Weimar: key events, policies and acts Flashcards

Question

uprising in the Ruhr

Answer 1

- triggered by the Kapp Putsch - an uprising by workers - ended by Freikorps and German army - approximately 3000 workers were arrested and held under very poor conditions - more than 1000 insurgents were killed - government pass laws to limit political extremism - leads lots of left voters to lose faith in the cause - SPD lose 62 seats in the Reichstag

Answer 2

- a reaction to the treaty of versailles and government reducing size of the army - an attempted coup against the national government - Freikorps take over Berlin - regular army refuse to attack them - General von Seeckt famously told Ebert 'troops don't fire on troops' - fails as workers refuse to cooperate with them - revealing the power and influence of the trade unions - civil servants refuse to back new govenrment or provide funds - only one person faced imprisonment - showing right wing bias

Answer 3

- Hitler, in collaboration with Ludendorff entered a munich beer hall and forced the munich government to openly suppor the Nazis - Ludendorff however lets them go and they instantly repeal their support - put down by the army - Hitler goes to prison for just 9 months and made him more popular - showed the Nazis they must seize power democratically

Answer 4

- from 1920, the government tried to control the Freikorps but htis led to a new threat of right wing political assasinations - in the years 1919-22 there were 376 political murders - the most notorious gang was the 'consul organisation' - two prolific deaths: Erzberger finance minister and Rathenau the foreing minister - right wing judges given light sentences or none at all

Answer 5

- originally, Germany had followed a policy of fulfillment on reperations payments - Germany stuggles to keep up with repayments and asks the allies for 'holiday' in July 1922 - the French PM refuses - as a result, on 11 January 1923, French and Belgian troops advance into the Ruhr and take coal, steel and manufacturing goods from Germany as reperations

Answer 6

- as a result of the French occupation of the Ruhr, the German government ordered the public to follow a policy of passive resistance - French and Belgian authorities responded to this by arresting mine workers and taking over mines and railways - this loss of income fromt he Ruhr (taxes coal etc) lead the government to print even more money to compensate

Answer 7

- he suggests they should work an extra two hours every day without additional pay for at least ten years - instead the government tried to cut back expenditure and prints more money to cover its debts

Answer 8

- Germany had made no financial provision for a long drawn out first world war - The war economy was concentrated on military weapons, and as such did not satisfy the requirements for civilian consumers. The high demand for, and shortage of, consumer goods began to push prices up. - Reparations added to the financial burden after the war, especially as they had to be paid in hard currency (dollars or gold) rather than inflated German marks. - Victory in WW1 would have allowed Germany to settle its debts by claiming reparations from the defeated parties. This did not happen. - Despite the increasing costs of WW1, the Kaiser’s government decided against tax increases and instead sold war bonds and allowed national debt to grow larger and larger.

Answer 9

- some turned to crime out of sheer hardship - there were major food shortages since farmers were reluctant to sell food for worthless money

Answer 10

- exporters gained from the falling exchange rates - those relying on welfare benefits and landlords recieving fixed rents found the value of their incomes fall - those with savings suffered catastrophically, especially those who lived of fixed interest investments such as pensioners - those in debt such as mortgage holders paid off their loans with the devalued currency - workers rushed to spend their wages before they lost even more value - people resorted to barter for example using coal or sausage as currency - many entrepreneurs with access to cheap credit especialy via the Reichbank benefitted

Answer 11

- the crisis is blamed on Jewish finance, the treaty of Versailles, Weimar democracy and socialists in an attempt to find a single explanation - provoked increased unrest in 1923 - the Weimar republic was weakened politically and many were turned against the democratic regime - most Germans blame the crisis on British and French demands for reperations

Answer 12

* Stresemann replaced Chancellor Cuno in August 1923 and made a number of significant decisions... * Called off passive resistance in the Ruhr in September and promised to resume reparations payments * Cut government expenditure. * Appointed financial expert Hjalmar Schacht to oversee introduction of new currency - the Rentenmark. * Schacht also took over leadership of the Reichsbank and implemented a range of fiscal measures to reduce inflation and balance expenditure against income. - The actions of Stresemann and Schacht gained sympathy from the allies and when Stresemann asked the Allies to hold and international conference to consider Germany’s economic troubles. This led to the creation of the Dawes Plan.

