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The Weimar Republic, 1919-1929
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- 1What was the Spartacus League?It was the militant faction within the USPD, who favoured a soviet republic like Russia
- 2What was the MSPD?Moderate SPD - wanted a democratic republic
- 3Who were the leaders of the MSPD and the Spartacus League?MSPD - Friedrich Ebert, Philip Schiedemann and Gustav Noske
Spartacus League - Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht - 4What were the aims of the MSPD and Spartacus League in 1918?MSPD wanted a democratic republic built around a parliament elected by the German people
Spartacus League wanted a 'dictatorship of the proletariat' - system based on soviets elected by working classes alone - 5Why did the Spartacus League only want workers to elect the political system?Because by allowing middle and upper classes to vote allowed them to block Germany's transition into socialism
- 6What was the National Assembly and what was it responsible for?It was an election by all Germans, of which were then responsible for drawing up a new constitution
- 7What political party did the Spartacus League form when they officially broke away from the USPD?The German Communist Party - KPD
- 8When and how did the Spartacus League start their uprising?January 1919
They seized control of public buildings and declared that the government had been overthrown - 9How did Ebert's provisional government deal with the Spartacus Uprising?Noske had authorised the formation of paramilitary units - the Freikorps - as the army was unreliable
Freikorps crushed the KPD and murdered the 2 leaders - 10Who were the Freikorps and how strong were they?Paramilitary units; many from army units that remained loyal to their officers
There were also civilian volunteers and university students
150 separate units, ranging from 500 to 10,000 men
Total strength around 400,000 - 11What other centres of revolutionary socialism did the Freikorps crush?Bremen and Hamburg in February 1919
A KPD-inspired strike in the Ruhr, February 1919
A KPD-led Bavarian Soviet Republic - crushed by 35,000 strong Freikorps in May 1919 - 12What were the reasons for a KPD uprising?1) Widespread hunger and unrest in Germany due to the continuing allied naval blockade
2) The army could not be relied on to crush it
3) They were receiving financial aid from Lenin's Russia - 13What were the reasons against a KPD uprising?1) No organisational base
2) Numerically weak
3) No serious preparations made
4) Leaders lacked organisational skill
5) MSPD had formed an alliance with the army through the Ebert-Groener Pact - 14What was the result of the National Assembly elections in January 1919?MSPD, Democrats and Centre Party won 80% of votes between them
- 15Why was this result not as emphatic a victory for democracy as it may appear?Many votes were down to Germans believing that the Allies would be generous on a democratic Germany
Also, militant parties did not take a serious part in the election - 16When and where did the National Assembly meet?February 1919 in Weimar, because Berlin was too dangerous
- 17Outline the 1919 Constitution- Electorate - men and women age 20+
- 17 states; own responsibilities representatives in the Reichstrat
- Reichstag elected by proportional representation every 4 years
- Chancellor headed the government
- President elected by electorate every 7 years - 18What were the main differences between the 1871 and 1919 Constitutions?Women now had the right to vote
Proportional representation was used instead of first past the post
Head of state was an elected President, not a hereditary monarch
Chancellor accountable to Reichstag and forced to resign if lost vote of confidence - 19What similarities were there between the 1871 and 1919 Constitutions?Remained a federal state
Reichstag still the principle law-making body (still an imperial parliament even though no longer an Empire)
Prussia not broken up into small units - remained largest state - 20What were the principal strengths of the 1919 Constitution?Ultra-democratic
Proportional representation was fair
Elections were frequent
Constitutional guarantees of basic human rights, e.g. freedom of speech, assembly
Referendums - 21What were the weaknesses of the 1919 Constitution?P.R. encouraged weak and unstable governments, and also allowed extremist parties to win seats in the Reichstag
No ceremonial head of state
Substantial power to the President - Article 48 to rule by decree was open to abuse - 22Who were the anti-Republic political parties of the 1920s, and on which side of the political spectrum were they?DNVP - far right
USPD - left
KPD - far left - 23Which party was initially anti-Republic in the 1920s?DVP - right
- 24Which parties were pro-Republic in the 1920s?Centre Party
DDP
SPD - towards left - 25Which party came closest to gaining a majority in the Reichstag elections?SPD in 1919 - had 38% of the vote
