4

Spartacist uprising

Answer 4

6 January 1919

Political

The Spartacists were communists, who wanted Germany to be run by the working classes, and wanted to replicate the Russian revolution. They managed to seize newspapers and communication buildings. The government sent the Freikorps - ex-army soldiers who hated the communists - to put down the uprising. 100 workers were killed.

Question 5

The signing of the Treaty of versailles

Answer 5

28 June 1919

Political

Set out the terms of Germany’s punishment after WW1 - blamed Germany (war guilt clause), took away land from Germany, limited Germany’s military, and included financial reparations.

Question 6

Kapp putsch

Answer 6

March 1920

Political

Dr Wolfgang Kapp (right-wing nationalist) took over Berlin aiming to set up a new government as the rebels were angry at them for signing the Treaty of Versailles. The army refused to attack him and he was only defeated when the workers of Berlin went on strike organised by left-wing activists.

Question 7

The occupation of the Ruhr

Answer 7

January 1923

Economic

Germany defaulted on its reparations in November, (because they had used all they had for the first payment) but France believed Germany could make the repayment but were choosing not to - so they sent their troops to occupy the Ruhr (Germany’s main industrial area).

Question 8

Period of hyperinflation

Answer 8

1923

Economic

During the occupation of the Ruhr, the German government ordered workers to refuse to work (passive resistance), but continued to pay them. To do this, they had to print more money. This led to hyperinflation as more money was printed, the more prices rose. This was a culmination of economic crisis since WW1.

Question 9

Munich beer hall putsch

Answer 9

8-9 November 1923

Political

The Nazis’, led by hitler, aimed to overthrow the Bavarian government, based in Munich, in hopes to then go to Weimar and overthrow the national government too. It failed - 14 Nazis were killed, and hitler was arrested on charge of treason. (But he was released after less than ten months.)

Question 10

Dawes plan

Answer 10

1924

Economic

An agreement between the usa and Weimar Germany which included a temporary reduction in annual reparation repayments, and loans from the usa to German industries and businesses.

Question 11

Death of Ebert

Answer 11

28 feb 1925

Political

He was president of the Weimar government, up until he died unexpectedly, just before the election (an election he was expected to win)

Question 12

Hindenburg appointed president

Answer 12

April 1925

Political

Ebert’s death created political problems, and in the first election, there was no clear successor, so a second round was held - which WW1 hero, general Paul von Hindenburg won. He was right wing, conservative, nationalist, and thought the Weimar governments should move towards the right.

Question 13

Locarno conference

Answer 13

October 1925

Military

Agreed the Locarno pact which included: a mutual guarantee agreement accepted the France-Germany and Belgian-Germany borders, and the demilitarisation of the Rhineland was recognised as permanent, and arbitration treaties.

Question 14

Germany joining the league of nations

Answer 14

September 1926

Political

Germany had previously been d from the LoN in 1919, but was invited to join in 1926.

Question 15

Creation of Muller’s coalition government

Answer 15

May 1928

Political

After the 1918 election, under Hermann Muller, leader of the SPD, a ‘grand coalition’ was formed of the parties sympathetic to the republic (SPD, DDP, DVP, and ZP), which had the support of over 60% of the reichstag.

Question 16

The death of stresseman

Answer 16

October 1929

Economic / political

Died suddenly of a stroke at age 51. Had been awarded a Nobel peace prize. Was foreign minister 1923-29, (the golden years) band improved Germanys international position and negotiate with the Allies.

Question 17

Wall Street crash

Answer 17

October 1929

Economic

The collapse of share prices on the New York stock exchange. Germany was affected most, immediately the American loans and investments it had relied on were gone, and demands for the repayment of these loans followed quickly. World trade slumped. Wages fell. It caused the Great Depression economic crisis.

Question 18

Young plan

Answer 18

December 1929

Economic

Further revised the scheme of payments - Germany agreed to pay reparations until 1988, but the total sum was reduced to £1850 million (1/4 of the figure demanded in 1921)

Question 19

Bruning appointed chancellor

Answer 19

March 1930

Political

Bruning was the leader of the ZP (second largest party), so was seemingly an obvious choice by President Hindenburg. He was conservative. Bruning’s response to the economic crisis led to a political constitutional crisis.

Question 20

Resignation of Bruning / appointment of Von Papen

Answer 20

May 1932

Political

Hindenburg forced Bruning to resign because of the banking crisis, land reform, and intrigue.

On Schleicher’s recommendation, Franz von papen was appointed as the next chancellor, to head his ‘cabinet of barons’.

Question 21

Papen dismissed / replaced by Schleicher

Answer 21

September 1932

Political

Papen was defeated by a vote of no confidence in the Reichstag

Schleicher then replaced him. Schleicher tried to get support from the SPD, and nazis but failed.

Question 22

Hitler was appointed chancellor

Answer 22

January 1933

Political

Hindenburg appointed Hitler as chancellor, on the advice of von Papen, believing he could be controlled and used in the interests of the conservative establishment.

Question 23

Reichstag fire

Answer 23

27 February 1933

Political

The Reichstag building was set on fire. The Nazis’ blamed the communists for this, and used it to justify measure against the communists. This was important because it was very near the election.

