Weimar Germany

Advantages of Reichsmark

- Created more trust in economy, much stronger basis for recovery

- Allowed employment to improve

Advantages of the League of Nations

1. Confirmed Germany's return to power status

2. It was a boost to moderate parties who supported Stresseman

3. Increased confidence in Weimar Republic

Architecture in Germany

The *Bauhaus School of Design* was particularly influential at the time, it focused on modern/futuristic architecture

Art in Germany

Many painters (e.g. Otto Dix) painted expressionist scenes from German life that were critical of German society

Article 48

Allowed the President, in emergencies, to make laws without the prior consent of the Reichstag

Article 109 of the Weimar Constitution

- Women and men had equal rights

- Marriage was an equal partnership

- Women should be able to enter all professions

At which ports did sailors mutiny and when? (The beginning of the German Revolution)

Kiel and Hamburg on *26th October 1918*

Bankruptcy in 1923

- Germany spent all its money in WW1, had no gold reserves, lost its most precious industrial areas and had to pay reparations

- Asked for reductions but the victors disagreed

- By 1923, Germany could no longer pay

Between 1919 and 1922 how many political assassinations took place?

376

Cause of Invasion of Ruhr

In December 1922, Germany failed to send coal to France from the Ruhr

Causes of hyperinflation in Germany

- Shortage of goods meant prices went up, making inflation rise

- Government printed more money

Central party

Centre party (ZP)
Democratic party (DDP)

Cinema in Germany

Film became popular worldwide in the 1920s, particularly expressionist films

Dawes Plan

The agreement with an American banker (Dawes) to try and solve problems with reparations in 1924

Dawes Plan- how much did US banks loan German industry between 1924 and 1930?

$25 billion

Diktat

Germany being forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles, with no say about it

DNVP personal army

Steel Helmets

Dolchstoss

Stab in the back, the army was betrayed by politicians

Effects of the Invasion of the Ruhr (3)

1. Increased debt

2. Unemployment

3. Shortage of goods

Extreme left party

Communist party (KPD)

Extreme right party

Nazi party (NSDAP)

How did 'new women' act?

Smoked and drank more

Less interested in marriage and family

Wore more makeup, jewellery and revealing clothes

Common in ads and films

How did education improve?

The number of students in higher education rose by 40,000 between pre-WW1 and 1928

How did housing improve? (1924-1929)

*1925* - 15% rent tax was introduced to fund building associations

An association (GEHAG) built almost 10,000 new houses in Berlin alone

How did the army (Reichswer) respond to the Kapp Putsch?

"Reichswer does not fire upon Reichswer"
(they had fought together in the trenches)

How did the Weimar Government respond to the Kapp Putsch?

They fled to Weimar and called a general strike which left Berlin with no transport, water or power

How did working hours improve? (1924-1929)

Working week shortened

*1925* - 50 hours
*1927* - 46 hours

How many female doctors were there in Germany in 1925 and 1932?

*1925* - 2500

*1932* - 5000

How many Germans died of food shortages during the war?

750,000

How many Germans fought in WW1, how many were wounded and how many died?

11 million fought

4 million wounded

2 million died

How many men was the German navy limited to after the Treaty of Versailles?

15,000

How many nations signed the Kellogg-Briand Pact?

62

How much did the Dawes Plan temporarily reduce reparations to?

£50m per year

How often were the Reichstag and Reichsrat elected?

Every 4 years

How were women treated in the workplace?

- Paid on average *33%* less than men for same work

- Women expected to give up work once married

- Few women entered high-status professions

In 1923, what was the shortage of homes in Germany?

1 million

In 1933, how many female judges were there in Germany?

36

In the Weimar elections what was the turnout of women voters?

90%

In what month and year did Stresseman call off passive resistance?

September 1923

KPD personal army

Red Front Fighters

Land loss

- Alsace-Lorraine, West Prussia, Posen were taken off Germany

- 11 German colonies taken away

- Lost 50% of its iron and 15% of its coal reserves

- Output of rich Saar coalfields was to go to France for 15 years

Left party

Social democrats (SPD)

Military restrictions

- Army limited to 100,000 men

- Navy not allowed any submarines

- No air force allowed

- Rhineland demilitarised

Name 3 politicians assassinated between 1919 and 1922

*Hugo Haasse* (1919)

*Matthias Erzeberger* (1921)

*Walther Rathenau* (June 1922)

November Criminals

The German leaders who signed the Treaty of Versailles

NSDAP personal army

The SA

Occupation of the Ruhr

- In retaliation, French (and Belgian) troops invaded the Ruhr coalfields

- French arrested workers who went on strike and brought in their own workers

Price of a loaf of bread between 1919 and 1923

*1919* - 1 mark

*1922* - 100 marks

*Nov 1923* - 200,000 billion marks

Proportional representation

An electoral system when parties got the same proportion of seats as their proportion of votes

