History GCSE AQA Germany

Overview

Weimar

A town in Germany where the newly elected government met to agree a new constitution as Germany was too dangerous

Constitution

A set of rules for how the country would be run

The President

Elected every 7 years. Controlled army, navy and air force. Not involved in day-to-day running of the country.

Article 48

Of the Weimar Constitution stated that the President could rule on his own (without the Reichstag) by issuing decrees if there was an emergency.

The Chancellor

Chosen by the President (usually from the party with the most seats in the Reichstag). Responsible for the day-to-day running of the country (law and order, taxation, health care etc.)

The Reichstag

Discussed and passed new laws proposed by the Chancellors and his ministers. Members elected every four years

The Electorate

All men and women over 20 could vote in elections for the President & Reichstag

Proportional Representation (PR)

A system of allocating seats in the Reichstag. If a party got 30% of the votes, they would get 30% of the seats in the Reichstag. This often resulted in coalition governments.

Rights

The constitution also guaranteed freedom of speech and rights

Weaknesses

Article 48 gave the President great power. Proportional Representation resulted in coalitions that could be weak. Presidents had 7 years between elections.

Strengths

Much more democratic than the old system. Women could vote. The President elected and the Reichstag had more power.

Traditionalist Opposition

Some generals, judges and rich families preferred the old system under the Kaiser where they had more power.

November Criminals

The politicians who made the Weimar Constitution were the same people who surrendered in 1918.

Coalitions

Governments made up of more than one party. Generally seen to be weak governments as all of the parties had to agree a policy so they were likely to fall out and breakdown.

June 1919

The Treaty of Versailles was signed officially ending the war after the Armistice (ceasefire) of 1918

Diktat

Said to be a dictated peace as Ebert had no option but to sign the treaty or face invasion.

Land (Tov)

Large areas of German land were used to create new countries or given away to others

Rhineland

Was a de-militarised zone - no soldiers could be stationed there

German Colonies

Were given away to the Allies

Armed Forces (Tov)

Germany could only have a small army (100,000) and navy. Was not allowed any submarines, tanks or an air force

Money (Tov)

As the war was said to be Germany's fault they had to pay for the cost of rebuilding

Reparations

Germany's payments for the rebuilding of France and Belgian were set at £6.6 billion with annual payments from 1921

Blame (Tov)

Whilst all of the European countries had a part to play in causing WW1, Germany had to accept all of the blame

Article 231

Known as the 'Guilt Clause' as it was the term of the treaty that set out that Germany was responsible for the destruction of the First World War

Harsh

Many Germans believed that the treaty was unfair and believed that the government should have secured a better deal.

Stabbed in the back

Some Germans, including many soldiers, thought Germany could have carried on fighting but was betrayed by the socialist politicians who ended the war

1871

The date the separate German states were unified to become one country - Germany

Kaiser Wilhelm II

The German Emperor who came to power in 1888. He came from Prussian the largest state in Germany.

Prussian Militarism

The idea that a country should have strong armed forces. As a Prussian, the Kaiser built the size and strength of the army.

Weltpolitik

World Policy.' The Kaiser wanted Germany to be a world power with an empire to rival Britain's

Navy Laws

A series of laws passed between 1898 and 1912 to build the German navy which led to increased taxation and borrowing leaving Germany in debt

The Kaiser's Role in Government

In overall charge so could ignore government advice and make his own decisions. Made all military and foreign policy decisions and appointed ministers.

Chancellor

Chief minister. Advised the Kaiser along with other ministers.

Bundersrat

Made up of representatives from each of the states that were unified to make Germany one country in 1871. Had more power that the Reichstag when voting on laws.

Reichstag

The German parliament was elected by all men over 25 so was democratic. Could not propose laws but could vote on laws proposed by ministers.

Industrialisation

By 1914 Germany had transformed from a mostly agricultural society to one based upon factories and machines.

Socialism

System of government which supports democracy and greater government involvement in the economy and society.

Growth in Socialism

Before the war many German workers joined trade unions and organised strikes hoping to force the government to improve pay and working conditions

SPD

The Social Democratic Party was a political party formed in the 1880s. They believed power and wealth should be shared equally among the people. 1 in 3 Germans voted for them before the war

Communists

Extreme socialists who believed that Germany should be governed by workers and wanted a revolution to overthrow the Kaiser

Patriotism

In 1914 most Germans were patriotic. They supported the war believing Germany would win it.

War weariness

By 195-16, as the war continued, protests began with around 500 people but increased to 10,000 wanting an end to the war

Russian Revolution

In 1917 a communist Revolution led to the Kaiser's cousin, Tsar Nicholas being overthrown

Political Instability

By 1918 Germans were fed up with the war. Many blamed the Kaiser and his government for the hardships they suffered causing political unrest

Losing

By 1918 the German generals believed they could not win the war. General Ludendorff advised the Kaiser to make the country more democratic so they would be treated less harshly by the victors

Democratic measures

The Kaiser gave the Reichstag some of his powers and allowed the main political parties to form a new government but protests continued.

Mutiny

On 28th October 1918 the Germany navy refused to follow orders and go to sea.

