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33 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Why were the problems facing Germany after WWI? |
1) Food Shortages 2) Kaiser Wilhelm's Abdicaton 3) Political Unrest 4) Bankruptcy 5) Growth in Social Divides |
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What part did Food Shortages have in the problems in Germany post WWI? |
1) During the war the Allies had blockaded Germany, leading to a lack of food and supplies. People were starving, leading to riots in the streets. 2) The 1916/17 winter caused the potato crop to die, leading to the 'turnip winter' 3) Ration cuts lead to a Navy Mutiny against the Kaiser |
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What part did Kaiser Wilhelm's abdication have in the problems in Germany post WWI? |
1) The Kaiser had been forced to resign so that armistice could be agreed 2) Many people liked the autocratic regime that had come before and did not want the new democracy, leaving Germany in political turmoil. 3) Friedrich Ebert (Leader of the Social Democrats) took over and tried to improve people's lives by giving them better working conditions and freedom of speech |
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What was the Spartacist Uprising? |
1) The Spartacist Uprising was an uprising by the German Communist party (The Spartaists) in an attempt to take Germany from Ebert 2) They were lead by the Spartacist Leaders: Rosa Luxembourg and Karl Liebnecht 3) It happened on the 6th January 1919 4) Within a week, it had been crushed by Ebert and the Freikorps 5) Rosa and Karl were both murdered |
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Who were the Freikorps and why were they an issue for Ebert? |
1) A group of ex-WWI soldiers paid by the government to maintain order - They were proud of Germany's 'glory days' in the war and were angry that it lost - They hated democracy, communists and the Allies 2) He appered weak because he had to rely on them, and, as they were extremely right wing, he knew they could turn on him at any point |
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Why did the Spartacist uprising fail? |
1) It was badly planned 2) They were not supported by other left wing groups 3) The leaders had argued over the time of the uprising |
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Why was it difficult setting up a Weimar constitution? |
For years beforehand it had been an autocracy which many people had liked and now they were having it forced upon them which they didn't want at all |
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What were they Strengths of the Weimar constitution? |
1) Very fair system, electing by proportional representation 2) Allowed everyone to have a say 3) State governments allowed for the local areas 4) It wouldn't allow one person to take over, as chancellor and president counteracted each other 5) A Poor Chancellor or President would only be around for a short period of time |
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What were the Weaknesses of the Weimar constitution? |
1) PR meant that there were lots of parties in the reichstag, making it hard for anything to be agreed upon, forcing constant coalitions 2) Article 48 could be abused by the President if it didn't want to listen to the Reichstag 3) State governments could pass laws without the Reichstag |
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What were the key points of the Weimar Constitution? |
1) Everyone over 20 had the vote 2) Germans voted for MPs to sit in the Reichstag, at least every 4 years. The Reichstag voted on laws. 3) The President is elected every 7 years by the German electorate 4) The President appoints a Chancellor who must have at least 50% of the Reichstag's support |
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What was the Treaty of Versailles? |
1) On the 11th November 1918, Chancellor Ebert signed the armistice, agreeing to stop fighting on both sides 2) However, Germany was not allowed in the peace talks which resulted in the treaty of Versailles being forced upon Germany, a set of peace terms 3) It was a humiliating set of terms for Germany, but Ebert had to sign it for fear of starting the war again. Many Germans called it a 'diktat' because it was forced on them. |
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What were they key terms of the Treaty of Versailles? |
1) Germany lost 13% of its land. Alsace Lorraine (rich in iron ore) was given back to France. It also lost coal rich Saarland to the L.O.N 2) Germany's army was reduced to a maximum of 100,000 men, no air force and only 6 battleships 3) Germany was forced to accept War Guilt for starting the war, so was outcast and not allowed in the L.O.N 4) Germany's Empire was handed to the Allies 5) Germany had to pay £6.6bn reparations to the Allies, mostly France and Belgium |
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What did the various terms of the treaty of Versailles have on Germany? |
1) Losing Land rich in coal and iron made it much poorer, making reparations harder to pay back 2) Losing its army was harmful because Germany had always been proud of it's army and Germans now saw Germany as 'encircled' by their enemies 3) War guilt was humiliating because not only did it hold up the other terms, but also germany felt other countries should share the blame 4) Losing an empire deprived Germany of lots of money and status 5) Reparations were huge and led to crises including the occupation of the Ruhr and Hyperinflation |
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How did the Treaty of Versailles affect Germany between 1919 and 1923? |
1) Right wingers like the Nazis and Freikorps labelled the politicians who signed the armistice as November Criminals who let the country down 2) The Myth that the Weimar politicians had 'stabbed Germany in the back' as it was not common knowledge that the allies threatened to restart the war 3) The Nazis (1923) and Freikorps (1920) both launched putchs 4) The occupation of the Ruhr and hyperinflation |
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Why was Germany difficult to govern between 1920 and 1922? |
1) Hard to draw up a workable constitution 2) Signing the armistice and the TOV 3) Political opposition from left and right. |
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What was the risk posed by the Munich Putsch? |
The publicity provided for Hitler and the Nazis was huge, which meant more people saw it and therefore this became a threat to the Weimar republic, as the Nazis hated it. |
