Weimar Germany

Describe the events that resulted in the Kaiser eventually agreeing to abdicate

On 9th November 1918, ministers tried to persuade the Kaiser to abdicate but he refused. However, army officers also refused to support him which meant he had no choice other than to resign

When did the Kaiser abdicate the throne?

9th November 1918

When/where did the Kaiser flee after his resignation?

10th November 1918/Holland

How many German troops died in WWI?

2 million

What did government debts increase from and to after WWI?

50 billion marks to 150 billion marks

How many Germans died of food shortages as a result of WWI?

750,000

What step did Ebert take to establish a new republic in terms of the politics and leadership of Germany?

He temporarily suspended the Reichstag on 10th November 1918 and instead implemented the Council of People’s Representatives as a temporary measure to run the government

What step did Ebert take to establish a new republic in terms of the army?

He made an agreement with General Groener, the leader of the German army, that they would work together to prevent communists from taking power. He reassured Groener that all army generals would keep their positions in exchange for help to keep the new government in power

What action did Scheidemann (SDP member) take to ensure the position of the new government in 1918?

Fearing the rioting crowds would declare a communist government, he declared news of the new Republic to the crowds and promoted a peaceful transition

When did the revolutionary period at the start of the Weimar Republic continue until and why did it stop?

August 1919, the new republic was formally established by then

When was the Armistice signed and who were amongst the people who signed it?

11th November 1918, Ebert and members of the SPD

When was the new Constitution formally established?

July 1919

Give 3 details about the role of president within the Weimar Republic (think term, powers,)

Elected by the people every 7 years, had the power to appoint the chancellor

Which article of the Weimar Constitution allowed the president to pass laws by decree and what did this mean surface-level and how it was used?

Article 48, meant the president could pass laws in the event of an emergency without consulting with the Reichstag, this was often exploited as the meaning of “emergency” was vague

Why was the Chancellor a significant role within the Weimar Republic?

They chose all government ministers

What was the Reichstag?

It was one of the houses of the Weimar government and its members were elected once every four years, with seats awarded based on proportional representation

What was the Reichsrat?

This was one of the houses of the Weimar government, with each German state sending representatives with the no. of representatives depending on the state’s size

Give 2 ways that proportional representation was an advantage of the new Weimar Constitution

It allowed even small parties to have seats, it ensured no group was too powerful

Give 2 ways that the voting demographic was an advantage of the new Weimar Constitution

Women could vote, voting age reduced from 25 to 21

Give 2 ways that the government and its power (or reduction thereof) was an advantage of the new Weimar Constitution

The Reichsrat could regulate the power of the Reichstag by delaying new laws, no one group or person could have too much power as they were all regulated by other people/groups

Describe how proportional representation was a disadvantage of the new Weimar Constitution

It led to coalition governments that were unstable and often fell apart, as well as providing a voice to extremist parties

Describe how the coalition governments was a disadvantage of the new Weimar Constitution

These coalitions were unstable and often fell apart as well as taking a long time to make a decision in a crisis. This means that the President often had to resort to using Article 48, which was both exploited and not very democratic

Why was the Weimar Constitution initially unpopular? (think simple)

It wasn’t the people’s choice

What was the army limited to after the ToV?

100,000 troops

Give 2 details about the limitations of the navy due to the ToV

No submarines, limited to 6 battleships

Describe what happened to Germany’s air force after the ToV

Planes were destroyed and no air force was allowed

What happened to the Rhineland as part of the ToV?

It was demilitarised

Which article in the ToV was the “blame clause” and why did this make the ToV even more unpopular with Germans?

Article 231, they believed they were not to blame as a) they claimed they were only fighting in self-defence and b) technically Austria-Hungary started WWI

What % of their land in Europe did Germany lose as part of the ToV?

13%

How many colonies overseas did Germany lose as part of the ToV?

11 colonies (aka all its overseas lands)

Why were the areas of land seized in the ToV particularly problematic for Germany?

They lost 50% of its iron stores and 10% of its population

What were the reparations set at in the ToV?

£6.6 billion

What would happen if Germany couldn’t pay the reparations in the ToV?

French and Belgian bailiffs would seize land and goods

What was the “stab in the back” theory known as in Germany and what did it entail?

Dolchstoss, they believed that the army had not actually been defeated and the country had been betrayed by the politicians who had signed the ToV (some of whom were Jewish, fuelling antisemitism)

Where on the political spectrum did the Spartacists fall and who were their leaders?