Reparations

Germany had to pay *136,000 million marks* (£6.6 billion)

Right party

People's party (DVP)
Nationalists (DNVP)

SPD personal army

Black Red Gold Flag

The Chancellor

Appointed from Reichstag by the President

Needed support of majority of Reichstag

Appoint cabinet

The President

Head of State

Elected every 7 years

Played no part in day to day running of the country

The Reichsmark

- After the withdrawal of the Rentenmark, the Reichsmark is introduced

- Currency backed by Germany's gold reserves

The Rentenmark

- Stresemann sets up the Rentenbank, issues a new currency, the Rentenmark

- Trusted by civilians and ended hyperinflation

- Allowed businesses to recover and the economy to stabilise

Until what year was Germany excluded from the League of Nations?

September 1926

War Guilt

*Article 231* of the Treaty stated that Germany had caused the war, Germany had to accept this

What belief is centre on the spectrum?

Democracy and capitalism

What belief is extreme left wing on the spectrum?

Communism

What belief is extreme right wing on the spectrum?

Nationalism and strong dictatorship (often racist)

What caused the Spartacist Rising?

*4th January 1919* Ebert sacked Emil Eichorn (police chief in Berlin) who was popular with workers

What did Hitler think about the Young Plan?

He said it was *"passing on the penalty to the unborn"*

What did the Locarno Pact agree on?

To keep existing borders between Germany, Belgium and France

What did Wolfgang Kapp declare?

A new nationalist government, and he invited the Kaiser to return

What happened in the Spartacist Revolt?

- *6th January 1919* the Spartacists called for a general strike

- In Berlin over 100,000 workers seized government newspaper and telegraph offices

What happened to the government debts between 1914-1918?

They trebled because of the cost of the war (50 to 150 million marks)

What nations signed the Locarno Pact?

Germany, Britain, France, Belgium and Italy

What percentage of German population was taken away as part of the Treaty of Versailles?

10%

What percentage of Germans were unemployed in 1924?

4%

What percentage of women were in work in 1918 and in 1925?

*1918* - 75%

*1925* - 36% (about the same as pre-war)

What was a disadvantage of the Dawes Plan?

It made Germany reliant upon the USA so Germany was brought down along with the USA during the Wall Street crash (in 1929)

What was the Armistice?

A formal agreement to end WW1, as Germany had surrendered

What was the Kellogg-Briand Pact?

It agreed that nations would keep their armies solely for self defence and would solve all international disputes by *'peaceful means'*

What was the League of Nations?

An international association whose goal would be to keep peace among nations, without resorting to war (set up after WW1 by allies)

What was the main left wing party in 1919?

KPD

What was the main right wing party in 1919?

DNVP

What was the only way of creating peace in Germany after WW1?

If the Kaiser abdicated

What was the Young Plan?

Reduced total reparations debt from £6.6 billion to £2 billion

Germany were given a further 59 years to pay

What were the four main threats to the Weimar Republic between 1919 and 1922?

*Spartacist uprising* (Jan 1919)

*Weimar Constitution* (March 1919)

*Signing the Treaty of Versailles* (June 1919)

*Kapp Putsch* (March 1920)

What were the key issues facing the Weimar Republic prior to 1924?

- Humiliation of the Treaty of Versailles

- Attempted uprisings from the extreme left and right

- Falling behind in reparations payments

- Invasion of the Ruhr

- Hyperinflation

What were the two German houses of parliament?

Reichstag and Reichsrat

What were the years of 1924-1929 often called?

The Golden Age

When did Germany sign the Locarno Pact?

1925

When did Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicate?

9th November 1918

When did the French withdraw their army from the Ruhr?

1925

When did the Kapp Putsch take place?

March 1920

When did the Spartacist revolt occur?

January 1919

When did the Spartacist Uprising end?

By *13th January* the rebels had been driven off the streets

When was the armistice signed and by who?

*11th November 1918* by Matthias Erzberger

When was the Council of People's Representatives established?

10th November 1918

When was the Kellogg-Briand Pact signed?

1928

When was the Reichsmark introduced?

August 1924

When was the Rentenmark introduced?

November 1923

When was the Ruhr invaded?

January 1923

When was the Treaty of Versailles signed?

28th June 1919

When was the Weimar Constitution established?

March 1919

Who benefited from hyperinflation?

- Those with loans

- Those who saved goods up and sold them for a greater profit

- Foreign visitors

Who could vote in Germany at the time?

Both males and females, over the age of 21

Who opposed 'new women'?

Conservatives and traditionalists as they thought the independence of women threatened traditional aspects of society