Worker's councils

Soldiers sent to deal with the mutiny joined the sailors, as did workers. Within 6 days the workers were ruling towns and cities all over Germany

Abdication

On 9th November, the Kaiser gave up his throne and left Germany taking all of his wealth with him

Friedrich Ebert

Was the leader of the SPD, the largest party, he formed a government which promised to hold elections and end the war

Naval Blockade

The British navy had blockaded the German ports preventing food from getting in. The Germans were starving.

The Armistice

On 11th November 1918 the war ended when the Germans surrendered.

November Criminals

Many Germans refused to believe that they had been defeated as the allied armies had not marched through berlin. They blamed the new government for surrendering unnecessarily

Debt

Germany had borrowed huge amounts of money to fight the war that would have to be repaid. Germany had loaned money to their allies which would not now be repaid.

Pensions

With thousands of wounded soldiers eligible for pensions taxation would have to be increased to pay the pensions.

Division

Factory owners had made huge profits in the war whilst workers had been paid low wages and suffered due to rising prices.

Women

Had gained greater independence and freedom from their wartime jobs.

Traditional values

Many older Germans worried about the impact of women working on traditional family life and gender roles

Widows

Thousands of German women had lost their husbands

Political instability

With the Kaiser gone and no elections there was political unrest over who should be running the country and what they should be doing

The Spartacists

Were a group of German communists, wanted Germany to be run by small councils of workers and soldiers

Uprising

On 6th January 1919 the Spartacists seized power in Berlin

Freikorps

Ebert needed to take back control but had no troops so he sent 2,500 ex-soldiers to attack the Spartacists and take back control

Defeat

After 3 days of fighting, the Freikorps defeated and killed the Spartacist leaders Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknicht

January 1919 Elections

The SPD were the largest party and Ebert became President

1921

The German government scraped together the first reparations payment of 2 billion gold marks.

1922

Germany announced they could not afford to pay the reparations payment. The French and Belgians did not believe them

The Ruhr

The industrial heartland of Germany where their main resources and factories could be found

January 1923

60,000 French and Belgian soldiers occupied the Ruhr. They took charge of every shop and factory and seized goods to pay for reparations

Violence

Some Germans tried to resist the french and Belgian troops only to be beaten up

Strikes

The German government did not want the workers to make goods for the French and Belgians to take so they ordered them to stop work

Printing Money

As no good were being made or sold, the only way the government could pay the striking workers was by making more money. They also printed money to pay the reparations.

Rising prices

As workers spent money in shops, shopkeepers started to put prices up.

Hyperinflation

When the value of money is so devalued that prices rise rapidly

Worthless

By December 1923 German bank notes were worthless. Germans blamed their government who had ordered the workers to strike and printed the money

0.6 marks

The price of a loaf of bread in 1918

201 billion marks

The price of a loaf of bread in November 1923

Losers

Lifetime's savings were wiped out. Pensioners and those on fixed incomes saw prices go up but their income stay the same. Many businesses failed leading to unemployment.

Winners

Those who had debts benefited as one bank notes would be enough to pay off a loan of thousands of marks

Left-wing ideas

Political belief that promotes equality, high taxation of the rich and the redistribution of wealth.

Right-wing ideas

Promote individuals, tradition and the chance to get rich or protect what you have. There should be a strong government run by the elite or a single ruler.

Causes of unrest

The Weimar government was seen as ineffective and unable to deal with Germany's problems. Right wing groups wanted a stronger government run by the elite. Communists wanted government by the workers.

Wolfgang Kapp

Right-wing politician who was unhappy about the Weimar government and wanted to introduce a stronger government run by the elite.

The Kapp Putsch

In March 1920, Kapp, gathered 5600 men, mainly police and ex-soldiers - Freikorps and took over Berlin.

Kapp's aims

To take over the whole of Germany and take back the land Germany had lost in the Treaty of Versailles

Government action

Ebert and the government fled. They had no army to put down the Putsch.

Strikes

The workers did not support the Putsch so went on strike. With no gas, electricity or trains Kapp could not run the country.

Outcomes

Kapp fled abroad and the government returned to Berlin

The Red Rising

After the Kapp Putsch, left-wing workers in the industrial Ruhr region stayed on strike

Workers' demands

They wanted to improve their working conditions and wages. Some also wanted a communist government.

Worker's Councils

They workers took over several towns setting up councils to run the town

Violence

The government sent soldiers and some Freikorps units to suppress the uprising. Over 1,000 workers were killed before they eventually gave in

1919 and 1922

Saw over 350 political murders in Germany. Most were carried out by right-wing extremists.

Revenge

They murderers wanted to punish those that had signed the Treaty of Versailles

Matthias Erzberger

The man who signed the Armistice in November 1918 was shot dead by a right-wing group

Foreign Minister

Walter Rathenau was killed

German Workers' Party

The original name for the right-wing Nazi party when it was founded in 1919

NASDP

National Socialist German Workers' Party - the Nazi Party's new name from 1920. Although they are called socialists they are right-wing

Nazi supporters

Unemployed, many ex-soldiers; some support from upper and middle classes who feared communists

Munich Putsch

An armed attempt to take over the Bavarian government by the right-wing Nazi Party in November 1923