Weimar Germany Practice Flashcards

A comprehensive set of 132 question-and-answer flashcards covering the origins, constitution, economic crises, cultural changes, and eventual collapse of the Weimar Republic.

What happened on 9 November 1918?

Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated; Scheidemann proclaimed a democratic republic while Liebknecht proclaimed a rival socialist republic.

When was the Armistice signed?

11 November 1918.

What was the Stab-in-th-back myth?

The 'stab-in-the-back' myth claiming Germany had not really been defeated militarily but had been betrayed from within.

Who were blamed by the stab-in-the-back myth?

Groups including socialists, pacifists, war profiteers, and Jews

Who were the 'November Criminals'?

Politicians blamed by nationalists for accepting the Armistice and later Versailles, including Ebert.

Why did the stab-in-the-back myth hurt Weimar?

It associated the new democratic government with military defeat and national betrayal.

Who was Friedrich Ebert?

An SPD leader who became the first President and a central figure in establishing the Republic.

What did Ebert want in 1918–19?

Order, prevention of civil war and a democratic election for a national parliament.

What early reforms did Ebert's government introduce?

Freedom of speech and assembly, release of political prisoners, an eight-hour day and unemployment benefits.

What was the Ebert–Groener Pact?

A secret agreement in which the army supported Ebert's government against revolution while the government preserved the army officer corps.

What was the short-term benefit of the Ebert–Groener Pact?

It gave the new government military support against revolutionary threats.

What was the long-term weakness of the Ebert–Groener Pact?

It strengthened the political influence of a conservative army that was not fully committed to democracy.

What was the Stinnes–Legien Agreement?

A November 1918 agreement between industrialists and trade unions recognising unions, collective bargaining and the eight-hour day.

Why was Stinnes–Legien important?

It reduced the immediate threat of industrial revolution and helped maintain production.

Who was Kurt Eisner?

A radical socialist who led the Bavarian Revolution and declared a Free Socialist Republic in November 1918.

What happened to Kurt Eisner?

He was assassinated by a right-wing nationalist in February 1919.

What was the Bavarian Soviet Republic?

A radical socialist government established in Munich in April 1919 and crushed by government and Freikorps forces in May.

Why was Bavaria important to later right-wing politics?

The violent suppression of the Soviet Republic helped radicalise Bavaria to the right, contributing to Munich's importance to the early Nazi movement.

What was the SPD?

The moderate Social Democratic Party, committed to reform and parliamentary democracy.

What was the KPD?

The Communist Party of Germany, associated with revolutionary socialism and a Soviet-style state.

Who led the Spartacist movement?

Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht.

What did the Spartacists want?

A communist revolution rather than a parliamentary democratic system.

When was the Spartacist Uprising?

January 1919.

How did Ebert defeat the Spartacist Uprising?

He appointed Gustav Noske and the government used Freikorps forces to crush the uprising.

Why was the Spartacist Uprising significant?

The Republic survived, but cooperation with the Freikorps intensified hostility between the SPD and revolutionary left.

What was the Weimar Constitution?

The constitution adopted on 11 August 1919 that established Germany as a federal democratic republic.

What major voting reform did Weimar introduce?

Universal suffrage for men and women aged 20 and over.

What rights did the Weimar Constitution guarantee?

Rights including freedom of speech, religion and assembly and equality under the law.

What was proportional representation?

An electoral system designed to represent parties according to their share of the vote.

Why was proportional representation a weakness?

With no minimum threshold, many small parties entered the Reichstag, making stable coalition governments difficult.

What was Article 48?

A constitutional provision allowing the President to issue emergency decrees and bypass the Reichstag during crises.

Why did Article 48 become dangerous?

From 1930 it was increasingly used to govern without normal parliamentary majorities, weakening democratic practice.

What powers did the Weimar President have?

Appoint/dismiss the Chancellor, dissolve the Reichstag, call elections, command the armed forces and use Article 48.

Who was the first Weimar President?

Friedrich Ebert.

Who was the first Chancellor?

Philipp Scheidemann.

What was the Kapp Putsch?

A March 1920 right-wing attempt to overthrow the Weimar government using Freikorps forces.

Why did the Kapp Putsch fail?

Workers launched a general strike that paralysed Berlin, causing the coup to collapse.

What did the Kapp Putsch reveal about the Reichswehr?

The army refused to defend the Republic against the right-wing putschists.

What was the Red Ruhr Uprising?

A left-wing armed uprising that developed after the anti-Kapp general strike and was crushed by Reichswehr and Freikorps forces.

Why was the Kapp/Red Ruhr contrast important?

The army refused to fight Kapp but crushed left-wing workers, exposing political bias.

How many political murders occurred roughly from 1919–22?

More than 370, with most committed by the extreme right according to the class notes.

Who was assassinated in 1921?

Matthias Erzberger.

Who was assassinated in 1922?

Foreign Minister Walther Rathenau.

Why were political assassinations damaging?

They undermined democratic debate and showed that political opponents could be treated as enemies.

How large was the Reichswehr?

The Treaty of Versailles limited it to 100,000 men.

What was the character of the Reichswehr officer corps?

Conservative and often monarchist, with limited commitment to the Republic.

Who was Hans von Seeckt?

A senior Reichswehr leader who built a small, professional army and refused to use it against the Kapp Putsch.

What were the main military terms of Versailles?

Army limited to 100,000; conscription banned; restrictions on tanks, heavy guns, poison gas and aircraft; General Staff abolished; navy and submarines restricted.

