Germany & the Growth of Democracy Flashcards
All 48 cards in this deck
When did Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicate?
9 November 1918. He fled to the Netherlands, leaving government in disarray with no formal constitution until August 1919.
What was the armistice of 11 November 1918?
The agreement signed by the new German government to stop the fighting of the First World War; the peace terms came later, in the Treaty of Versailles (1919).
Give one strength of the new Weimar Constitution.
All men and women over 20 could vote by secret ballot — one of the most democratic systems in the world.
Why was proportional representation a weakness of the Weimar Constitution?
It gave Reichstag seats to many small parties, so governments were coalitions that were hard to keep stable or popular.
What was the 'stab in the back' theory?
The belief that the German army had not been beaten but was betrayed by the politicians (the 'November Criminals') who signed the armistice.
How much did Germany have to pay in reparations after the First World War?
£6,600 million (132 billion gold marks), the sum fixed in 1921 by the Reparations Commission; it caused economic hardship and resentment of the government.
True or false? The Treaty of Versailles took away 13% of Germany's land.
True. Germany also lost all of its overseas colonies.
Who were the Spartacists and what did they do in January 1919?
Communists led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht; they seized key buildings in Berlin and were defeated by the Freikorps.
What was the Kapp Putsch (March 1920)?
5,000 Freikorps seized Berlin and put the nationalist Dr Wolfgang Kapp in charge; it collapsed after a few days when the government called a general strike.
Why did French and Belgian troops occupy the Ruhr in January 1923?
Germany had failed to make its reparations payments, so they took goods and raw materials instead.
What was the immediate cause of the hyperinflation of 1923?
The Weimar government printed more money to pay the Ruhr workers who were on strike, making the mark worthless.
True or false? Every German lost out because of the hyperinflation of 1923.
False. People with large debts or loans could pay them off easily; savers, the middle class and workers lost most.
What was the Rentenmark?
A new currency introduced by Stresemann in November 1923 to end hyperinflation; it was replaced by the Reichsmark in 1924.
What was the Dawes Plan (1924)?
An agreement that temporarily reduced Germany's annual reparations payments to manageable levels and arranged US loans of 800 million marks.
What was the Young Plan (1929)?
It cut the total reparations bill from £6.6 billion to about £2 billion and extended payments until 1988.
What was the Locarno Pact (1925)?
An agreement in which Germany accepted its new western borders with France and Belgium, improving relations with the Allies.
When did Germany join the League of Nations, and what position did it gain?
1926, gaining a permanent seat on the League Council.
Which 1927 German film, directed by Fritz Lang, portrayed a visionary future city?
Metropolis. German cinema was renowned for being innovative, and was cheap entertainment for ordinary people.
What was the Bauhaus movement?
A design and architecture movement founded by Walter Gropius that united technology and design, using modern materials such as glass, steel and concrete.
What did Weimar artists such as George Grosz set out to do in their work?
Show the divisions in society and the horrors of war, criticising those in authority and deliberately shocking people.
What was the Munich Putsch?
Hitler and the SA's attempt to seize power in Munich on 8–9 November 1923, launched from a beer hall; it failed when police opened fire, 16 Nazis were killed and Hitler was arrested.
What did Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution allow the President to do?
In an emergency, the President could suspend parts of the constitution and pass laws by decree without the Reichstag's agreement. It was a weakness because it let a president govern without parliament.
Who was Friedrich Ebert?
The leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). He headed the new government after the Kaiser abdicated in November 1918, and became the Republic's first President in February 1919.
What was the 'war guilt' clause (Article 231) of the Treaty of Versailles?
It forced Germany to accept the blame for starting the First World War. The Allies used this to justify demanding reparations, and many Germans bitterly resented it.
What was the Reichstag in Kaiser Wilhelm II's Germany?
The elected German parliament, voted for by all men over 25. It could pass or reject laws, but could not appoint or dismiss the Chancellor.
What was Prussian militarism?
The Prussian tradition of respect for the army and military values. Generals had great influence over the Kaiser and were not answerable to the Reichstag.
Why was the growth of socialism a problem for the Kaiser before 1914?
