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| Question | Answer |
| When was the Treaty of Versailles signed? | 28th June 1919 |
| What is the acronym for remembering the terms of the Treaty of Versailles? | GARGLE |
| What does the 'G' stand for in the Treaty of Versailles acronym? | Guilt – clause 231: Germany accepted blame ‘for causing all the loss and damage’ of the war. |
| What does the 'A' stand for in the Treaty of Versailles acronym? | Army – army: 100,000/ no submarines/ no aeroplanes/ 6 battleships/ Rhineland de-militarised |
| What does the 'R' stand for in the Treaty of Versailles acronym? | Reparations – £6,600 million – in instalments, until 1984). |
| What does the 'G' stand for in the Treaty of Versailles acronym? | Germany lost land – Alsace-Lorraine to France/ Saar to France (15 years)/ Malmedy to Belgium/ North Schleswig to Denmark/ West Prussia and Upper Silesia to Poland/ Danzig a ‘free city’/ Memel to Lithuania/ German colonies became ‘mandates’ of the League of Nations. |
| What does the 'L' stand for in the Treaty of Versailles acronym? | League of Nations set up. |
| What does the 'E' stand for in the Treaty of Versailles acronym? | Extra points – forbade Anschluss/ Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania independent states. |
| --THE CREATION OF A REPUBLIC 1918-19-- | --THE CREATION OF A REPUBLIC 1918-19-- |
| When did Prince Max ask the Allies for an armistice? | 3rd October 1918 |
| Give 2 constitutional reforms that Prince Max's government made. | -Extended the vote to all men. -Made both the ministers and the army responsible to the government, not to the kaiser. |
| When did the Revolution from Below start and what is another name for it? | -28th October 1918. -German Revolution. |
| Give 2 main events that occurred during the Revolution from Below. | -The navy refused to sail against the British fleet. -Set off strikes and mutinies across Germany. |
| What was Prince Max urged to do due to this breakdown in order and what happened? | Press the Kaiser to abdicate, but the Kaiser refused to do this. |
| What key turning point happened on the 8th November 1918 and what did this cause? | -Bavaria broke from Germany and declared itself a republic. -Kaiser could not ignore his empire breaking up. -The Kaiser abdicated and fled to Holland. -Prince Max's government had to resign. |
| What was set up shortly after the fall of Prince Max's government? When was this? | The Council of People's Representatives: set up on 10th November 1918. |
| Who led the Council of People's Representatives? | Leading socialist groups that held the power in the Reichstag. |
| What were the major two parties in the CoPR and who led them? | -SPD led by Friedrich Ebert -USPD led by Hugo Hasse. |
| Who became the new chancellor and who was in his cabinet? | Friedrich Ebert and SPD, USPD members were in the cabinet. |
| What was the Ebert-Groener Pact? | A pact with the army which stated that they would support the government as long as the government opposed more left-wing ideas of parties in the Reichstag. |
| What were the major differences between the SPD and USPD? | -SPD wanted to arrange elections as soon as possible and leave significant changes to the National Assembly that would write the new constitution. -USPD wanted to start social and economic reforms at once, and wanted nothing to do with the army without reformation. |
| When was the armistice signed? | 11th November 1918 by Matthias Erzberger of the German delegation. |
| What were some of the social reforms the new government made to improve the unsettled political and economic situation? | -Eight-hour working day. -Allowed independent trade unions. --Enforced by the ZAG. -Set up help for ex-soldiers to find work. -Widened health and unemployment benefit. |
| What immediate and long-term impact did these reforms have on industrialists? | Immediate impact: -Workers rally to reforming new government, and do not challenge private ownership of industry. Long-term effect: -Industrialists came to resent power given to workers, and rejected the Weimar regime. |
| What happened to the SPD and USPD towards the end of December 1919? What effect did this have? | The rift between the SPD and USPD over how radical their policies should be became so great that some USPD council members resigned. Some USPD members joined the German Communist Party (KPD). |
| What were many Germans afraid about, referring to the left-wing? | Germans were petrified of the 'Red Plague' of communism spreading from Russia. |