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What was the Kapp Putsch? |
1) The Freikorps were angry about the Communist threat and the TOV/SITB 2) The Allies were worried about the size of the Freikorps so put pressure on Germany to disband them to bring the number of soldiers down to 100,000 3) This lead the Freikorps to attempt at putsch in March 1920. Lead by Wolfgang Kapp, they marched into Berlin and declared they were starting a new government 4) Ebert called the workers to a general strike. Without transport or communications, the government collapsed |
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What other issues were facing Germany between 1919 - 1923? |
1) 200 peopled connected to the Weimar Republic were murdered between 19-23, including Walther Rathenau, the politician involved with the TOV. This showed great public anger at the government 2) 10 Left-wing activitsts were arrested, but no right wingers, leading to the the Weimar republic being seen as reliant on the right-wing, leading to a growth of these parties |
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What were the crises in 1923? |
1) The French occupation of the Ruhr 2) Hyperinflation 3) The Munich Putsch |
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What was the Occupation of the Ruhr? |
1) In 1923, Germany fell behind paying reparations 2) The French were determined to make Germany pay up. Under the TOV, France was allowed to seize raw materials as payment 3) In January 1923, the French marched into the Ruhr in West Germany (The industrial region) and occupied it, seeking to take its coal. 4) The Germans responded with passive resistance - Not working. If they didn't mine coal, the French couldn't take it |
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What problems did the occupation of the Ruhr cause Germany? |
1) There was violence between German strikers and French troops, stirring up hatred from the war. The right wing used it to show the weakness of the WR 2) The economy was yet more disrupted. To pay its workers, the government had to print more money, causing the value of the mark to fall and the price of goods to rise, causing hyperinflation. |
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How did Hyperinflation affect different people? |
WINNERS: 1) Workers were okay at first. Unemployment benefit rose, and those in employment recieved higher wages 2) Those who owed money could pay it back at a fraction of the cost 3) Rich businessmen could take over smaller bankrupt companies 4) The Rich had land, possesions and foreign countries, protecting them LOSERS 1) Eventually normal business collapsed, causing mass unemployment 2) Old people's pensions were worthless 3) The Middle classes savings were destroyed - They were the worst hit |
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Who was Stresemann? |
1) In August 1923, Stresemann became chancellor who lead to Germany to become more politically, economically and internationally stable. 2) These years (1924 - 29) were known as the 'Golden Twenties' |
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What were Stresemann's key policies? |
1) Called off passive resistance in the Ruhr 2) A New Currency - The Reichsmark 3) The Dawes and Young Plans 4) Locarno treaties 5) league of Nations 6) Kellogg-Briand Pact |
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What effect did calling off passive resistance in the Ruhr have on Germany? |
It was bankrupting Germany. By stopping it, it allowed coal exports to resume, earning Germany money. By 1925, the French Troops had left |
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What effect did creating a new currency have on Germany? |
Launching the Rentenmark in 1923 and then the Reichsmark in 1924, each issued in small amounts, restored confidence of the German people in the economy, leading to more investment, etc |
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What effect did the Dawes and Young plans have on Germany? |
The Dawes (1924) plan saw the USA loan Germany over 800m gold marks, injected into the economy, helping them pay reparations. The Young Plan (1928) in turn reduced the original reparations bill by 75% |
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What effect did the Lorcano Treaties have on Germany? |
This treaty (1925) firmed up borders between Germany, Britain, Belgium and Italy, showing Germany did not wish to gain more land. This felt the French feel more secure and boosted cooperation |
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What effect did joining the League of Nations have on Germany? |
By joining the League of Nations in 1926, this confirmed Germany's position as a Great Power again, bringing confidence at home. It also allowed Germany to bring about changes to the TOV |
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What effect did the Kellogg-Briand Pact have on Germany? |
This was an agreement in 1928 between 65 countries to use their armies only for self defense and to solve all disputes peacefully |
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What were the negatives of Stresemann's Policies? |
1) The Dawes plan made Germany's Economy VERY dependent on the USA. If something were to happen to the USA's economy, it could all fall apart (...) 2) The New Currency did increse investment and confidence, but it did not restore savings 3) The Right wing resented the foreign policy, they wanted revenge on the allies
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What were the key events of the 1929 stock market crash? |
The US stock market collapses on the 29th October 1929 -> The USA withdraws loans made to Germany in the Dawes Plan -> Production in factories decreases -> International trade declines -> German exports fall rapidly -> Employers sack workers, leading to mass unemployment By 1932, 6m German men were unemployed (1 in 3) |
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How did the Great Depression weaken the Weimar Republic between 1929 and 1933? |
1) Unpopular economic policies as taxes were raised and unemployment benefit cut, allowing less money to spend on food, clothes 2) The chancellor did not have a majority, so had to use article 48 to run the country. This was seen as a collapse of democracy 3) People were extremely poor so voted for extreme parties like the Nazis and the Communists. This lead to increased support, so led to riots in the streets |
