27581963
Description
Flashcards by Malachy Moran-Tun, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by Malachy Moran-Tun
over 3 years ago
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| Question | Answer |
| Who persuaded the Kaiser to abdicate in September 1918? | General Ludendorff (with the help of Hindenburg) |
| Why wouldn't the president of America discuss peace terms with Germany for WWI? | The Kaiser was still in power |
| What leader and party took over the Kaiser on the 9th November 1918? | Friedrich Ebert, leader of the Social Democrat Party |
| What party won the free elections in January 1919? | Social Democrat Party (Ebert's Party) |
| What is the "Stab in the Back" theory? | The believe that the politicians who had setup the Weimar government were to blame for the end of WWI, the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, and they had betrayed the army |
| Why was Germany virtually bankrupt by 1918? | > National income was ⅓ of what it had been > 600,000 widows and 2 million children without fathers - state was spending more on war pensions > Industrial production ⅔ of what it had been |
| Why were there deepened divisions in German society by 1918? | > Huge gaps between the living standards of rich and poor > German workers bitter at the restrictions placed on their earnings while factories made vast fortunes from the war > Women called to work - seen as damaging traditional values |
| Who were the Spartacists? | > Communist > Wanted a soviet-style revolution > Formed in 1916, against the war > Lead by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg |
| Who were the Friekorps? | > Nationalists > Considered themselves protectors of Germany from Communism > Made up of ex-military soldiers > Angry at the sudden defeat of the Germans in WWI |
| What did Ebert agree to do with General Wilhelm Groener? | Groner agreed to support the new government (and use troops to maintain stability and security) if Ebert promised to oppose the spread of Communism and keep the German army strong |
| What happened on the 5th January 1919 in the Spartacists' revolt? | > Setup soviets (workers councils) in many towns > Freikorps agreed to help Ebert crush the Spartacists (since they were Communists) > Fighting with high casualties - Freikorps won > Leaders Liebknecht and Luxemburg were murdered |
| What were two other examples of Communist revolutions in 1919 - 1920? | ---- Feb 1919 - Revolution in Bavaria ---- > Leader was murdered and Communists seized the opportunity to declare it a Communist republic > Ebert used the Freikorps to crush the revolt in May 1919 - 600 killed ---- 1920 - Revolt in the Ruhr ---- > Ebert again used Freikorps - 2,000 casualties |
| Why did Ebert's use of the Freikorps create bitterness between the Communists and Socialist party? | Even though they were both left-wing, Ebert used ruthless measures against them |
| What happened March 1920 in the Freikorps' revolt? | > 1920 - Treaty of Versailles caused the Weimar government to announce measures to disband the Freikorps and reduce military size > Wolfgang Kapp lead a Putsch (revolt) in response > Wanted for Germany to have an empire, strong army and fascist government > March 1920 - 5,000 Freikorps lead into Berlin by Kapp > Army refused to fire on the Freikorps > Workers organised a general strike, which brought the capital to a halt, with no transport, power or water > Kapp realised he could not succeed and fled - murdered while awaiting his trial |
| Why did a low amount of rebels be punished for the Kapp Putsch? | The judges were mainly right-wing nationalists against Ebert's government |
| What wre the main points of the Weimar Constitution? | > Men and Women over 20 can vote > Proportional Representation - percentage of seats in the Reichstag is proportional to the percentage a party wins > Day-to-day government is the job of the Chancellor - leader of the biggest single party > Head of the state is the President - elected but stays out of day-to-day government, except in a crisis > Article 48 - in an emergency, the President runs the country himself, for a short time |
| What was a problem with Proportional Representation? | Almost certainly forms a coalition government, which means it's harder for parties to agree and get laws passed |
| Why did Germans dislike the Treaty of Versailles? | > Guilt clause - Germany had to accept full responsibility for WWI, even though they were not the main cause > Armaments reduced: army - 100,000 men; navy - 15,000 men; conscription banned; 6 battleships, no submarines; demilitarise the Rhineland > Reparations - £6.6 billion to be payed > Loss of land (about 13%) > Weren't allowed in the League of Nations |
| Why did French and Belgian troops enter the Ruhr in January 1923? | Germany did not pay the second installment of reparations from the Treaty of Versailles, so they invaded with the intention of taking raw materials and goods (under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles) |
| What is hyperinflation? | When the government decided to print more money due to the lack of money, which subsequently causes prices to rise as there is more money in circulation. This leads workers to demand higher wages, and the cycle repeats |
| How did hyperinflation benefit / cause problems for different classes / people? | ✗Old people - retirement savings become worthless ✗Those in (fixed) debt - Pay of debt easily and quickly ✗Workers - wages most likely lowered (would have to keep changing) ✗Middle Class - Savings become worthless ✓ Rich Businesses - Charge more as an excuse for inflation (dirty capitalists) ✓ Rich People - Land in property, not actual savings |
