Weimarer Republik

Q2 - Klausur

October Revolution

The 1917 revolution in Russia where the Bolsheviks under Lenin overthrew the government and took power, serving as a model for the November Revolution in Germany.

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

The 1918 peace treaty between Germany and Russia that ended the war on the Eastern Front, allowing Germany to focus its military efforts on France and Great Britain.

November Revolution

A 1918 uprising in Germany triggered by mutinying sailors in Kiel; it led to the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II and the transition from a monarchy to a republic.

Workers' and Soldiers' Councils

Groups formed during the November Revolution to represent the interests of the people, demanding peace, democracy, and an end to the political leadership they no longer trusted.

Philipp Scheidemann

The SPD politician who proclaimed the democratic republic on November 9, 1918.

Karl Liebknecht

A leader of the Spartacists who proclaimed a socialist republic on November 9, 1918, modeled after the Russian Soviet system.

Armistice of Compiègne

The agreement signed on November 11, 1918, which officially ended the fighting of World War I.

Council of the People's Deputies (Rat der Volksbeauftragten)

The transitional government formed on November 10, 1918, by the SPD and USPD, led by Friedrich Ebert, to organize peace and elections.

Spartacists

Left-wing revolutionary group led by Liebknecht and Luxemburg who opposed the Council of the People's Deputies and demanded a council-based republic (Räterepublik).

Spartacist Uprising (Spartakusaufstand)

A January 1919 left-wing revolt in Berlin intended to overthrow the government and establish a council system; it was violently suppressed by the military and Freikorps.

Weimar Coalition

A political alliance formed after the first national elections on January 19, 1919, consisting of the MSPD, Zentrum, BVP, and DDP.

Article 48 (Notverordnung)

A clause in the Weimar Constitution that granted the Reichspräsident the power to issue emergency decrees and bypass the Reichstag.

Treaty of Versailles

The 1919 peace treaty ending WWI that imposed heavy reparations, territorial losses (like Alsace-Lorraine), and military restrictions on Germany.

War Guilt Clause (Alleinige Kriegsschuld)

The provision in the Treaty of Versailles that assigned sole responsibility for WWI to Germany, a point widely viewed as unfair by the German population.

Dolchstoßlegende (Stab-in-the-back myth)

The false claim propagated by military leaders like Hindenburg and Ludendorff that the German army remained undefeated on the battlefield but was betrayed at home by democrats, socialists, and revolutionaries.

Kapp Putsch

A 1920 attempt by right-wing politicians and Freikorps units to overthrow the Weimar government.

Ruhr Occupation (Ruhrbesetzung)

The January 1923 military occupation of Germany's industrial heartland by France and Belgium due to delays in reparations payments.

Hyperinflation

An economic crisis in 1923 where the German government printed excessive money to finance debts, causing prices to soar and rendering the currency worthless.

Hitler-Ludendorff Putsch

A failed November 1923 coup attempt in Munich by the NSDAP to overthrow the government and establish a nationalist dictatorship.

Rentenmark

The new currency introduced in late 1923 to stabilize the German economy and end hyperinflation.

Dawes Plan

A 1924 economic plan that restructured reparations payments based on Germany's economic performance and provided billions in US loans.

Locarno Verträge (Locarno Treaties)

1925 international agreements ensuring the security of Western borders and leading to the withdrawal of troops from the Rhineland.

Gustav Stresemann

The Foreign Minister from 1923 to 1929 responsible for stabilizing Germany's international position and its entry into the League of Nations in 1926.

Paul von Hindenburg

Former WWI General and OHL leader elected as Reichspräsident in 1925; a monarchist who eventually appointed Hitler as Chancellor.

Black Friday (Schwarzer Freitag)

The October 24, 1929, stock market crash in the USA that triggered the Great Depression and led to the withdrawal of American loans from Germany.

Präsidialkabinette (Presidential Cabinets)

Minority governments from 1930 onwards that ruled via the President's emergency decrees rather than through parliamentary majorities.

Sturmabteilung (SA)

The paramilitary wing of the NSDAP used to protect party meetings and violently attack political opponents.

Reichstag Fire Decree (Reichstagsbrandverordnung)

An emergency decree issued in February 1933 following the Reichstag fire that suspended fundamental civil rights and allowed mass arrests of political opponents.

Enabling Act (Ermächtigungsgesetz)

The March 23, 1933, law that gave the government the power to enact laws without the consent of parliament, effectively ending democracy.

Gleichschaltung

The process of 'synchronization' or coordination through which the Nazi regime took control over all aspects of political, social, and state life between 1933 and 1934.