Section D: changes in society 1924-9

How much did unemployment fall between 1926 and 1928?

From 2 million to 1.3 million.

How did the length of the working week change by the late 1920s?

It fell from 50 hours to 46 hours.

By how much did real wages rise between 1925–28?

By 25%.

How many homes were built between 1925–29 by private companies and new associations?

37,000 (private) and 64,000 (associations).

What did the 1927 Unemployment Insurance Act provide?

60 marks per week in benefits, funded by workers paying 3% of their wages.

Who received pensions under the 1920 Reich Pension Law?

750,000 war veterans and 400,000 war widows.

How many students were in higher education by 1928 compared to pre-WW1?

110,000 (up from 70,000 before WW1).

What problems still affected Germans despite improvements?

Insecurity of employment and losses from the 1923 hyperinflation.

When were women given the vote in Germany?

November 1918.

What percentage of Reichstag members were female by 1932?

Almost 10%.

What did Article 109 of the Weimar constitution state?

That women had equal rights with men.

How much less were women paid compared to men for the same work?

33% less.

How many female doctors were there by 1932?

5,000.

What social changes defined the “new women” of the 1920s?

Short hair, makeup, smoking, drinking, independence, and less focus on marriage/family.

How did birth and divorce rates change by the 1920s?

Births fell (128 → 80 per 1,000), divorces rose (27 → 60 per 1,000).

Why did conservatives criticise the “new women”?

They believed women should remain wives and mothers.

What freedoms supported cultural change in the Weimar Republic?

Freedom of speech and expression in the constitution.

What artistic movement emphasised showing life as it really was, including poverty?

New Objectivism.

Which architectural style embraced technology and the future, with the Bauhaus as an example?

Modernism.