- 26How many coalition governments were there between 1919-1930?There were 16 different governments
- 27What were the 4 types of coalition? Who was involved and how many times were they formed?Weimar coalition with SPD, DDP and Centre (5)
Middle-class coalition with DDP, Centre and DVP (6)
Right-wing coalition with Centre, DVP and DNVP (2)
Grand coalition with SPD, DDP, Centre and DVP (3) - 28How was there a sense of continuity in the different coalition governments?Centre Party was in all 16 governments
DDP was in 14 out of 16 governments
DVP was in 11 out of 16 governments - 29What institutions in Germany failed to change after the events of 1918-1919?Judiciary, senior civil servants and police chiefs were allowed to maintain their posts - enemies of the Republic
Distribution of wealth remained unchanged (banks and industries retained wealth) - 30What was the principal threat to the survival of the Weimar Republic?The far right
The far left had been severely weakened and lacked unity - 31What was the main anti-Republic far right political party? What was their average vote?DNVP
Average vote in 1920s election was 10% - 32Was the anti-Republican right able to seize power?Yes
Support from officer corps in the army
Backed by right-wing parliamentary organisations, e.g. Stahlhem
Able to influence public opinion through the media due to media tycoon, Alfred Hugenberg - 33What were the 3 main reasons as to why the far right resented the Republic?1 - Lost power and status they had pre-1918
2 - Weimar created by worst elements in society, e.g. Jews, Catholics, socialists
3 - Convinced themselves Weimar politicians were responsible;e for Germany's defeat and the Treaty of Versailles - 34What territory did Germany lose according to the 1919 Treaty of Versailles?Alsace-Lorraine to France
Posen and West Prussia to Poland, creating the 'Polish corridor'
Upper Silesia to Poland
North Schleswig to Denmark
Rhineland became a DMZ
The Saar was placed under League of Nations control for 15 years - 35What were the military clauses of the Treaty of Versailles?The army was restricted to 100,000 men with no conscription, tanks, heavy artillery or general staff
Navy restricted to 15,000 men with no submarines
No air force was permitted - 36Did Germany get to keep or lose their colonies?They lost all their colonies in Africa and the Pacific (forfeited and became League of Nation mandates)
- 37What was Article 231 of the Treaty?The 'war guilt' clause - Germany was responsible for all loss and damage
Reparations fixed at £6600 million, or 132 billion marks - 38Why were Germans hostile to the Treaty of Versailles 'Diktat'?Had expected a fair negotiation, especially as they were now democratic
Had expected the peace settlement to based on Wilson's 14-points, but it was disregarded - 39Why was the Polish corridor a problem for Germany?It gave Poland access to the sea and meant that East Prussia had been cut off from the rest of Germany
Also, there were 1,000,000 Germans now under Polish rule with a say - 40How did Germany view the war guilt clause and reparations?Dismissed it as the 'war guilt lie' and viewed reparations as illegitimate
Assumed that the Allies wanted to destroy the German economy completely - 41How did the peace settlement allow the far right to make a political comeback?Many Germans shared their view that Germany should not sign the Treaty
Sense of nationalism
Claimed they had been stabbed in the back - just what the public wanted to hear - 42What and who caused the Kapp Putsch of 1920?Caused by military clauses of TOV
Noske could not incorporate Freikorps into regular army, so Ehrhardt (commander of a brutal unit) planned to topple government with Wolfgang Kapp - 43Was the Kapp Putsch successful?No - briefly occupied Berlin as army refused to move against them ("troops do not fire on troops")
However, failed to win mass support, and an SPD-led general strike contributed to its failure too - 44How did Ehrhardt respond to the failure of the Kapp Putsch?Created the Organisational Consul - a political assassination squad
- 45Who were victims of the Organisational Consul, and how was it put to a stop?Matthias Erzberger
Attempted murder of Philip Schiedemann
Murder of Walther Rathenau led to a security crackdown which put OC to an end - 46What was inflation like before 1923?It was a serious problem as Germany was still paying for war
They had borrowed and printed money to pay for it, causing inflation - 47How did the reparations affect international confidence in the German economy?International confidence declined
The value of the mark fell, so the cost of imports increased, pushing up the cost of living - 48What happened as a result of Germany failing to make a reparations payment on time in 1923?The French occupied the Ruhr in order to get supplies to make up for the reparations
