Weimar 1914-1929 Flashcards
(57 cards)
1
Q
What marked the end of the German Empire?
A
- abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II on 9th November 1918
2
Q
When was the Weimar Repubblic established?
A
- August 1919
- after adoption of Weimar constitution
3
Q
What was the power of the president?
A
- elected every 7 years
- emergence powers under Article 48
4
Q
How was the chancellor chosen?
A
- appointed by the president
- also required support from the Reichstag
5
Q
What did proportional representation mean?
A
- 1 man = 1 vote
- even small parties entered the Reichstag
- but led to coalition instability
6
Q
Who was the first president of Weimar?
A
- Friedrich Ebert (SPD)
- 1919-25
7
Q
List the governments in order
A
- SPD coalition 1919-20
- Zentrum coalition 1920-23
- DVP Grand Coalition (Stresseman) 1923
- Zentrum coalition 1923-28
- SPD Grand Coalition (Müller) 1928-30
8
Q
What significant legislation was widely resented?
A
- Treaty of Versailles June 1919
- £6.6billion reparations
- clause 231 = war guilt
- “stab in back” myth
- “November criminals”
9
Q
How did the Weimar constitution improve the position of women?
A
- gained the vote
- equal civil rights
10
Q
How many times was article 48 used 1919-23, who by?
A
- over 100 times
- by president Ebert
11
Q
Who formed the Weimar coalition after 1919?
A
- SPD
- Centre Party
- DDP
12
Q
When and what was the Spartacist Uprising?
A
- Jan 1919
- communist revolt
- led by Rosa Luxembourg and Karl Liebknecht (later killed)
- crushed by freikorps (RW paramilitary hired by Ebert)
- over 100 killed
- failed
13
Q
When and what was the Kapp Putsch?
A
- March 1920
- aim to overthrow republic and establish, RW autocratic government
- led by Wolfgang Kapp and General Walther
- backed by freikorps
- destroyed by general strike over 12 million workers
- collapsed after 4 days
14
Q
When and what was the Ruhr Uprising?
A
- March 1920, immediately after Kapp Putsch
- LW response to Kapp Putsch to defend democracy and worker control
- roughly 500,000 workers formed Red Ruhr Army, took control
crushed by freikorps and Reichswehr - over 1,000 killed
15
Q
When and what was the Ebert-Groener Pact?
A
- Nov 1918
- army support/loyal to government vice versa
- alienated some of the left
16
Q
How many political assassinations were there from 1919-23?
A
- over 370
- most famously Walther Rathenua, Jewish foreign minister, assassinated by RW extremists 1922
17
Q
When and what was the Munich/Beer Hall Putsch?
A
- Nov 1923
- led by Hitler, Ludendorff, SA
- attempt to overthrow Weimar and establish dictatorship
- collapsed after 16 killed in clash with police
- Hitler arrested; sentenced to 5 years but only served 9 months
18
Q
Who were the DNVP?
A
- German National People’s Party
- backed by junkers, military elite, industrialists
- main conservative and monarchist party
- peaked at 15% vote in 1924 elections
- support Hitler as chancellor thinking they could control him
- dissolved June 1933 after helping pass Enabling Act
19
Q
Who were the USPD and KPD?
A
- USPD formed 1917 as breakaway from SPD; anti-war and oppose Ebert’s government compromise
- KPD founded Dec 1918 by Spartacists
- both rejected democracy
- KPD gained 10-13% vote in 1920’s
- USPD briefly surged in 1920 with 18% before splitting late 1920
20
Q
Example of the judiciary being lenient to RW opponents
A
- Hitler only got 5 years for treason
- only served 9 months
- wrote Mein Kampf and gained traction
21
Q
How was socialist distrust of SPD government deepened?
A
- use of overly harsh freikorps
- particularly in Spartacist and Ruhr Uprisings
22
Q
What was Germany’s level of debt post-ww1?
A
- 144 billion marks
23
Q
When and what was hyperinflation?
A
- 1923
- rapid printing of money = inflation
- $1 = 4.2 trillion marks by Nov 1923
24
Q
How much did the price of a loaf of bread rise under hyperinflation?
A
- Jan 1923 = 250 marks
- Nov 1923 = 200 billion marks
25
When and what was passive resistance?
