Weimar Germany

Strengths of the Weimar constitution

Voting - People had more rights to vote.

Proportional representation - Ensured the reichstag represented smaller parties, 60,000 votes per seat.

Power - Ensured one person didn’t have entire power, the president chose a chancellor, but the public voted for a president.

Weaknesses of the Weimar constitution

Voting - Frequent elections weakened public’s interest in elections, in the 20s to 30s very few people voted.

Proportional representation - No single parties won an election which resulted in 9 coalition governments between 1919 - 1923, which caused policies to lack vision and longer to pass.

Power - Article 48 meant the chancellor could ask the president to pass emergency laws. Ebert used this 63 times between 1923 and 1924, this was abuse to power.

What was the treaty of Versailles

Ensured temporary peace, as Germans had to pay for their role in the war.

Allies signed the treaty on the 28th of June 1919.

No German representatives were allowed to attend any peace talks.

This was a Diktat, where the losing side had the peace terms imposed upon them.

Germany had 15 days to ask the Allies to change any sections, but the Allies denied all concessions made by Germany.

What did the big three think about Germany?

Georges Clemenceau of France believed that after the devastation France was left in after world war one, it was only appropriate to punish Germany by making them lose their land and money.

Woodrow Wilson of America believed in the 14 point programme to ensure world peace, and wanted Germany to join the league of nations.

David Lloyd George of UK wanted world peace to avoid another war, and wanted to maintain trade with Germany, but believed Germany should be punished to an extent.

What were military effects that affected Germany due to the Treaty of Versailles.

The Rhineland was to be demilitarised, and the Allies troops were to be stationed in there from 1920-1930. This meant no German troops were allowed to be stationed, so it was very vulnerable to French invasion.

Germany was restricted to 100,000 soldiers, this meant many German soldiers became unemployed.

Germany was restricted to 6 battleships, no production of submarines, nor have an air force. This meant Germany could not develop military technology other countries had, making them significantly weaker.

What were territorial effects that affected Germany due to the Treaty of Versailles.

France was given the area of the Saar and it’s coal trades for 15 years. Germany lost 15% of their coal resources, negatively affecting their economy.

Alsace-Lorrain was given back to France, this was the buffer zone between Germany and France, this meant Germany was more vulnerable to French invasion.

Britain and Germany ruled 11 colonies of Africa that belonged to Germany, and rules the Far-East as mandates. This meant Germany lost it’s reputation as a global power, and fewer items to trade with other countries.

What were political/economic effects that affected Germany due to the Treaty of Versailles.

Germany was not allowed to join the league of nations. This meant Germany felt excluded from world politics and were most likely to resort to power to resolve disputes.

Germany had to sign the ‘War Guilt Clause’, meaning they had to accept blame for the atrocities started from WWI. This angered the German population as they did not believe that they were fully to blame for the death and destruction in WWI.

Germany had to pay £6.6 billion in terms of reparations, as a result of their surrender. This meant Germany would go bankrupt considering they couldnt trade with other countries.

Why was the Treaty of Versailles unpopular socially?

Germans believed German politicians committed a ‘Dolchstoss’ (Stab in the back)

Germans believed the government had lied to them about the reality of surrendering to the Allies.

Germans compared signing the Treaty of Versailles to a crime committed against the German state

Why was the Treaty of Versailles unpopular economically?

The reparations imposed by the allies would financially weaken Germany in case of another war.

The reparations could not be paid immediately which created problems by 1923 - Germans felt humiliated.

Extremist groups rose in popularity as they stated that they’d not follow the treaty if elected.

What triggered the Spartacist uprising?

The Chancellor Ebert had sacked Emil Eichorn (Berlin Chief police) who was popular amongst workers, this gave the Spartacist an opportunity to attack the government.

What happened during the Spartacist uprising?

Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht led the uprising and ordered workers to strike. 100,000 workers protested on the street to strike and began to control various Berlin telegraph officers and newspapers.

Chancellor Ebert did not know how to respond because the Reischwehr was weakened after WWI and there were too many protestors on the street.

How did Ebert respond to the Spartacist uprising?

Ebert ordered the Reichswehr to organize the Freikorps to fight the Spartacists on the street, this was effective because the Freikorps were strongly right winged who hated communists, also because the Spartacists were untrained workers and Freikorps were trained.

The Freikorps eventually killed Luxemburg and Liebknicht

What triggered the Kapp Putsch?

After the suppression of the Spartacist uprising, Ebert thought he gave too much power to the Freikorps.

Freikorps believed the government had committed ‘dolchstoss’ by signing the armistice and treaty of Versailles.

Ebert attempted to disband the Freikorps unit in Berlin - Freikorps feared unemployment and 5000 attempted to overthrow the government.

Who were the Freikorps?

Right wing extremists who kept their military equipment after WW1 and did not agree with the governments ideas.

There 250,000 by 1919.

What happened during the Kapp Putsch?

Freikorps declared Wolfgang Kapp as their leader, a right wing politician.

Ebert ordered General Seekcht, head of the Reichswehr, to stop the Freikorps, but he refused because he viewed them as fellow soldiers.

Kapp and Freikorps successfully took Berlin.

Government fled to towns in Weimar.

What happened after the Kapp Putsch?

Freikorps and Kapp declared they’d invite the Kaiser back to govern Germany.

This was a mistake because the workers disliked the Kaiser’s rule as they had little rights and freedoms under his rule.

The workers were encouraged to strike by the government, which led to little water supplies, electricity, gas, and public transport.

With little necessities, the Kapp couldn’t govern Germany, so he fled to Sweden with the Freikorps.

He later returned to stand trial, though he died just before.

What were 3 significant assassinations after the Putsch and Uprising?

Hugo Hasse:

A member of the council of the people’s representatives

October 1919 - shot by a young gunman in the Reichstag.

Erzberger:

Signed the armistice to end WW1 on the 11th of November 1918

August 1921 - Killed by two Freikorps in the Black Forest.

Ratheneau:

Foreign minister

June 1922 - Ambushed on his way to work - Shot and car blown up by 2 people.

How did Weimar combat assassinations?

Political groups set up private armies, such as the KPD’s Red Front Fighters.

This was an issue because many political armies just fought.