What were major territorial terms of Versailles?

Germany lost territory including areas connected to coal and industry; the Rhineland was demilitarised and Germany lost its colonies.

What was Article 231 of Versailles?

The War Guilt Clause, assigning Germany legal responsibility for the war and providing the basis for reparations.

How much were reparations set at in 1921?

132 billion gold marks.

Why did Germany sign Versailles?

The Allies threatened to resume the war, the blockade had caused severe shortages and Germany had little prospect of winning another war.

Why was Versailles politically damaging?

The Republic became associated with defeat, reparations and national humiliation.

How was WWI financed by Germany?

Largely through loans and war bonds rather than taxation.

What post-war problems weakened Germany economically?

War debt, continuing food shortages, loss of industrial territory, loss of colonies and loss of merchant shipping.

What was the Ruhr occupation?

The French and Belgian occupation of Germany's main industrial region in January 1923 after Germany defaulted on reparations deliveries.

What was passive resistance?

The German government encouraged Ruhr workers and officials to refuse cooperation with the occupiers.

Why did passive resistance worsen Germany's finances?

The government continued paying striking workers while Ruhr production collapsed, increasing money creation.

Why was the Ruhr economically important?

It was Germany's key industrial region, producing a very large share of coal and steel.

When did Stresemann end passive resistance?

September 1923.

What was hyperinflation?

A situation where prices and the currency's value change so rapidly that money stops functioning effectively as a reliable store of value.

What caused the 1923 hyperinflation crisis?

Money-printing, war debt, reparations pressures, passive resistance and the loss of Ruhr production.

What happened to the mark by November 1923?

The exchange rate reached about 4.2 trillion marks to US$1.

Who suffered most from hyperinflation?

Savers, pensioners and fixed-income groups were particularly badly affected.

Who could benefit from hyperinflation?

Some debtors, farmers and businesses with access to physical goods or foreign currency could benefit.

What was the Rentenmark?

A new currency introduced in November 1923 and backed by land and industrial assets.

Why was the Rentenmark important?

It restored confidence in the currency and helped end hyperinflation.

What was the Dawes Plan?

The 1924 plan that reorganised reparations into more manageable payments and secured major US loans for Germany.

Why was the Dawes Plan important?

It helped stabilise the German economy and encouraged investment.

What were the Locarno Treaties?

1925 agreements that improved relations with France and Belgium and guaranteed Germany's western borders.

Why did Germany join the League of Nations?

In 1926, helping restore international diplomatic credibility.

What was the Young Plan?

A 1929 plan reducing and extending Germany's reparations burden.

Why did the Young Plan anger nationalists?

They portrayed continued reparations as unacceptable and used opposition to mobilise support.

What was the major weakness of the 1924–29 recovery?

It depended heavily on short-term American loans.

What was the 'Golden Age' of Weimar?

The relatively prosperous and culturally innovative period of the mid-to-late 1920s.

What did Article 109 provide for women?

It established fundamental legal equality of men and women.

What was the 'New Woman'?

A symbol of the increasingly independent urban woman associated with work, modern fashion and greater social freedom.

What was the Angestellte?

An unmarried, financially independent female office worker/typist who became increasingly visible in urban Germany.

What was Paragraph 218?

A law criminalising abortion, which remained contested and was never fully repealed under Weimar.

Who was Magnus Hirschfeld?

A sexologist and activist who founded Berlin's Institute for Sexual Science in 1919.

What was Hirschfeld's Institute for Sexual Science?

A research and advocacy centre dealing with sexuality and gender and campaigning against discriminatory laws.

What were 'transvestite passes'?

Documents arranged with Berlin police that allowed some people to dress according to their gender identity without being arrested for indecency.

What was Die Freundin?

A lesbian magazine that circulated during the Weimar period.

How extensive was Berlin's queer club culture?

The class notes state that by 1930 Berlin had around 80–100 gay and lesbian clubs.

Were same-sex relationships fully legal in Weimar Germany?

No. Same-sex relations remained criminalised under Paragraph 175.

What was the Bauhaus?

An influential art and design school founded by Walter Gropius in Weimar in 1919.

What was Bauhaus's core philosophy?

Unity of art, craft and technology, with emphasis on functional design.

What did 'form follows function' mean?

Design should prioritise practical function rather than unnecessary decoration.

Who was Mies van der Rohe?

A Bauhaus director associated with minimalist modernist design and the phrase 'less is more'.

What was New Objectivity?

An artistic movement that depicted modern Germany realistically and often critically.

Who painted Metropolis (1928)?

Otto Dix.

What did Otto Dix's art often expose?

The contrast between glamour and decay, alongside war, inequality and urban social tensions.

Who was George Grosz?

A satirical artist who criticised corrupt officials, capitalists and military figures.

Who was Kthe Kollwitz?

An artist who focused on poverty, grief and working-class suffering.

What was Weimar cabaret?

A form of entertainment combining music, performance and satire, often exploring politics, sexuality and gender.

Who was Marlene Dietrich?

A major film and cabaret figure associated with androgynous dress and modernity.

Who were Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht?

Collaborators whose Threepenny Opera used popular music and sharp social satire.

Why was jazz controversial?

Conservatives associated it with racial and cultural 'contamination' and attacked its African-American origins using racist language.

What was German Expressionist cinema?

A film movement using distorted sets, dramatic visual styles and themes such as authority, madness and modern anxiety.

What was The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari?

A 1920 Expressionist film exploring authority, madness and hidden power.