Left-wing, Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknicht

Describe the events of the Spartacist Revolt

In January 1919, the head of police in Berlin was sacked and the Spartacists viewed this as an opportunity to invoke general strikes and overthrow the government. 10,000 protesters came out in Berlin and took over the government’s newspaper and telegraph bureau with there being fighting in Berlin for several days. However, they were soon put down by Freikorps and the leaders were executed. Meanwhile the government withdrew to Weimar for safety

Where did the Kapp Putsch fall on the political scale and who was its leader?

Right-wing, Wolfgang Kapp - a nationalist politician

Describe the events of the Kapp Putsch

In March 1920, 5,000 Freikorp troops marched on Berlin as they feared unemployment. Ebert ordered the army to stop them but the army refused. The Freikorps wanted to invite the Kaiser to come back to rule but their rebellion was soon quelled when Ebert called for trade unions to go on strike. They were forced to give up then as they couldn’t keep Berlin running if there were no workers.

Why was the Kapp Putsch significant for the government?

It showed that the support of the army couldn’t be taken for granted

Give 2 things that were threatening the stability of the Weimar government politically (other than the KP and SR)

The 376 political assassinations that took place in the early years to the republic, conservative judges that gave conservative criminals light punishments

Why did the occupation of the Ruhr contribute to hyperinflation? (3 things)

Increased debts, increased unemployment, worsened the shortage of goods

When did the price of a loaf of bread reach its infamous peak and how much did it cost?

1923, 200,000 billion marks

What was the largest face value of a note during hyperinflation?

100 trillion marks

What events prior to 1923 had contributed to continual inflation in Germany?

During WWI the gov. had to keep printing more money to pay for the war but didn’t have the gold reserves to back it up, then between 1918-22 they continued to pr8int more money to deal with post-war shortages

What was the main thing that triggered a surge in hyperinflation and what response to this event by the gov. caused hyperinflation?

Invasion of the Ruhr, the gov. called for passive resistance and striking for the workers in thr Ruhr but agreed to still pay the workers their salary. The gov. was broke and had spent all the treasury so didn’t have the money to back this up. They therefore printed extra money that was the final push towards reaching a state of hyperinflatuion

What did people resort to due to hyperinflation in terms of dealing with money?

Using wheelbarrows to collect their paycheck, relying on bartering to obtain goods

How did the rich benefit from hyperinflation?

Lots of their money was in physical equity as opposed to money in a bank that was rapidly losing its value

How did people with loans benefit from hyperinflation?

Those who borrowed loans before the hyperinflation crisis proportionally had to pay back a lot less as money had lost so much value

How did those with savings suffer due to hyperinflation?

People’s entire life savings were quickly made worthless as money itself became worth less and less

How did people on fixed incomes like pensions suffer due to hyperinflation?

The government couldn’t keep up with the constant changes in the value of money so people on things like pensions had the value of their income massively decrease over time

When did French and Belgian troops invade the Ruhr?

January 1923

Why did France and Belgium invade the Ruhr?

Germany repeatedly were unable to pay reparations due to how little money the gov. had and also how little their currency was worth so French and Belgian troops seized the Ruhr. France also had its own wartime debts to pay off so wanted to benefit from the industrial profits from the Ruhr.

Why did Ebert have to resort to using passive resistance to combat French occupation of the Ruhr?

The size of Germany’s army was limited to 100,000 due to the ToV so there was no way they could fight back against the French troops

Why was the occupation of the Ruhr specifically as an area of land problematic for Germany?

It contained 80% of their coal, iron and steel reserves alongside many factories

What 2 things did Stresemann initially set up to deal with hyperinflation?

The Rentenbark and the Rentenmark

When did Stresemann create the Rentenbank and Rentenmark?

November 1923

What 2/3 steps did Stresemann take to ensure that the value of the Rentenmark would stay high and not go in the same direction as Germany’s previous currency?

The supply of the notes was strictly limited and their value was tied to the price of gold and backed up by German industrial plants and agricultural land

What were the second bank and currency Stresemann set up to take over from the temporary Rentenbank/mark?

Reichsbank and REichsmark

When was the Rentenmark officially replaced with the Reichsmark and the Reichsbank given full control over the currency?

August 1924

What was one drawback of the creation of the new currency to deal with hyperinflation?

Those with savings permanently lost their stores of money

When was the Dawes Plan introduced?

1924

Where did Stresemann fall on the political spectrum but how did he act?

Right-wing, more moderate

Which party was Stresemann a member of?

DVP

What were the 2 main things agreed to in the Dawes Plan?