The Social Democratic Party (SPD) won workers' votes and became the largest party in the Reichstag by 1912, demanding social reform and workers' rights; some socialists wanted revolution.
Give one problem that industrialisation created for the Kaiser's government before 1914.
It created a large industrial working class with powerful trade unions, which organised strikes to press for better pay and conditions.
What were the Navy Laws?
Laws passed from 1898 to build a large German battle fleet. At home they pleased nationalists and created jobs, but they were very expensive and left the government in debt.
How did the British naval blockade affect Germany during the First World War?
It caused severe food and fuel shortages, such as the 'turnip winter' of 1916–17, and around 750,000 Germans died of starvation and disease, adding to war weariness.
How did Germany pay for the First World War?
Mainly by borrowing and printing money rather than raising taxes, leaving huge debts and rising prices by 1918.
What was the Kiel mutiny (November 1918)?
Sailors of the German fleet refused orders to put to sea against the British navy; the revolt at Kiel in early November spread into revolution across Germany and forced the Kaiser to abdicate.
Give one effect of the 1923 hyperinflation on ordinary Germans.
Savings became worthless. Money lost value so fast that people burned banknotes for fuel and wages could not keep up with prices.
True or false? Allied armies were occupying Germany when the armistice was signed in November 1918.
False. The German army was still fighting in France and Belgium, so many Germans found defeat hard to accept, which helped the 'stab in the back' myth spread.
Who was Gustav Stresemann?
Chancellor in 1923 and then Foreign Minister until 1929; he ended hyperinflation with the Rentenmark and negotiated the Dawes Plan and the Locarno Pact.
What was the Kellogg–Briand Pact (1928)?
An agreement signed by Germany and over 60 other countries promising not to use war to settle disputes; it reassured other nations that Germany could be trusted.
Give one weakness of Germany's economic recovery under Stresemann.
It depended on short-term American loans that could be withdrawn at any time. Farmers' incomes also stayed low and the middle classes never recovered the savings lost in 1923.
How were German politicians affected by political unrest in the years 1919–1923?
They were vulnerable to assassination: there were over 350 political murders, including Foreign Minister Walther Rathenau in 1922.
True or false? All Germans welcomed the cultural changes of the Weimar years.
False. Many thought the new clubs, shows and paintings showed moral decline, and wanted art, music and theatre to celebrate traditional German values.
True or false? The German government ordered armed resistance against the French and Belgian occupation of the Ruhr in 1923.
False. It ordered passive resistance — workers went on strike and refused to co-operate, and the government printed money to pay them.
What was Weltpolitik?
'World policy': Kaiser Wilhelm II's drive from the late 1890s to make Germany a great power across the globe, winning overseas colonies and building a large navy to challenge Britain.
What powers did the Kaiser hold in Germany before 1914?
He chose and sacked the Chancellor, who answered to him rather than to the Reichstag, and he commanded the armed forces and controlled foreign policy himself.
What was the Bundesrat in Kaiser Wilhelm II's Germany?
The federal council of delegates sent by the governments of the German states. Every law needed its approval as well as the Reichstag's, and Prussia held the largest bloc of votes in it.
How had German industry grown by 1913?
Germany had become one of the world's leading industrial powers: its steel output was more than double Britain's, and firms such as Siemens, AEG and BASF led the world in electrical goods and chemicals.
What were the Treaty of Versailles' military terms for Germany?
Its army was limited to 100,000 men, it could have no tanks, air force or submarines, its navy was cut to six battleships, and the Rhineland was demilitarised.
Why did many Germans call the Treaty of Versailles a 'Diktat'?
Germany was shut out of the peace talks in Paris and told to accept the terms or face renewed war, so many Germans saw it as an imposed ('dictated') peace.
What political changes did the Kaiser make in October 1918?
Prince Max of Baden became Chancellor of a government drawn from the Reichstag parties, and the constitution was changed so the Chancellor answered to the Reichstag, in the hope of winning milder peace terms from the Allies.
Roughly what did a loaf of bread cost in Germany in November 1923?
About 200 billion marks, compared with less than one mark in 1918.