The Weimar Republic Flashcards
All 32 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 fighting, ending the First World War.
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 the Treaty of Versailles order Germany to pay in reparations?
£6,600 million (132 billion gold marks), which 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.
Who were the Freikorps?
Right-wing paramilitary groups of ex-soldiers; Ebert's government used them to crush the Spartacist uprising in 1919.
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.
How did American loans and investment help the German economy after 1924?
They paid for new factories, mechanisation and assembly techniques, so industrial production and wages rose.
True or false? Germany's recovery in 1924–29 rested on American loans that could be withdrawn at short notice.
True. This left the German economy very vulnerable.
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.
Why are the years 1924–29 often called Weimar Germany's 'Golden Years'?
Economic recovery meant better wages, so people had more money to spend on leisure and culture.
How did women's position in politics change in Weimar Germany?
From 1919 women over 20 could vote, and women could stand for election; about 30 women sat in the Reichstag in the 1920s.
How did women's position in work change in Weimar Germany, 1924–29?
More women took jobs in the civil service, teaching, medicine and the law, though they were usually paid less than men.
True or false? All Germans approved of the new freedoms women took in their leisure time in the 1920s.
False. Many with traditional views thought women were behaving badly by smoking, wearing fashionable clothes and going to nightclubs.
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.
True or false? Everyone in Germany enjoyed a higher standard of living in 1924–29.
False. Many Germans remained in poverty, and the most lavish entertainment was enjoyed only by the wealthy.
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.
Why was the new German constitution drawn up in the town of Weimar in 1919, rather than in Berlin?
Berlin was still too violent and unsettled after the revolution, so the National Assembly met in the quieter town of Weimar. The constitution was agreed there in July 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.