Weimar Democracy Flashcards
All 20 cards in this deck
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.
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.
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.
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.