| What was the Rentenbank? | > Nov 1923 - Setup by Stresemann, issued a new currency called the Rentenmark > Carefully controlled (linked to the price of Gold) > August 1924 - Reichsbank given control of the currency (renamed to the Reichsmark) > Hyperinflation over - jobs and businesses could recover |
| What was the Dawes Plan? | > 1924 - Charles Dawes designed a plan so Germany could pay back their reparations > Installments temporarily reduced to £50 million a year (which would be slowly increased), allowing it to be manageable > US banks agreed to make loans to Germany to help recover its industry > French and Belgian troops told to leave the Ruhr, did so in 1925 |
| What was the Locarno Pact? | > Signed by France, Belgium, Italy, Britain and Germany > Germany accepted its new 1919 border with France > France promised peace with Germany > Rhineland would be permanently demilitarised > Talks about German League of Nations Membership |
| What was the German League of Nations membership? | > Initially, Germany not allowed to join the League of Nations > Since it was not considered to be a member of the international community > Locarno Pact - allowed for talks of German membership > 1926 - Germany joined, confirming its status as a Great Power |
| What was the Kellogg-Briand Pact? | > Not a cereal made by brian, unfortunately > Agreement between 62 nations > Agreed to avoid using war to achieve foreign policy objectives > Armies would be used for self-defense ONLY > Allowed for improved relationships between European Nations and the USA |
| What was the Young Plan? | > Introduced in 1929 to extend the Dawes Plan > German reparations were permanently reduced to £2 billion > Payments could be made over a long period of time - up to 1988 (turns out they finished paying in 2010) > Lower reparations meant lower taxes |
| How did unemployment change between 1924 - 1929? | > 1924 - 4% unemployed; 1926 - 2 million (less than 4%); 1928 - 1.3 million > Unemployment Insurance Act of 1924 - Government provided unemployment benefits if they fell out of work |
| How did housing change between 1924 - 1929? | > 1923 - shortage of 1 million homes; 1925 to 1929 - 101,000 new homes were built > 1925 - 15% rent tax helped build homes |
| How did work and wages change between 1924 - 1929? | > Real wages rose by 25% > Working week shortened - 1925 - 50 hours, which gradually fell |
| How did war pensions change between 1924 - 1929? | > War veterans offered help > 1920 Reich Pension Law allowed 750,000 veterans; 400,000 war widows and 200,000 parents to receive pensions > Education improved - pre-WWI - 70,00 university students; 1928 - 110,000 |
| How did women in politics change between 1918- 1932? | > Women given the right to vote in elections > 90% of women voted Weimar elections throughout 1918 - 1929 > 1932 - 112 women elected to the Reichstag > Marriage became an equal partnership by law |
| How did women in work change between 1918 - 1933? | > WWI - Women in male dominated jobs increased > 1918 - 75% of women were working > Post WWI - Women working decreased back to "traditional" values > 1925 - 36% of women were in work > Article 109 of Weimar constitution not really helping (able to enter professions equally) > Women paid 33% less on average > 1933 - only 36 female judges in the WHOLE of Germany > Part time jobs available for women in many sectors > Female doctors rose from 2,500 to 5,000 between 1925 and 1932 |
| How did women's leisure change between 1924 - 1929? | > Young, unmarried women used job opportunities for independence - referred to "new women" > Brought more revealing clothes, shorter hair, make-up and jewellery, went out unaccompanied, drunk and smoked more |
| How did gender beliefs change between 1924 - 1929? | > Some women felt liberated by the new opportunities, others found the change scary / unwanted > Some men accepted the changing role (yay), while others saw it as a threat (boo) > Traditionalists (including clergy) complained that women should focus on being mothers > Some blamed economic problems on women upsetting the workplace |
| How did architecture change between 1924 - 1929? | > Bauhaus movement - rejected traditional styles, creating new and exciting buildings > Futuristic, unlike anything seen before > First exhibition attracted 15,000 visitors |
| How did cinema change between 1924 - 1932? | > Became popular in the 1920s > German films were very original > New genres, such as horror, can be seen as originating from Germany > First sound film for Germany in 1930 > 1932 - 3,800 cinemas showing films with sound |
| How did art change between 1924 - 1929? | > New movements, including: expressionism, modernism and objectivism > Focused more on feelings, the future and the realities of life > Sometimes very critical of German society > 1924 - Weimar's economic recovery allowed for more funding to the arts |
| How did Berlin change between 1924 - 1929? | > Tried to rival Paris as the cultural city of Europe > 1924 - Became famous for dancing and a liberated nightlife > 1927 - 900 dance bands in Berlin alone > No more censorship, allowing for performers to criticise political leaders > Villages and country towns saw the culture of the cities to represent a moral decline |
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