3. Changes to Weimar Society

By 1926 how many German workers were unemployed?

1926 - over 20%.

1928 - roughly 2%.

True or False? The Unemployment Insurance Act of 1927 funded insurance that covered unemployment and sickness.

True. 60 Reichsmarks per week to each insured unemployed. (Maximum, only high ranking officials recieved this, ordinary Germans recieved much less.)

Define communism.

Ideology, all property belong to the state and wealth shared.

Name two reforms the Weimar government introduced to improve working conditions.

Shorter working hours in a week.

Real working wages increased.

How did Lander solve the 1923 German housing crisis?

Using foreign loans to fund building projects.

Encouraged workers to build own houses with recycled materials.

Did the Weimar government help to increase the amount of suitable housing during the 1923 housing crisis?

Yes. Introduced a rent tax, employed architects to create new homes.

How many war widows were there in Germany by 1920?

400,000 by 1920.

What was the Reich Pension Law of 1920?

Government scheme, help widows and ex-soldiers recover from impact of World War One.

How many Germans received a war-related pension after World War One?

Over 1.3 million war widows and ex-soldiers.

True or False? By 1928, the number of students in higher education had increased to 110,000.

True.

1928 - 110,000.

Before 1914 - 70,000.

Did anyone oppose the educational reforms the Weimar government introduced?

Yes.

Oppositions:

• Catholic and Protestant churches - influence taken away from schools.

• Upper-class parents - children educated with lower-class children from different faiths.

True or False? The Social Democratic Party (SPD) wanted to increase women's rights in Weimar Germany.

True.

Moderate left-wing beliefs, more open-minded.

Other parties, right to reward women for efforts in WW1.

What rights did the Weimar Constitution give women?

Rights:

• Vote if they were over 20.

• Equal legal partnership in marriage between men and women.

What right did Article 109 of the Weimar Constitution give women of Weimar Germany?

Right to access all professions on an equal standing to men.

True or False? When a woman married, society expected her to leave her job to focus on the household and become a mother.

True.

Was there an increase or decrease in women being employed as teachers and doctors in Weimar Germany?

Increase. However, women struggled to reach high-respected professions.

Define 'New Women' of Weimar Germany.

Felt that the right to vote and increased working opportunities gave them the chance to express themselves.

How did the right to vote give the 'New Women' of Weimar Germany the freedom to express themselves?

They could:

• cut their hair short

• wear more makeup

• smoke cigarettes

• drink alcohol.

Did conservative German men support the 'New Women' in the Weimar Republic?

No. Blamed 'New Women' for the falling birth rate and the increase of divorces in Germany.

Define expressionism in Weimar Germany.

Art movement, aimed to focus on emotions rather than showing how things really looked.

What was the aim of Expressionist art in Weimar Germany?

Aimed to unsettle viewers - grotesque and exaggerated figures in violent scenes.

Hoped to prompt questioning of societal norms and values through discomfort.

True or False? Conservative upper-classes and the extreme right-wing supported Weimar Art.

False. Undermined the authority of the upper-classes.

Many artists had left-wing views, challenged upper-class and the extreme right-wing's views.

Name two artists associated with Expressionism in Weimar Germany.

Otto Dix - depicted syruggles of war veterans.

George Grosz - "Grey Day" conveyed the monotony of daily life.

Define 'Bauhaus' architecture.

Geometric shapes create practical buildings.

Inspired by Weimar architects such as Erich Mendelsohn.

How many cinemas were in Weimar Germany by 1929?

~500 cinemas by 1929.

Give three examples of films created in Weimar Germany.

The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari (1920).

Nosferatu (1922).

Metropolis (1926).

When did Weimar Germany produce its first talking film?

1930.

Films with sound - 3,800 German cinemas by 1932.

Why did extremist left-wing parties oppose Weimar culture?

Saw the government's funding of culture as a waste of money.

Believed it took resources away from the people who needed financial help, for example, the workers.

Did extreme right-wing parties support or oppose Weimar Culture?

Opposed. Believed it destroyed German traditions and was responsible for the moral decline in German society.