| What happened to KPD political meetings? | They were attacked from the private armies of other political armies. |
| What was the big communist revolt in Germany, when was it and who dealt with it? | -Spartacist-led uprising broke out in Berlin. -January 1919. -Freikorps were asked to deal with the Spartacists leaders. --Liebknecht and Luxembourg were captured and killed. |
| --THE CREATION OF THE WEIMAR CONSTITUTION-- | --THE CREATION OF THE WEIMAR CONSTITUTION-- |
| What percentage of the electorate voted in the 19th January election? | 82.7% |
| Why was this percentage so high? | Showed that people wanted to take part in the new government. |
| What were the results of the election (which parties got into government)? | -SPD didn't get a majority of votes. -A coalition was formed between the SPD, Z and DDP. |
| DNVP: Who were they? Where were they on the political spectrum? What were their key values? What did they want/not want? Who did it support? Who were the majority of its members? | -German National People's Party. -Most right wing of the major parties. -Created from older conservative parties and was conservative, nationalist and monarchist. -Did not want social reform and disliked the idea of a republic (but accepted it). -They supported the army. -Large number of members were wealthy landowners, and many of its members were anti-Semitic. |
| DVP: Who were they? Where were they on the political spectrum? What sort of group were they? Who was their leader? What was their view on the republic? Who were their members? What were they in/not in favour of? What other key values did they have? | -German People's Party. -Another significant right-wing party. -Moderately conservative group and restructured from the older National Liberals in 1919. -Led by Gustav Stresemann. -Accepted, not really supported, the new republic. -Members were wealthy middle class industrialists. -Not in favour of social reform but wanted the economy to be fixed quickly. -Nationalist and supported the army. |
| Centre Party (Z): What were most of their support base? Who did they defend in their policies? Who supported the Centre Party? What values did they have? What was their view on social reform? Were they for/against the left? What was their view on communism? | -Zentrum. -Largely Catholic. -Defended Church in its policies. -Drew in people from many social groups. -Had conservative values but did advocate social reform. -Firmly against left-wing policies. -Fanatically opposed communism. |
| DDP: Who were they? Who was part of the party? Did they support the republic? What did they believe about the constitution? What was their view on social reform? What was their view on industry? What was their view on the army? | -German Democrats. -Newly formed party. -Consisted of: liberal, educated professionals. -Supported the idea of a republic. -Supported a more representative constitution. -Often part of the government coalition. -Believed in social reform. -Believed in regulating industry to give workers a better deal. -Believed in reforming the army. |
| SPD: Who were they? How big was the party? Did they support the republic? Did they believe in social reform? Views on revolution? Who did they attract post-war? Who else did they have support from? Why couldn't they pass certain social reforms? | -Social Democrats. -Largest party in the Reichstag 1919-1929. -Believed in a republic. -Believed in social reform. -DIDN'T believe in revolution. -Attracted many workers' groups post-war. -Supported by a liberal, middle-class for people who wanted moderate reform. -Hampered in desire for some social reforms by ties to trade unions. |
| USPD: Who were they? Who did they split from and when? What did they want (system)? What did they stand for? | -Independent Social Democrats. -Split from SPD In 1917. -Wanted a more radical system than a republic. -Stood for social reform that wanted a more equal society. |
| KPD: Who were they? What 3 things did they want? Who formed the base of their support? | -German Communist Party. -Wanted a workers' revolution. -Wanted the establishment of a communist state. -Wanted the abolition of private ownership. -Mainly attracted the young, poor and unemployed. |
| When was Ebert elected president and what were the votes for and against? | 11th February 1919. 277 votes to 51. |
| When was the Weimar Constitution passed? | 31st July 1919 by the National Assembly |
