Weimar Republic (1918–1929): Depth Study

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the establishment, crises, political threats, economic collapse, and stabilization of Germany's Weimar Republic between 1918 and 1929.

Kaiser Wilhelm II

The autocratic ruler of Germany who functioned virtually as a dictator until his abdication on 9 November 1918 and exile to the Netherlands following military defeat and domestic revolts.

Kiel Mutiny

An October–November 1918 uprising by sailors in northern Germany who refused orders and took control of the town of Kiel, triggering widespread workers' and soldiers' revolts across German ports and cities.

German Revolution of 1918

The wave of civil unrest and strikes in autumn 1918 driven by socialist workers and soldiers that caused the collapse of the monarchy, the declaration of a republic, and the abdication of the Kaiser.

Friedrich Ebert

The leader of the Social Democratic Party who became Chancellor of Germany on 10 November 1918, agreed to the armistice, and was elected as the first President of the Weimar Republic in February 1919.

November Criminals

A derogatory term used by right-wing opponents to label Friedrich Ebert and the socialist and liberal politicians who signed the November 1918 armistice and later accepted the Treaty of Versailles.

'Stab in the Back' Myth (Dolchstoßlegende)

The belief popular among ex-soldiers and right-wing nationalists that the German army had not been defeated on the battlefield in World War I, but had been betrayed by unpatriotic civilian politicians and socialists at home.

Weimar Republic

The democratic federal republic established in Germany in 1919, named after the town of Weimar where its assembly met because Berlin was deemed too violent and politically unstable.

Universal Suffrage (Weimar Republic)

A democratic principle in the Weimar Constitution granting voting rights to all German men and women over the age of 20, alongside guaranteed civil liberties such as religious freedom and property rights.

Proportional Representation

The electoral system used in the Weimar Republic where parliamentary seats were allocated in exact proportion to the percentage of total votes cast for each political party (e.g., 20% of votes yielded 20% of seats).

Reichstag

The German national parliament, elected every four years, whose majority support was required for the Chancellor to pass laws and govern effectively.

Article 48

A constitutional emergency clause allowing the President to bypass the Reichstag and rule by decree during national crises; President Ebert used this power 136 times while in office.

Coalition Government

A cabinet formed through an alliance of multiple political parties when no single party wins an outright parliamentary majority, leading to political instability and seven different coalitions between 1919 and 1923.

Länder

The 17 regional state governments of Germany, such as Bavaria and Prussia, whose powers were deliberately curbed by the 1919 Weimar Constitution.

Spartacists

A radical communist movement led by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg that sought a workers' revolution and rule through soviets, culminating in an armed January 1919 uprising in Berlin.

Freikorps

Paramilitary vigilante units made up of demobilised, anticommunist ex-soldiers enlisted by Ebert's government to crush left-wing rebellions in Berlin, Bavaria, and the Ruhr.

Kapp Putsch

A March 1920 right-wing rebellion in Berlin led by Dr Wolfgang Kapp and 5,000 Freikorps troops, which briefly seized the city before collapsing under a general strike called by industrial workers.

General Strike (1920)

A coordinated industrial strike by Berlin workers that halted transport, water, and electrical power, defeating the Kapp Putsch within a few days.

Walther Rathenau

The Jewish foreign minister of the Weimar Republic who was assassinated by right-wing political extremists in the summer of 1922.

Munich Putsch

An armed insurrection launched in Munich in November 1923 by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, which was swiftly defeated by the authorities and resulted in Hitler receiving a lenient prison sentence.

Treaty of Versailles (1919)

The peace settlement that forced Germany to surrender 10% of its land, all overseas colonies, 12.5% of its population, 16% of its coal, and 48% of its iron industry, while disarming its forces and imposing the war guilt clause.

Reparations

Financial war indemnities levied on Germany by the Allies, formally fixed in April 1921 at £6600 million and scheduled in annual instalments of 2% of total national output.

Occupation of the Ruhr

The military takeover of Germany's vital Ruhr industrial basin by French and Belgian troops in January 1923 after Germany defaulted on its coal and timber reparation payments.

Passive Resistance

A non-violent protest policy ordered by the German government during the 1923 Ruhr occupation, instructing German workers to strike so invading French and Belgian troops could not extract raw materials.

Hyperinflation (1923)

A severe economic catastrophe caused by the excessive printing of paper money to support striking Ruhr workers, causing the value of the mark to collapse and driving a loaf of bread to 201 billion marks by November 1923.

Rentenmark

A temporary, stable new currency introduced in autumn 1923 under Chancellor Gustav Stresemann to replace the worthless paper marks, successfully ending the hyperinflation crisis.

Gustav Stresemann

A prominent right-of-centre politician who served as Chancellor in 1923 and Foreign Minister until 1929, guiding Germany through economic stabilisation, foreign diplomacy, and social reconstruction.

Dawes Plan

A 1924 financial arrangement that rescheduled Germany's reparation instalments over a longer duration and secured 800 million marks in loans from the United States to revive German industry and public infrastructure.