weimar germany

Question 1

What problems did Germany face after WWI in 1918?

Answer 1

Military defeat, political instability, economic collapse, food shortages, revolution, and the abdication of the Kaiser.

Question 2

What were the key features of the Weimar Constitution?

Answer 2

Proportional representation, elected president and chancellor, Bill of Rights, Article 48 (emergency powers).

Question 3

What were the weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution?

Answer 3

Proportional representation caused unstable coalitions; Article 48 allowed dictatorship.

Question 4

Why did Germans hate the Treaty of Versailles?

Answer 4

War Guilt Clause (Article 231), £6.6 billion reparations, military restrictions, territorial losses.

Question 5

What was the Spartacist Uprising (1919)?

Answer 5

Communist revolt in Berlin crushed by Freikorps. Leaders Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht were killed.

Question 6

What was the Kapp Putsch (1920)?

Answer 6

: A right-wing coup attempt by Freikorps. Collapsed due to a general strike by workers.

Question 7

What caused hyperinflation in 1923?

Answer 7

The government printed money to pay striking workers during the Ruhr occupation.

Question 8

What were the effects of hyperinflation?

Answer 8

Savings wiped out, prices soared, pensioners and middle class suffered most.

Question 9

How did Stresemann solve Germany’s problems?

Answer 9

Introduced Rentenmark, Dawes Plan (1924), Young Plan (1929), improved foreign relations (Locarno Pact, League of Nations).

Question 10

What was the Dawes Plan (1924)?

Answer 10

US loans helped Germany pay reparations and stabilise its economy.

Question 11

What was the Young Plan (1929)?

Answer 11

Reduced reparations and extended the time for payment

Question 12

How did Weimar culture change in the 1920s?

Answer 12

Rise of cinema, cabaret, Bauhaus art, new liberal ideas — seen as “decadent” by conservatives.

Question 13

Why was the Weimar Republic seen as weak?

Answer 13

Born out of defeat, linked to Versailles, relied on coalitions, and faced uprisings from both left and right.

Question 14

When and why did Hitler join the German Workers’ Party (DAP)?

Answer 14

1919; he was attracted to its nationalist and anti-communist ideas.

Question 15

What was the 25-Point Programme?

Answer 15

Nazi manifesto: anti-Versailles, anti-Semitic, nationalist, anti-capitalist, and expansionist.

Question 16

What happened during the Munich Putsch (1923)?

Answer 16

Hitler attempted to overthrow the Bavarian government; it failed, and he was imprisoned.

Question 17

What did Hitler learn from the Munich Putsch?

Answer 17

That power had to be gained legally through elections.

Question 18

What was Mein Kampf and why was it important?

Answer 18

Hitler’s book written in prison; outlined his ideology: anti-Semitism, Lebensraum, anti-communism.

Question 19

How did the Nazis reorganise after 1924?

Answer 19

Created national party structure, Hitler Youth, SS, and used more propaganda.

Question 19

What was the impact of the Wall Street Crash (1929)

Answer 19

Germany’s economy collapsed; unemployment soared; Nazis gained support by promising recovery.

Question 20

Why did the Nazis appeal to many Germans?

Answer 20

Promised jobs, blamed scapegoats, offered strong leadership, opposed communism.

Question 21

How did the Nazis use propaganda?

Answer 21

Mass rallies, posters, Hitler’s speeches, tailored messages to appeal to different groups.

Question 22

Why was Hitler appointed Chancellor in 1933?

Answer 22

Political elites (Hindenburg, von Papen) believed they could control him; he had mass support.

Question 23

What was the Reichstag Fire (1933) and its consequences?

Answer 23

A fire blamed on a communist; led to the Reichstag Fire Decree suspending civil liberties.

Question 24

What was the Enabling Act (1933)?

Answer 24

Allowed Hitler to pass laws without the Reichstag — effectively made him a dictator.

Question 25

What happened during the Night of the Long Knives (1934)?

Answer 25

SS killed SA leaders and other opponents; eliminated threats and won army loyalty.

Question 26

How did Hitler become Führer?

Answer 26

Hindenburg died (1934); Hitler merged roles of Chancellor and President

Question 27

What was the role of the SS and Gestapo?

Answer 27

SS: elite paramilitary force; Gestapo: secret police — both enforced terror and suppressed opposition.

Question 28

How did Hitler control the legal system?

Answer 28

Judges swore loyalty; political trials unfair; law used to suppress dissent.

Question 29

What was the Concordat with the Catholic Church (1933)?

Answer 29

Agreement for Nazis not to interfere with the Church — later broken by the Nazis.

Question 30

Who opposed the Nazis?

Answer 30

Some youth (Edelweiss Pirates, Swing Youth), religious figures (Niemöller, Bonhoeffer), Communists — most faced arrest or execution.

Question 31

: How did Goebbels control propaganda?

Answer 31

Controlled newspapers, cinema, radio, posters, and rallies to promote Nazi ideology and Hitler’s image.

Question 32

What were Nazi views on women?

Answer 32

Women should be homemakers and mothers — "Kinder, Küche, Kirche" (Children, Kitchen, Church).

Question 33

How were women encouraged to follow Nazi ideals?

Answer 33

Marriage loans, the Mother’s Cross, banned from many jobs.

Question 34

How did Nazis change education?

Answer 34

Nazi curriculum: racial biology, military training, nationalism. Teachers had to join the Nazi Teachers’ League

Question 35

What was the Hitler Youth?

Answer 35

Nazi youth organisation to indoctrinate boys with military values and loyalty to Hitler.

Question 36

What was the League of German Girls?

Answer 36

Prepared girls for motherhood, homemaking, and loyalty to Nazi ideals.

Question 37

What was Strength Through Joy (KdF)?

Answer 37

Provided leisure activities, holidays, and entertainment to promote loyalty and distract from poor working conditions.

Question 37

How did the Nazis reduce unemployment?

Answer 37

Public works (e.g., autobahns), rearmament, conscription, excluding Jews and women from workforce.

Question 38

What were the Nuremberg Laws (1935)?

Answer 38

Removed Jewish citizenship and banned marriage/sex between Jews and Germans.

Question 39

What was Kristallnacht (1938) and its impact?

Answer 39

Coordinated Nazi attack on Jewish homes and businesses. ~100 killed, 30,000 arrested; Jewish community terrorise

Question 40

How were minorities treated under the Nazis?

Answer 40

Jews, Roma, disabled people, and others were persecuted through propaganda, sterilisation, and imprisonment in camps.