Answer 13

* Acceptance by the allies that Germany's problems with reparations payments were real * Loans to the value of 25.5 billion marks between 1924 and 1929 mainly from the USA, helping to provide new machinery, factories, houses and jobs, 22.9 billion marks were repaid in reparations over the same period * reperations spread over a larger period of time * Evacuation of the Ruhr and better relations with France - Renewed financial confidence and optimism within Germany - right wing nationalist opposition but it was accepted by Germany and the allies and bought several benefits to Germany

Answer 14

- After 1923 there were no attempted coups - Between 1924-29 no major political figures were assassinated - After 1924 many Germans switched back to voting for the main democratic parties - they gain ground at least to start with - Able politicians like Stresemann helped to build stability - Hindenburg wins the presidential election in 1925 and as head of state provides some continuity and doesn't step outside the constitutional boundaries - he encourages conservatives to support the republic - Relatively high electoral turnout maintained (76% by 1928) - high political engagement

Answer 15

- Frequent fights between the Nazi's SA and the KPD's paramilitary Red Fighting League - over 50 people were killed and many more injured - The centre party moved to the right in the later 1920's and some of its leaders, like Bruning began to favour establishing a more authoritarian system - There were six governments between 1924 and 1929, each one a short-lived coalition - governments did not have a secure majority in the Reichstag - Politicians found it difficult to work together as many were unwilling to compromise - The need for bargaining discredited parliamentary sovereignity in the eyes of many Germans - The only way a government could gain approval in the Reichstag was by building a majority around the middle ground due to the large presence of radical parties but on any issue the moderate left (SPD) and moderate right (DVP) may join with the radicals to defeat government policy - Parties often divided amongst themselves in the Reichstag - growth of niche sectional parties led to inability to compromise - Germans begin to see politics as a matter of manoeuvring by politicians rather than controlled by the people - Voters voted for a party list rather than individual candidates. Not a close tie between voters and their deputies - PR allowed many small parties with narrow sectional interests into gov - Lack of charismatic leader who could build dynamic support for Weimar

Answer 16

where German promised to represent the Western frontier and keep troops out of the Rhineland, Stressemann carefully avoided committing to the same in the East

Answer 17

it was opposed by the DNVP, and Alfred Hugenburg led this, forcing a referendum on the issue in December. The Right wing lost with only 14% of the vote, but it gave Hitler a propagandist opportunity.

Answer 18

reduced the total reperations bill by around 75% and lessened the annual payments. plan tied to an evacuation of the Rhineland by occupying troops five years before the due date

Answer 19

condemned recourse to war as a means of solving international dispute, alongside 64 other states

Answer 20

a treaty with the USSR. reaffirmed the 1922 treaty of Rapallo with an additional pledge of neutrality for five years in the events of an attack by a third party

Answer 21

○ Monetary stability between 1924 and 1929 due to the influx of foreign capital (25.5 billion marks) ○ Production levels exceeded those of 1913 by 1928 ○ Economies of scale caused by cartels ○ Exports rose by 40% ○ Chemicals giant I.G. Farben became largest manufacturer in Europe ○ National income 12% higher in 1928 than 1913 ○ Hourly wages rose in real terms every year from 1924-29 ○ Generous pension and sickness benefits ○ Compulsory unemployment insurance covering 17 million workers in 1927, largest of its kind in the world ○ Better medical provision ○ Public spending on housing grew rapidly throughout the 1920s ○ State subsidies provided for local amenities e.g. parks, schools, sports facilities ○ Growth of cinema and cars

Answer 22

○ Unemployment reached 3 million or 14.5% of the workforce by 1929 ○ Imports exceeded exports ○ Fall in world prices placed great strain on farmers (1/3 of population) ○ By the late 1920s, capita income in agriculture was 44% below average ○ Subsidies and protective tariffs only partially alleviated the problem ○ Public finances out of control ○ Wage levels rising excessively without taking productivity into account ○ Introduction of compulsory wage arbitration and higher employer contributions for social insurance increased production costs, lowering investment ○ Heavy taxes on landed property resented by farmers who were almost all in debt ○ Very vulnerable to recession is world markets - Overall, German economy grew by just 4% whilst US economy by 70%

Answer 23

- hyperinflation had helped relieve their debts but after 1923 they were faced with heavy taxes on landed property - they faced a crisis in the 1920's when world food prices collapsed - the Weimar government focused on keeping urban workers fed rather htan helpiing farmers who by the late 1920's were becoming increasingly millitant

Answer 24

* The economy became increasingly reliant on foreign investors (foreign investors were attracted by high interest rates, but Germans were less inclined to save or invest after 1923). - From 1925 the government continued to run a deficit. The reparations payments made by Germany in this period were really being financed by foreign loans.