Instalments were temporarily reduce to £50 million a year, US banks were to loan money to help the German industry

How much did the US banks loan Germany frokm 1924-1930?

$25 million

Why did the allies approve of the Dawes Plan?

It made them more confident that Germany would actually be able to pay reparations

When was the Young Plan proposed?

August 1929

Why didn’t the Young Plan go ahead?

The Great Depression

What was laid out in the Young Plan about the total reparations?

They were reduce from £6.6 billion to £2 billion

What was laid out in the Young Plan about the time over which the reparations had to be paid?

The payments could be made over a longer time, up until 1988

Why was the Young Plan beneficial for the average German?

Lower reparations meant Germans didn’t have to be taxed as much as the government weren’t under such financial strain

How did Stresemann help to improve political stability (think aside from his plans and economic work)?

He created the Great Coalition which was all the moderate, pro-democracy parties and this allowed them to overcome the issues created by proportional representation and reduce the voice of extremist parties

How had industrial output increased by 1928 thanks to Stresemann’s work?

It had doubled by 1928 and had exceeded pre-war levels

Give 2 ways that Germany was still unstable in the late 1920s despite Stresemann’s work

The economy was dependant on loans from US banks, extreme political parties still vocally opposed Germany having to pay any reparations at all

When was Stresemann chancellor/foreign minister

August 1923-Nov. 1923, -1929

Give 2 ways that Stresemann was beneficial to the political stability of Germany (think general)

He increased support for moderate parties and decreased support for extremissts

Give 2 ways that Stresemann’s worlk benefited the ordinary German (think general)

He increased the public’s faith in the Weimar gov., he reduced the economic hardships of German people

When was the Locarno Pact agreed?

1925

What was decided about German borders in the Locarno Pact?

Germany accepted their current border with France, improving relations

What was decided about the Rhineland in the Locarno Pact?

It was to be permanently demilitarised

What was decided about the League of Nations in the Locarno Pact?

Germany could be a member

Give 3 reasons why the Locarno Pact was beneficial for Germany and its international state

It wasn’t imposed on them unlike ToV, it improved relations with France, gave them a position on the world stage again

Why was the League of Nations problematic for Germany when it was first set up in 1920?

It was an international body that discussed world problems to avoid war but Germany was excluded from joining

When was the Kellog-Briand Pact?

1928

How many coutnries signed the Kellog-Briand Pact?

62

What was the main term of the Kellog-Briand Pact?

Countries had to avoid using war to achieve foreign political objectives

Give 2 reasons why the K-B pact was significant for Germany`

It showed Germany was a major poewr once again, it increasedd public confidence in how Germany was being led

Give 2 ways that the ToV was still causing discontentment within Germany even with Stresemann’s reforms

The terms were still in place, some people thought that the LoN was a symbol of the ToV

Give 2 reasons (aside from ToV) why there was still discontentment during Stresemann’s reforms

Extremist parties still were around, lots of people didn;t like the agreed borders and improved relations with France

Give 3 ways that workers benefitted during the increased standards of living during the Golden Age (think simple)

Working hours reduced, wages increased, working conditions improved

How was unemployment insurance improved during the Golden Age>

3% of worker’s pay checks were put towards insurance that would care for them if they became unemployed or sick

What welfare law was introduced in 1927?

Unemployment Insurance Law, which covered 17 million workers

By how much had homelessness reduced by 1928?

60%

What % did “real wages” rise in 1928?

10%

Give 2 pieces of evidence to suggest that work conditions during the Golden Age hadn;’t imrpoved for everyone

Farmers were struggling as agricultural output was less than ¾ of what it was pre-war, white-collar workers didn’t see the same pay rises as those working in the industrial sector

What article in the new Weimar Constitution ensured that everyone should have housing which then prompted new gov. schemes during the Golden Age?

Article 155

Give 2 pieces of evidence to suggest that life for women got worse during the Golden Age in terms of work

% of women working went from 75% in 1918 to 36% in 1925, few women were able to secure high-status jobs due to underlying societal bias

Give 2 pieces of evidence to suggest that life for women got better during the Golden Age in terms of work

Women had better access to careers like healthcare and teaching with the number of female doctors doubling from 1925 to 1932, more women were encouraged to go to university

In what way did the social lives of women benefit during the Golden Age>

They were able to have more independence away from their male relatives, with more women being more interested in having a vibrant social life than settling down, having children and getting married

Why was there some backlash against the new lifestyle of many women during the GOlden Age?

The behaviour of “new women” was disliked by more traditional men and women who felt their behaviour was sinful and traditional values were being eroded