- 49How did Germany respond to the French occupation of the Ruhr and why did they respond in this way?They opted for a policy of passive resistance, as they had no military strength left
- 50Why did passive resistance contribute towards rising inflation?Because nothing was being produced but the workers still had to be paid
Expenditure therefore rose, and the government financed the deficit by printing more money - 51What happened to the German currency (the mark) during 1923?Confidence completely lost and the mark collapsed
- 52Give an example of how much the cost of an item in Germany rose by due to hyperinflation in 1923?A loaf of bread cost 250 marks in January 1923. By November, the cost had risen to 200,000 million marks
People collected their wages in suitcases - one worker found that someone had stolen their suitcase but not the money inside it - 53Who were the winners of hyperinflation?People with debt - paid off with worthless money
Industrial tycoons such as Hugo Stinnes - made huge fortunes
Generally the wealthier elements of society - 54Who were the temporary losers of hyperinflation?People with no substantial savings, mainly working class
Their wages failed to keep up with inflation, so found it difficult to buy food, fuel and necessities during 1923
Recovered quickly when currency was stabilised - 55Who were the permanent losers of hyperinflation?People who had substantial savings, such as pensioners, those who had invested in war bonds
Mainly the middle classes - saw their value completely wiped out - 56How did the KPD use the hyperinflation situation to their advantage?Made plans to seize control of Saxony, as there was serious unrest in the poorest districts of major cities in the form of hunger riots, strikes and looting
- 57How did the circumstances also allow for a right-wing putsch attempt?French occupation of the Ruhr gave rise to nationalism
Fears of a communist putsch was widespread - 58Describe the Munich Putsch of 1923Hitler and the Nazis tried to attempt a march to Berlin and take over the government
However, von Kahr was not supportive and therefore the putsch failed
14 Nazis were killed and Hitler was shot in the arm - 59Why was the Republic able to survive the left and right threats in the early 1920s?The left lacked popular support
Anti-Republican right also lacked support; internal divisions were apparent in both putsches of 1920 and 1923
SPD quite influential; in 1922, half a million supporters protested against murder of Rathenau by Organisational Consul - 60What did Gustav Stresemann do, in regards to the economy, as the Chancellor, August to November 1923?Called off passive resistance in the Ruhr as it was an unsustainable policy
Oversaw the introduction of the new currency - Reichsmark (1 trillion old marks for 1 Reichsmark) - 61What did Gustav Stresemann do, in regards to the political threats, as Chancellor between August and November 1923?Defeated communist threat by ordering an army into Saxony to crush them
Waited for extreme right to self destruct in the Munich Putsch - 62Why did Gustav Stresemann not succeed for long as Chancellor?His policies created friction within the 'Grand' coalition
The SPD was angry at interventionism in Saxony but non-interventionism in Bavaria
Forced Stresemann to resign - 63What was Stresemann's attitude as Foreign Minister, 1923-1929?Idea of 'fulfilment' - improve relations with other countries by complying with terms in the hope that the Treaty would be modified once they realised Germany's good intentions
- 64Why was 'fulfilment' opposed by the far right?Said that by paying reparations, Germany was accepting the 'war guilt lie'
- 65What was the Dawes Plan of 1924 and its significance?Agreed to continue payments in return for a reduction in annual amounts
Also, received sizeable loan from USA to restart reparations ($200 million) - 66What was the significance of the Dawes Plan?Political moderates accepted it, as it paved the way for French withdrawal from the Ruhr
Anti-Republican right attacked it, saying Germany was 'enslaved' to the Allies - 67What was the Locarno Pact of 1925?Agreement to not change their western borders
Welcomed by moderates but anti-Republicans saw it as betrayal to Alsace-Lorraine - 68Why was Germany's entry into the League of Nations in 1926 significant?It meant that Germany was no longer isolated, and its diplomatic position was improved
It was now involved in international affairs again - 69What was the Treaty of Berlin, 1926?Reaffirmation of the Treaty of Rapallo from 1922
Mutual agreement to be neutral in the event of an attack in the next 5 years - 70What was the Young Plan of 1929, and did it succeed?An agreement to replace the 1924 Dawes Plan
Reduce total liability from £6600 million to £1850 million
It was not put into action due to the Wall Street Crash - 71How was the Young Plan viewed in Germany?Moderates - huge achievement
Anti-Republican right - would 'enslave' Germany until 1988
