Topic 4: Was the Weimar republic doomed from the start? Flashcards
(16 cards)
What was the impact of WWI on Germany by 1918?
2 million German soldiers killed; 4 million wounded
Economy collapsed – debt tripled (from 50 to 150 billion marks)
Widespread food shortages – British naval blockade
Public anger and loss of faith in Kaiser Wilhelm II
Sparked political unrest and revolution
What happened during the German Revolution of 1918?
Triggered by military defeat and hardship
Sailors mutinied at Kiel (Oct 1918); revolution spread across Germany
Kaiser abdicated on 9 Nov 1918; Weimar Republic declared
Led by Friedrich Ebert (leader of SPD)
Armistice signed on 11 Nov 1918
📌 Evidence: Kaiser abdicated on 9 November 1918 under pressure
What were the key features of the Weimar Constitution?
Democratic republic – men and women over 20 could vote
President elected every 7 years (e.g., could appoint Chancellor, use Article 48)
Chancellor: needed support of Reichstag (Parliament)
Proportional Representation – led to many coalition governments
Bill of Rights: freedom of speech, press, assembly
📌 Evidence: 20 coalition governments from 1919–1933
What threats did the Weimar Republic face from the left and right?
Left-wing:
Spartacist Uprising (Jan 1919):
led by Rosa Luxemburg & Karl
Liebknecht
Crushed by Freikorps
(paramilitary units)
Right-wing:
Kapp Putsch (1920): attempt by
Wolfgang Kapp and Freikorps to
overthrow gov.
Collapsed after general strike by
workers
Political assassinations (e.g.
Foreign Minister Rathenau, 1922)
How did the Treaty of Versailles affect Germany?
Blame: Article 231 (“war guilt”)
Reparations: 32 billion marks
Military: army cut to 100,000, no air force, no tanks, navy limited
Territory lost: 13% of land (Alsace-Lorraine, Polish Corridor), colonies lost
Rhineland demilitarised
What caused hyperinflation in Germany in 1923?
Germany failed to pay reparations → French & Belgian troops invaded the Ruhr
Workers went on strike – gov. paid them by printing money
Value of the mark collapsed – prices skyrocketed
A loaf of bread cost 200 billion marks by Nov 1923
How did Germany recover from 1923 to 1929?
Stresemann (Chancellor then Foreign Minister): key figure
Introduced Rentenmark (1923) to stabilise currency
Dawes Plan (1924): US loans to rebuild economy; reduced reparations
Young Plan (1929): reduced total reparations to £1.8 billion
Foreign policy successes:
Locarno Pact (1925) – Germany accepted borders
League of Nations (1926) – Germany became a member
Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928) – rejected war as a policy tool
What problems remained for the Weimar Republic between 1923–29?
Economy was dependent on American loans (fragile)
Many Germans still opposed democracy
Farmers and rural areas did not benefit from recovery
Unemployment remained at 6% by 1928
Nazi and Communist parties still active
Evidence: Nazis won 12 Reichstag seats in 1928 despite Stresemann’s success
What happened during the Kapp Putsch (1920)?
Right-wing attempt to overthrow Weimar
Led by Wolfgang Kapp and 5,000 Freikorps
Government fled Berlin, but workers’ strike stopped coup
Army refused to fire on Freikorps – showed weak loyalty
📌 Evidence: Lasted only 4 days; collapsed without army or public support
What was the Dawes Plan (1924)?
USA loaned 800 million marks to help rebuild economy
Reparations payments made more manageable
Encouraged foreign investment and recovery
📌 Evidence: Industrial output increased; exports rose 40% by 1929
What was the Young Plan (1929)?
Replaced the Dawes Plan to reduce reparations
Cut total reparations from £6.6 billion to £1.8 billion
Extended repayment deadline to 1988
Opposed by right-wing nationalists, including Hitler, who saw any reparations as betrayal
What was the Locarno Pact (1925)?
Germany, France, and Belgium agreed to respect post-Versailles borders
Germany accepted loss of Alsace-Lorraine
Britain and Italy agreed to guarantee peace terms
France agreed not to invade Germany unless provoked
📌 Evidence: Led by Stresemann (Germany) and Briand (France); sign of improving diplomacy
Why was Germany joining the League of Nations in 1926 significant?
Showed Germany was being accepted as a peaceful power
Gave Germany a seat on the League Council
Symbol of Stresemann’s policy of fulfilment (complying to improve international relations)
📌 Evidence: First time since WWI that Germany was treated as an equal on the global stage
What social improvements happened under the Weimar Republic (1924–29)?
Wages rose, working hours fell for many industrial workers
Unemployment insurance law (1927) introduced to help jobless
100,000 new homes built by government programs
Culture thrived – rise in cinema, art, music (e.g., Bauhaus movement)
What problems remained in Weimar society, 1924–29?
Not all groups benefited – farmers and rural workers still struggled
Middle-class savings had been destroyed in 1923 – many never trusted democracy again
Resentment of cultural changes by traditionalists and nationalists
Growing support for extremist parties in some areas
Why was Stresemann’s death in 1929 significant?
Stresemann was the key moderate leader and respected abroad
His diplomacy had brought Germany out of isolation
After his death, Germany lacked stable leadership just as the Great Depression hit
📌 Evidence: Stresemann died in October 1929, same month as the Wall Street Crash