Answer 25

- **art** - modernist movement, government often subsidised and sponsored art with left wing bias - **architecture and design** - famous 'Bauhaus' movement which popularised ordinary geometric desings and emphasised the functionality of buidlings and consumer items - **theatre and literature** - writers like Hesse and Remarque attacked complacency and conveyed hard hitting messages about the decadence of western society. many works had a social and political purpose. explosion of publishing. - **film** - growth of cinema, deliberately provocative and often critical of society, famous films from this time include al quiet on the western front and Metropolis (visionof a mechanised future) - **music** - 'zeitoper' (opera of the time) reflects modern and left attitudes, jazz becoming popular with clubs and the cabaret scene where people could express themselves as queer

Answer 26

* 5% of the population were in the economic elite – rich industrialists, successful entrepreneurs, great landowners. Many felt threatened by the increasingly organised working class, and looked for an authoritarian solution to the problems facing Weimar. * The middle class made up a third of the population, ranging from doctors, lawyers, professors, teachers, civil servants, those in the service industries and white collar occupations. They felt squeezed between big business and organised labour. - The working classes comprised over 50% of the population. Whatever Communists liked to think, the working class was far from united. Farm labourers, who earned a pittance, had little in common with industrial workers.

Answer 27

* The media propagated the idea of the Weimar ‘new woman’ – cigarette smoking, silk stockinged, short skirted, lip sticked young woman in streets and bars. * There was some truth to this. Women had gained formally equal rights under Weimar. * There was a growing number of woman in employment, and more women spent their leisure time at sports clubs, dance halls and cinemas. Women had more sexual independence. - However, the number of women working outside the home during the 1920s remained roughly the same as before 1914. ‘Men’s jobs’ were taken back by men after 1918, and most Germans held a very conservative attitude towards women’s role in society. - Doppelverdiener – ‘second wage earner’ was a term of abuse aimed at married women who went out to work.

Answer 28

- Many believed that Weimar's cultural life was debased by foreign and Jewish influence. The Nazis believed that the Avant Garde had to be destroyed to ensure the victory of German Kultur over 'Americanisation' - The church campaign against 'immorality' -such as against atheism, pornography, prostitution, homosexuality, birth control or abortion - Others simply disliked the 'tides of filth'. In 1926, a law was passed by the Reichstag to prevent the publications of certain books to people under 18 - Various groups were founded to protect 'authentic' German culture, often with a link to regional folk traditions rather than the centralising influence of Berlin

Answer 29

- Left wing intellectuals were more inclined to support artistic modernism - However, many members of the SD's were more comfortable with traditional culture - The left were concerned about many aspects of mass culture. Social Democrats were concerned about the impact of pulp fiction on young mind - Both in the SPD and Communists were concerned with the rise of cinema, fearing that the international film industry offered a capitalist sophistication that the labour movement would never be able to provide

Answer 30

- working class - middle class - petty Burgeoisie - protestants - white collar workers - younger people - those living in rural areas

Answer 31

- Lack of 'legitimacy'. Founded on a Treaty which many people did not think was justified - Economic weaknesses- hyperinflation shows democracies do not deliver and autocracies are stronger- proved that they are flawed - Stab in the back mythology - Growth of political extremism - Proportional representation - Leadership/lack of. Ebert dies in 1924 - Constitutional weaknesses - article 48

Answer 32

- the great depression - political betrayal

Answer 33

- mass unemployment - extremly difficult to support families on limited social security benefits - little demand for goods and services - agricultural depression deepens - widespread rural poverty

Answer 34

many lost faith in the Weimar republic as it offered no end of misery and the infant democracy became associated with economic failure

Answer 35

- Muller, chancellor from 1928-30 had headed a 'Grand Coalition' of SPD,DDP, DVP, BVP and ZP - It had been plagued by internal divisions and was unable to cope with the economic crisis - Muller resigned on 27 March 1930 when it became clear that Hindenburg would not back his government with emergency powers. - Muller had found it impossible to find an agreed basis on which to tackle the crisis

Answer 36

- power was now largely in Hindenburg's hands - The Reichstag was side-lined - Germany's elites manoeuvred and plotted to replace democratic institutions with right wing authoritarian government

