Weimar Republic Flashcards
(11 cards)
What was an armistice
A formal agreement between warring parties to stop fighting and lay down their weapons, typically as a step towards negotiating a more permanent peace treaty
What is a democratic republic
A system where citizens elect representatives to govern them, rather than being ruled by a monarch or dictator
What was the Spartacus League
A group of communists who wanted Germany to be run by a small number of councils and workers not by a large parliament
Who were the Free Corps
Eberts group of ex-soldiers sent to attack Spartacists
How did the Spartacus League end
Free corps recaptured buildings and arrested the two key leaders, Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, and then murdering them
What was the Weimar Republic
The democratic government of Germany from 1919 to 1933, established after World War I following the abdication of the Kaiser
What was the weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution
- Proportional representation
- lots of different political parties were able to win seats in the Reichstag, so making decisions were difficult
- there was no majority, since no political party ever one more than half of votes - Older generation didn’t like the new reforms as they missed the ‘good old days’
Why did the Weimar Republic begin to deteriorate
Because they couldn’t pay back to the Treaty of Versailles, as a result France invaded the Ruhr and took control of the factories and railways, as well as taking food and supplies from shops, this led to hyperinflation in 1923
What was passive resistance
A strategy where German workers did not fight and instead held protests and refused to work for the occupying French forces.
What increased hyperinflation in Germany
When shops raised their prices, so to respond the government printed more money, however the more money that was printed, the faster prices increased, so money became essentially worthless
What was the impact of hyperinflation on Germans
- peoples savings became useless
- Elderly that relied on fixed pensions found their income could no longer cover basic necessities
- Small businesses collapsed
- People in debt found it very easy to pay it off