Question 24

Last democratic elections under tube Weimar constitution

Answer 24

5th March 1933

Political

Hitler called this election, wanting to increase the Nazi vote, and enhance his own status. However, the Nazis did not get a majority, so needed nationalist support too.

Question 25

Day of potsdam

Answer 25

21st March 1933

After the Reichstag fire in Berlin, Hitler used the inaugural celebrations of the newly elected Reichstag for a message of propaganda. It is a symbol for the disastrous relationship between National Socialism and Prussianism and lead to the Enabling Act.

Question 26

Enabling law passed

Answer 26

23 March 1933

Political

Law which gave Hitler total power, ended democracy, and ending parliamentary procedure and legislation. Created a legal dictatorship.

Question 27

All political opposition declared illegal

Answer 27

14 july 1933

Political

Hitler used his power to ban all other parties, creating a one party state.

Question 28

The night of the long knives

Answer 28

June 1934

Political

Hitler executed the SA leader and members, because the leader had been wanting too much power by merging with the army. Hitler secured his dictatorship, by being able to kill opponents within his own party.

Question 29

Death of Hindenburg

Answer 29

August 1934

Political

Hitler used Hindenburg’s death to merge the position of chancellor and president, to create the new title the ‘Führer’.

Question 30

The new plan introduced

Answer 30

September 1934

Economic

This plan meant the Nazis could control all aspects of trade, tariffs, currency exchange, and capital - they were able to decide which imports were allowed and which were banned.

Question 31

The four year plan established Goering

Answer 31

1936

Economic

Aimed to increase rearmament and autarky, so that Germany was self sufficient in food and industrial production.

Question 32

The creation of the RHSA (reich security office)

Answer 32

September 1939

All party and states police organisations involving police and security matters were amalgamated into the RHSA.

Question 33

Concordat signed with the pope

Answer 33

July 1933

An agreement which decided: Nazis would guarantee the Catholic Church religious freedom, would accept the Catholic church’s control over its own education, and not interfere with the Catholic Church’s property and legal rights. In return, the Catholic Church would not interfere in politics and would give diplomatic recognition to the Nazi government.

Question 34

Nuremberg race laws introduced

Answer 34

September 1935

Antisemitic and racist laws passed - the law for the protection of German blood and honour (forbade marriages and extramarital intercourse between Jews and Germans and the employment of German females under 45 in Jewish households) and the Reich Citizenship Law (which declared that only those of German or related blood were eligible to be Reich citizens, everyone else were classed as state subjects without any citizenship rights.)

Question 35

Kristallnacht (the night of broken glass)

Answer 35

November 1938

The SA along with civilians attacked synagogues and Jewish owned stores and buildings, smashing them, (hence the name broken glass night), after the assassination of Ernst von Rath by Herschel Grynszpan, a 17-year-old German-born Polish Jew living in Paris. (So they blamed all Jewish people)

Question 36

Outbreak of WW2

Answer 36

September 1939

Military

Germany attacked Poland, resulting in the outbreak of war in Europe, as the allied countries of Poland got involved.

Question 37

German invasion of the USSR (operation Barbarossa)

Answer 37

June 1941

Military

Germany invaded the USSR, Hitler believed they could have a swift victory. He wanted to put into action ideological goal of conquering the western Soviet Union so as to repopulate it with Germans. However, when they got to Moscow they were unprepared and failed.

Question 38

Wannsee conference

Answer 38

20 January 1942

Various government and party agencies agreed on the ‘final solution’ to the Jewish problem.

Question 39

The final solution

Answer 39

January 1942

Agreed at the Wannsee conference. Outlined plans to use gas for extermination, and resulted in extermination centres being developed at Auschwitz, Sobibor and Treblinka. As a result, over 6 million Jews were killed, along with political opponents, homosexuals, Jehovah’s witnesses, gypsies, anti-socials, and Russian prisoners of war.

Question 40

Geobbels total war speech

Answer 40

18 February 1943

It was the first public admission by the Nazi leadership that Germany faced serious dangers. He called for a total war (war that involves the whole population, economically and militarily) to secure a victory, even though it would be long and difficult, because he said Germany’s survival as well as the survival of a non-Bolshevist Europe was at stake.

Question 41

Stauffenberg bomb plot

Answer 41

July 1944

Claus von stauffenburg and other conspirators attempted to assassinate Hitler. It was an attempt to take political control of germany and its armed forces from the nazi party, and to make peace with western allies as soon as possible.

Question 42

German surrender

Answer 42

8 May 1945

Hitler committed sluiced at the end of April, and a new government took over and signed an unconditional surrender. The allies took over joint control of Germany.

Question 43

Yalta conference

Answer 43

February 1945

The allies met, and decided to divide German into 4 zones.

Question 44

Potsdam conference

Answer 44

July 1945

Another conference between the allies. There were disagreements over boundaries and reparations between Russia and the other Allies.

Question 45

Nuremberg trials

Answer 45

November 1945

A military tribunal, conducting trials on four counts (war crimes, crimes against peace, crimes against humanity, and conspiring to commit those crimes). Hitler, Himmler, and Geobbels had already killed themselves before the trial. 22 leading members of the nazi party were indicted. 12 were sentenced to death. Only 3 were acquitted - von papen, schacht, and Fritzsche.