Weimar established

Question 1

What is socialism?

Answer 1

A political and economic theory of social organisation, which advocates at the means of production, distribution and exchange should be owned and regulated by the community as a whole.

Question 2

What are the three Socialist parties in 1918?

Answer 2

Spartacus league, USPD and the social Democratic party.

Question 3

When was the Spartacus league founded?

Answer 3

1916 by a more revolutionary minority breakaway group from the SPD.

Question 4

Who were the leaders of the Spartacus league?

Answer 4

Karl Leibknecht and Rosa Luxemburg

Question 5

What was the aim of the Spartacus league?

Answer 5

Republican government controlled by workers and soldiers councils, disbanding of the army in favour of local workers militias, workers have control of major industries.

Question 6

What was the Spartacus league support like? And how many members?

Answer 6

Several workers would often join them on their rallies and demonstrations.
5000 members .

Question 7

When was the USPD founded?

Answer 7

1917 by a breakaway minority group from the left of the SPD

Question 8

Who are the leaders of the USPD?

Answer 8

Hugo Hasse

Question 9

What were the aims of the USPD?

Answer 9

A republic working with workers and soldiers councils, swap the military for a national militia and the breaking up of large estates.

Question 10

What was the support like for the USPD? And how many members?

Answer 10

Grow in strength during 1918 as war weariness grew
300,000 members

Question 11

When was the SPD founded?

Answer 11

1875 as a Marxist socialist party

Question 12

Who are the leaders of the SPD?

Answer 12

Friedrich, Ebert and Philip Scheidemann

Question 13

What are the aims of the SPD?

Answer 13

Moderate socialist republic with basic personal freedoms and democratic elections. Continuity and order

Question 14

What was the support like for the SPD and how many members?

Answer 14

Appealed largely to working-class voters and in 1912, the largest party in the Reichstag
1 million members

Question 15

What were the non socialist parties? ( 4 )

Answer 15

German Democratic Party
German people’s party
German national people’s party
Centre party

Question 16

German Democratic Party DDP?

Answer 16

A left leaning liberal party based on the old Progressive party
Most support came through intellectuals and middle-class
Supported a democratic constitution

Question 17

Centre party?

Answer 17

Formed in 1870 to protect Catholic interest in the mainly Protestant German Reich
Strong support in the main catholic areas of Bavaria and the Rhineland
Supported a democratic constitution

Question 18

German People’s party, DVP?

Answer 18

A right-leaning Liberal party based on the old National Liberal party
Most support came from upper middle class and business interests
Opposed to new Republic, but willing to participate in its governments

Question 19

German National People’s party, DNVP?

Answer 19

A nationalist party based on the old Conservative party
More support team from landowners and some small business owners
Rejected the democratic constitution

Question 20

When were elections for the constituent assembly held?

Answer 20

19th of January 1919

Question 21

4 points about the Constituent Assembly’s election?

Answer 21

1) The constituent assembly, met in a small town, rather than Berlin, due to the tensions in the unstable capital. This is how the Weimar republic got its name.
2) Ebert elected as first president
3) Workers and Soldiers councils handed their powers to the constituent assembly.
4) SPD secured largest share of the vote but not enough for a majority

Question 22

How many seats did the SPD , DNVP, USPD and DDP have?

Answer 22

SPD - 163 - 1st
DDP - 75 - 3rd
DNVP - 44 - 4th
USPD - 22 - 5th

Question 23

3 strengths of the Weimar constitution?

Answer 23

1) Voting - woman could vote and become deputies in the riechstag
2) Proportional representation - 35 electoral districts meant smaller parties can win seats and influence gov
3) Individual rights - All Germans equal, censorship forbidden, right of property, economic freedom and personal liberty guaranteed. Bastards same rights as true born.

Question 24

2 weaknesses of the Weimar constitution?

Answer 24

1) Proliferation of small parties - small parties can exploit the system to gain publicity and the divisions within German society (and thus politics) caused more cracks.
2) coalition governments - due to smaller parties. Larger ones couldn’t get a majority so they had to form coalitions which notoriously didn’t last.

Question 25

Echoes of the second, Reich rule by presidential degree?

Answer 25

Article 48 when the president could rule by degree in exceptional circumstances.
Ebert would do so 136 times
Some were genuine emergencies, others will when he disagreed with the Reichstag - very Kaiser like
There are no safeguards as he could dissolve the Reichstag at any time.

Question 26

Echoes of the second reich, the army?

Answer 26

In the second Reich, the army, the civil service and the judiciary were key pillars.
The army was far from politically neutral they had support for right wingers, and had crushed left-wing revolts using the full force of their power. General seeckt believed the army could intervene in politics at will the army was destined for a greater timeless German Reich, and owed loyalty to that.

Question 27

Echoes of the second Reich civil service?

Answer 27

Guarantee of well earned rights
Political freedom, as long as it did not conflict with duties of loyalty to the state
Government administration left in the hands of antidemocratic folk
Senior civil servant still recruited from the Aristocracy

Question 28

Echos of the second reich the judiciary?

Answer 28

Article one or two of the constitution, guaranteed independence of judges
Second, that judges were monarchists and antidemocratic - biased judgements
Left-wingers brought to court wereharshly punished and right wingers treated leniently

Question 29

Summary

Answer 29

Landowners, civil service and judiciary, largely untouched and unreformed. They blamed November, criminals for humiliation and illegal overthrow.
In the eyes of the right German army are not been defeated, but stabbed in the back and the new Republic needed to be overthrown
William Carr, the historian has written “republic was accepted by many Germans, not as a superior form of government, but as a convenient mean of filling the void left by the monarchy”