The Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany (1918–1945)

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the economic, political, and social history of the Weimar Republic and the rise and fall of Nazi Germany.

The Weimar Republic

The name of the democratic republic established in Germany in 1919 after Kaiser Wilhelm II fled at the end of World War I.

Proportional Representation

A feature of the Weimar Constitution that fairly allocated seats but led to dozens of small parties, making stable majority governments impossible.

Article 48

A clause in the Weimar Constitution that allowed the President to rule by decree in an emergency without consulting the Reichstag.

The Treaty of Versailles

The harsh peace treaty signed in June 1919 that forced Germany to accept territorial losses, military restrictions, and massive financial fines.

Military Restrictions (Treaty of Versailles)

Terms that limited the German army to $100,000$ men, banned the air force, and permitted only a small navy.

Article 231 (War Guilt Clause)

A specific section of the Treaty of Versailles requiring Germany to accept full responsibility for starting the war.

Reparations

Massive financial penalties set at $£6.6\text{ billion}$ that Germany was forced to pay to the Allies.

November Criminals

The name used by the German public to blame the politicians who signed the Treaty of Versailles.

The Spartacist Uprising

A Communist attempt to overthrow the government in Berlin in January 1919, led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht.

Freikorps

Paramilitary groups of ex-soldiers used by the Weimar government to crush the Spartacist Uprising.

The Kapp Putsch

A right-wing attempt to overthrow the government in March 1920 led by Wolfgang Kapp.

The Ruhr Crisis (1923)

A crisis caused when France and Belgium invaded Germany's primary industrial region to seize goods after a missed reparations payment.

Hyperinflation

An economic disaster in 1923 where the German Mark became worthless after the government printed huge amounts of money to pay striking workers.

Gustav Stresemann

The politician who served as Chancellor and Foreign Minister, leading Germany into a 'Golden Age' of stability and recovery between 1924 and 1929.

Rentenmark

The new, strictly controlled currency introduced by Stresemann to end hyperinflation.

The Dawes Plan (1924)

An international agreement that restructured reparations and provided massive loans from the US to kickstart the German economy.

Locarno Pact (1925)

A treaty in which Germany accepted its new western borders with France and Belgium, improving international relations.

Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928)

An agreement between Germany and $64$ other nations to solve disputes peacefully and renounce war.

Wall Street Crash

The October 1929 US stock market collapse that led to the withdrawal of American loans and the Great Depression in Germany.

Great Depression Unemployment

By 1932, unemployment in Germany reached $6\text{ million}$ people, approximately $40\%$ of the workforce.

NSDAP

The Nazi Party, which gained momentum during the Great Depression through strong leadership, propaganda, and fear of Communism.

The SA (Stormtroopers)

The Nazi private army, also known as Brownshirts, who provided protection at rallies and intimidated political opponents.

Gleichschaltung

The Nazi process of 'co-ordination' used to dismantle democracy and establish total control over German life within $18$ months.

Reichstag Fire (Feb 1933)

The burning of the parliament building, blamed on Communist Marinus van der Lubbe, which Hitler used to secure emergency powers.

The Enabling Act (March 1933)

The legal death of the Weimar Republic that allowed Hitler to make laws for four years without consulting the Reichstag or the President.

The Night of the Long Knives (June 1934)

A purge where Hitler ordered the execution of Ernst Röhm and other SA leaders to secure the loyalty of the regular army.

Führer

The title Hitler assumed in August 1934 after abolishing the office of President and combining it with the role of Chancellor.

The Gestapo

The non-uniformed secret state police responsible for spying on the population and arresting opponents without trial.

Autarky

The Nazi economic goal of achieving total self-sufficiency in raw materials, managed under the Four Year Plan.

Nuremberg Laws (1935)

Landmark laws that stripped Jews of German citizenship and banned marriage or sexual relations between Jews and non-Jews.

Kristallnacht

The 'Night of Broken Glass' in November 1938, a coordinated campaign of violence against Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues.

The Final Solution (1942)

The formal plan established at the Wannsee Conference for the systematic extermination of all European Jews.