Answer 37

- zentrum leader - austerity politics meant he failed to win popular support in the Reichstag - his forcing through of his new finance reform bill was the first time a bill rejected by the Reichstag was forced through - he asked Hindenburg to dissolve the Reichstag July 1930 and ruled by decree - after the september 1930 elections he had a minority government - had to use article 48 constantly after this, with 109 emergency decrees being ratified by the president - Hindenburg loses confidence in him when he failed to win support for a plan that would have changed the constitution and given him indefinite power for the March 1932 presidential election - he failed to ban the SA in 1932 after Hitler's success in the presidential election

Answer 38

- met with Bruning and HIndenburg to show the NSDAP was a proper political party - he tired to work with the DNVP and met with Ruhr industrialists

Answer 39

As neither Papen nor any of his cabinet were even members of the Reichstag so their rule could only be by decree - government led by the elite

Answer 40

- lifted the ban on the SA - introduced curbs on the communist press - gave into Hitler's demand of a July 1932 election

Answer 41

Papen showed his government as undemocratic by forcing his authoritarian control over Prussia. - in July 1932, there was a coup there, starting with riots in Hamburg, one of its largest cities, used as an excuse to dismiss the SPD government in control there. The army was then sent in and the old government was overthrown, a coup known as the Preussenschlag. Papen then appointed himself Reich commissioner with direct control over the Prussian government

Answer 42

- they became the largest party in the Reichstag - won lots of votes from the middle class and gained support from traditional communist voters

Answer 43

- 230 to 196 seats - vote share decreased by 4.2% - still largest party in Reichstag but the peak of their support might be over - KPD gain 11 seats and become third largest party - a great concern for the army, industry and landowners

Answer 44

- not a fan but saw their strength in the Reichstag as a means of securing a majority for a new right wing presidentia dictatorship - believed they could be tamed by being bought into governemnt - believed the SA could develop closer links to the army and ensured the SA had access to weapons

Answer 45

- he tried to attract the more socialist wing of the party under Strasser by offering him the position of vice chancellor - however Hitler retained the majority of the partys leadership and Strasser was forced to resign from the party

Answer 46

- Papen had never forgiven Schleicher for not supporting him. - he attempted to persuade Hindenburg that he could muster support in the Reichstag. - Consequently, secret contacts were made with Nazi leaders, which led to a meeting on 4 January 1933 between Papen and Hindenburg. Here it was agreed that Hitler would be head of a Nazi-Nationalist coalition, and Papen would be vice-chancellor. - Papen gained the support of major landowners, leaders of industry and the army. The conservative establishment now believed that they had an escape from the dangers posed by communism. - Hindenburg was persuaded to make Hitler chancellor of a coalition government, believing that traditional conservatives and nationalists would control the Nazis. He mistakenly believed that Hitler could be used in the interests of the conservative establishment.

Answer 47

Reichstag building destroyed by fire, probably arson by the Dutch Communist Marinus van der Lubbe acting alone, exploited by Nazis to show danger of Communist threat

Answer 48

issue an emergency decree allowing them to arrest anyone suspected of the fire, meaning they can eliminate the left

Answer 49

Government uses control of radio, police, unofficial pressure to intimidate opponents in elections, highest ever voter turnout at 88.8%. Nazi slogan: 'The battle against Marxism'. Nazis surprisingly only get 44% of the vote, nationalist allies get 8% - Still not a 2/3 majority - still not overwhelming support from the populous but this is the best result they've had

Answer 50

- engineered by Goebbels - Hitler meets with Hindenburg - Very public endorsement of Hitler by Hindenburg - Potsdam chosen as its the heart of the old Prussian stat with links to Bismarck and the Second Reich - Day of commemoration Those who didn't like Hitler but liked Hindenburg may change their support

Answer 51

- 'law for terminating the suffering of the people and the nation' - Passed by Reichstag after it was relocated with SA and SS surrounding building and intimidating deputies Gave emergency powers to government for four years - could pass laws without the presidents involvement - became the virtual constitution of the third reich

Answer 52

- Law against the formation of new parties - KPD and SPD already banned - Other parties had dissolved themselves - No new parties allowed, so Germany becomes a one-party state

Answer 53

- Agreement between state and Vatican - Church banned from political activity - Government to protect religious freedom Basically bans the Zentrum

Answer 54

The SS shoot many SA leaders and other people who are observed as a possible threat. This allowed Hitler to diminish the threat of other powerful individuals and gain the eventual approval of the army

Answer 55

Hitler becomes Head of State and his power is now protected by the constitution. He can now control the power of the Reichstag

Weimar: key events, policies and acts Flashcards

(79 cards)