| --STRUCTURE OF THE WEIMAR CONSTITUTION-- | --STRUCTURE OF THE WEIMAR CONSTITUTION-- |
| What does the basic structure of the Weimar Constitution look like? | |
| What was the main job of the President and what didn't he do? | -Ran foreign affairs. -Took no part in day-to-day government. |
| Who voted for the President, how often and was the President part of a party? | -Electors voted for the President which was all men and women over 20. -This happened every 7 years. -President chosen as a PERSON, not part of a party. |
| Name 4 things the President could do in office? | -Choose the chancellor. -Rule by decree by Article 48. -Take control of the army in an emergency. -Dismiss the Reichstag and call new elections. |
| What was Article 48? | The power to suspend the constitution and pass laws by decree in an emergency BUT these laws must be signed by the chancellor and can be undone by the next Reichstag. |
| Who was the Chancellor? | Head of government. |
| Name 2 powers that the chancellor had whilst in office? | -Choose the ministers that run the country. -With ministers, put laws to the Reichstag. |
| What did the chancellor need in order to pass laws in the Reichstag? | A majority from the Reichstag. |
| What was the cabinet? | Ministers who gave advice and administer the laws. |
| Who chose the cabinet? | The Chancellor. |
| What was the Reichstag? | The lower house of Parliament that passed the laws of the country. |
| Who voted for members of the Reichstag, how often and how many votes were needed to gain one seat? | -The electorate who were all men and women over the age of 20. -Happened every 4 years. -Votes cast for party, not person: 60,000 votes required to get one seat. |
| What system was the Reichstag voting based upon? | Proportional representation. |
| What was the Reichsrat? | The upper house of Parliament who represented different Länder. |
| Who was part of the Reichsrat? | Members representing the 18 different Länder, one for every 70,000. |
| What was the most important power that the Reichsrat had? | They could veto a law passed by the Reichstag UNLESS the Reichstag law had a two-thirds majority or more. |
| --OVERCOMING CHALLENGES TO THE CONSTITUTION-- | --OVERCOMING CHALLENGES TO THE CONSTITUTION-- |
| How did Germans feel towards the Treaty of Versailles (UGARGLE)? | Unfairly treated – no part in Conference talks/ forced to sign/ few of 14 Points in the Treaty. Guilt – ‘Such a confession in my mouth would be a lie’, said Count Brockdorff-Rantzau. Armed forces – meant Germany could not defend itself against even small countries (the Dungervolker - Dung people). Reparations – starved German children. Germany lost territory – a humiliation/ contrary to self-determination/ made Germany poorer - took farm land (W Prussia) and industrial land (Saar). League of Nations – an insult/ meant Germany couldn’t defend itself in the League of Nations. Extra – forbidding Anschluss was against the principle of self-determination. Results – riots in Berlin/the Deutsche Zeitung attacked ‘the disgraceful treaty’/ Kapp Putsch (1920) to try to overturn the Treaty. |
| What did this mean for the new Weimar government; what did they have to face? | They had to: -Tackle political opposition. -Battle its own unpopularity (ToV). -Face the weaknesses of the constitution. |
| How did the Weimar government manage to stay in power (SPD coalition)? | -The alternative to its rule was a more left-wing government. -This meant that right-wingers, who wanted the return of an imperial government, supported the Republic, than run the risk of getting a more left-wing one. |
| Give 4 strengths of the Weimar Constitution. | -Bill of Rights allowed every German citizen freedom of speech and religion, and equality under the law. -Electorate: all men and women over 20 were given the vote. -Elected president and elected Reichstag. -State governments were continued = state traditions being maintained. |
| Give 2 'in the middle' attributes of the Weimar Constitution. | -Proportional representation meant that all parties were represented fairly and equally. --This often led to short lived, coalition governments. -Article 48 allowed the President to take control of the country in times of crisis. --This could be abused as it wasn't defined what a crisis was. |
| Give 4 weaknesses of the Weimar Republic. | -Free speech allowed opposition groups to attack the new government. -No changes to the army or judiciary. -Voting system = issue carrying out unpopular policies. -President had power to appoint or dismiss the Chancellor. |