Nazis involved in a protest against it - 72What was the overall significance of Stresemann's foreign policies?Return to prosperity and made the German economy attractive to foreign investors
- 73Name some of the famous writers of the Weimar RepublicBertolt Brecht
Thomas Mann
Erich Maria Remarque - 74Name some of the famous artists from Weimar cultureOtto Dix
Max Ernst
John Heartfield
Paul Klee
Kathe Kollwitz - 75Name some of the famous musicians from Weimar culturePaul Hindemith
Kurt Weill
Wilhelm Furtwangler
Otto Klemperer - 76What was the famous architecture movement in Weimar Germany?Bauhaus
- 77How popular was the cinema in Weimar Germany? Name a famous movie and some actorsVery popular - 332 million cinema tickets were sold in 1926
Metropolis - very famous
Actors e.g. Marlene Dietrich and Peter Lorre - 78What was the nightlife scene like in Weimar Germany?Night clubs, revues and cabaret venues on the rise
Song, dance, stand-up comedy and political satire - 79What were the high profile spectator sports?Boxing and six-day bicycle riding
- 80How did the new culture cause divisionsSet the modernists against the traditionalists - viewed modern culture as shocking and upsetting
Political left against the political right - 81What were the opinions on the jazz-influenced compositions of Weill and Hindemith?Liked by the modernists
However, those who liked harmony and melody in music were shocked - 82Which city was the centre of new culture? How did some people view it?Berlin
Cities outside of Berlin were less racy and more conventional, for example there were only 3 nightclubs in Frankfurt
People viewed it as decadent and wicked - 83How did the Weimar artists present the political right in their works and why?Presented them as brutal and oppressive, because they were sympathetic to the left wing
- 84How did the conservatives reply to the left-wing artists?Showed that Weimar experimentation was corrupting the youth, and leading to an increase in crime, abortion and divorce
- 85What was the mood of the middle-class during the later 1920s (i.e. after 1923)?Felt prosperity was uneven - middle-classes had not been compensated for their losses during the hyperinflation
- 86What was the Unemployment Insurance Act 1927?Benefitted the working class and offered support to those who had lost their jobs
Middle-classes felt their taxes were being misspent - 87What did the trade unions succeed at doing in the 1920s?Won significant wage increases, narrowing the gap between the middle and working class incomes
- 88How well did skilled craftsmen and the mittlestand (small businesses) do during the 1920s?Not very well:
Skilled craftsmen were threatened by cheap mass-produced goods
Mittlestand faced competition from the fast growing networks of large department stores - 89What was the Law for the Protection of Youth Against Trash and Filth 1926? Who opposed it?Successful attempt by the political right and churches to outlaw displays and exhibitions would could corrupt the youth
Communists and social democrats opposed it, as it was a restriction on freedom of expression - 90How did Gustav Stresemann describe Germany's economy in the 1920s?"...doing well on the surface...is in fact dancing on a volcano"
- 91What were the main positives of the German economy in the 1920s?-Currency stabilised; prosperity
-Foreign investors
-Low interest rates and easy credit
-Mergers and takeovers e.g. chemicals giant IG Farben
-Exports rose by 50% by 1929
-Increase in real wages
-Housing conditions improved - 92What were the main negatives of the German economy in the 1920s?-Prosperity dependent on foreign loans - could be called back at short notice; fatal as shown by Wall Street Crash in 1929
-Agriculture declining; families in debt
-high unemployment due to mass production techniques
-Gov borrowing could not be sustained - 93Was there political stability in the later years of Weimar Germany? What was the result of the 1928 election?To an extent:
-No extra-parliamentary action
-Anti-Republican right made heavy losses in 1928 - Nationalist vote went from 21% (1924) to 14% by 1928 - 94In terms of political stability, what continuing or worsening problems were there?-Short-lived, weak coalitions
-Ebert died 1925, replaced by Hindenburg who was a sworn enemy of the Republic
-Street violence worsening, e.g. between SA and Communists. Total of 162 killed in political street fights
-Middle classes becoming alienated from the Republic - 95What were the 4 reasons for the middle-class resenting the Republic in the later 1920s?1 - Blamed the Republic for the 1923 financial losses
2 - Complained about living in a 'trade union state'
3 - Unwelcome social trends, e.g. the New Woman, rising crime, sexual permissiveness
4 - Angered by scandals, e.g. Barmat 1924-5
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- Flashcards for the Weimar Republic period in German History, A2 Edexcel
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