- 1923
- French and Belgian troops occupied the Ruhr demanding reparations
- government encouraged workers to refuse cooperation while still paying their wages
- government printed more money for this as output halted = inflation
26
When and what was the Dawes Plan?
- 1924
- 800 million marks in US loans
- temporarily lowered reparations with gradual increase clause
- helped spark "golden years" 1924-29
27
When and what was the Young Plan?
- 1929
- cut reparations from 132 to 37 billion marks to be paid over 59 years
- strong opposition = RW nationalists like Hitler and Hugenberg "national betrayal"
28
When and who introduced the Rentenmark?
- Nov 1923
- Stresemann, who appointed Schacht head of Reichsbank
- new currency backed by land
- controlled by new, independent Reichsbank
29
By 1928 what was industrial production?
- back at pre-war levels
30
How did unemployment remain an issue?
- over 1.3million in 1929
- before the crash
31
Who did the Weimar constitution grant universal suffrage?
- all those over 20
- including women
32
How many women were elected into the Reichstag in 1920?
- 36
33
When and what was the Unemployment Insurance Act?
- 1927
- provided benefits to 17 million workers
- failed deep into 1929 recession
34
How did living standards improve mid-1920's?
- by 1928 real wages over 10% higher than 1913
- average working week fell from 60 hours before WW1 to 46 hours
35
When and what was the Works Councils Act?
- 1920
- gave workers the right to elect representatives inside their firms
- power only consultative, not legislative
36
What percentage of the population were Jewish?
- less than 1%
- disproportionately present in culture, finance, law
- conservative elite accused Weimar of promoting "Jewish-Bolshevism"
37
When and what was education reform?
- 1919 onward
- free, compulsory, co-education
- locally controlled
- modernised
- university autonomy (access unequal)
- promoted democratic principles
38
What changed, reflecting modernising social norms?
- birth rates fell
- divorce rates increased
39
What was the reason for urban-rural divide increase?
- cities embraced modernism
- countryside remained conservative
40
Why did Berlin become a cultural hub?
- movements like Bauhaus and expressionism
- cabaret culture; challenging norms on sexuality and politics
41
How did arts criticise Weimar?
- Fritz Lang's film "Metropolis" 1927 depicted social division and industrial alienation
- writers Thomas Mann, Bertolt Brecht criticised government
- conservatives condemned art as "degenerated"
42
When was the League of Nations established?
- 1919
- Germany not allowed in until 1926
43
When and what was the Locarno Pact?
- 1925
- accepted Western (French and Belgian) borders
44
When and what was the Treaty of Rapallo?
- 1922
- normalised USSR relations
- allowed secret military cooperation
45
What was Gustav Stressemann like as foreign minister?
- 1923-29
- pursued "fulfilment" cooperating to prove ToV was unmanageable
- nationalists criticised for weakness toward the West
46
When and what was the Kellog Briand Pact?
- 1928
- agreed not to use war to solve conflict
47
Were coalitions stable?
- no
- 6 different coalitions 1924-29
48
What happened to the SPD vote in 1928?
- won 153 seats
- most in the Reichstag
- but no outright majority
49
Who was elected president 1925?
- Paul Von Hindenburg
- backed by conservatives
- many Germans longed for return to strong leadership and pride
50
What happened to the NSDAP vote in 1928?
- only 12 seats
- limited appeal in times of prosperity
51
What groups struggled in the 1920's?
- youth unemployment disproportionately high
- middle class suffered due to inflation and fluctuating currency
52
By 1929 how big was German industry?
- second largest globally
- cartels (IG, Farben) dominated = concentrated economic power
53
What was the total amount of foreign investment 1924-29?
- over 25 billion marks
54
What marked the beginning of the end for Weimar?
- Wall Street Crash Oct 1929
55
How was agriculture by 1929?
- remained depressed; rural debts and foreclosures common
- 42% workforce still employed in agriculture and small trade by 1925
56
How was social welfare spending too high?
- led to debts
- money better spent elsewhere
- 33% of the budget by 1928
- state budget under pressure = reliance on short-term foreign loans
57
What was the issue with Germany's trade plan?
- export markets vulnerable to global fluctuations
- especially the USA