| When did the government use Article 48 and what was the issue of this? | -Used it when coalitions broke down. -Made the government appear that it was in constant crisis. --Loss of support. |
| Who was in the coalition between 1923 and 1929 (parties) and how was this done? | -DVP, Z, SPD and DDP. -Stresemann managed to hold this coalition together by forming working relations based on trust with the leaders of these parties. |
| What happened as the economy improved? | -Social conditions stabilised. -Political violence died down. |
| What did this mean in terms of the political landscape? | No major political figures were assassinated between 1924 and 1929. |
| What happened to the opinion of the Weimar Constitution? | People began to accept that it was now the political system in Germany, and as long as things continued to improve, the hate levels decreased. |
| What happened to the extreme parties during the 'Golden Years'? | -Support reduced between May and December 1924. -Communists and Nazis began to gain support again by 1928 as the economic conditions began to worsen again. |
| --COLLAPSE OF DEMOCRACY-- | --COLLAPSE OF DEMOCRACY-- |
| Which 3 major factors contributed to the fall of the Weimar Republic? | -Public feeling about the government. -Economic problems and the government's failure to deal with them. -Coalition failure. |
| Why did the German public hate the government? | -Treaty of Versailles. -'Stab in the Back' theory |
| How did the German public voice this opinion? | -Electing Paul von Hindenburg as President. -Hindenburg was one of the first to voice the 'stab in the back' theory about the ToV. |
| Why did Hindenburg have so much support? | His pre-republic position of power. |
| What was the 'Stab in the Back' theory? | The belief that the German army could have won the war, but was forced to surrender by the November Criminals (those who signed the armistice and later the Treaty). |
| Which major event happened in 1929, that caused social and political unrest in Germany? | Wall Street Crash |
| Why did it have this effect? | Germany were very reliant on US loans to get them out of the debt of the First World War. When the Crash happened, the US stopped lending and demanded all loans to be repaid. |
| Which major effects did the Crash cause? | -Rapid rise in prices. -Rapid decrease in unemployment. |
| What happened to the government during this time? | It failed to agree a policy to help the economy. |
| What happened as this argument continued? | Big increase in support for extreme political parties such as: the Communists and the Nazis. |
| Which big event happened to damage the stability of coalitions? | The SPD refused to take part in any more coalitions after 1929. |
| What did this mean for Hindenburg? | He had to rule by decree under Article 48. |
| So, between 1930 and 1932, what style of government had the Weimar Republic become? | A dictatorship. |
| Give evidence which supports the idea that the Republic was now a dictatorship. | -109 laws were created by Chancellor Brüning. -Only 29 of these were passed by the Reichstag. |
| --RISE OF HITLER AND THE NAZI PARTY-- | --RISE OF HITLER AND THE NAZI PARTY-- |
| How did Hitler secure a boost in support for his party and what were they? | -Use of the Sturmabteilung or SA. -Also called 'Brownshirts'. -Protected Nazi political meetings and attacked the meetings of other parties. |
| What happened in the 1932 presidential elections? | -Brüning suggested a two-year extension of Hindenburg's presidency due to political unrest. -When the election came, there were 4 contenders: Hindenburg, Hitler, Ernst Thällmann (KPD) and Theodor Düsterburg (DNVP). -First round: most votes went to Hindenburg (18 million) and Hitler (11 million). -Second round: Hindenburg won. |
| Who were the two chancellors during the 1932 period? | -Franz von Papen. -Kurt von Schleicher. |
| What did they both have in common? | -Both couldn't form a coalition. -Both had to rule by decree. -Both didn't trust Hitler. |
| What happened in the 1932 Reichstag elections? | The Nazis gained the most seats, yet Hitler wasn't offered Chancellorship. |
| What did von Papen suggest to Hindenburg after the failure of von Schleicher? | That Hitler should be Chancellor, with von Papen as vice-Chancellor because he thought that with the help of Hindenburg, they could control Hitler. |
| When was Hitler appointed as Chancellor? | 30th January 1933. |
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