B: the early challenges to the Weimar Republic 1919-23

• what was diktat?

  where Germany had no say on the terms of the armistice.
• when was the Treaty of Versailles signed?

  on 28th June 1919
• what was dolchstoss?

  where they said that the officials had 'stabbed Germany in the back' by signing the treaty
• due to the treaty of versailles, how much reparations did Germany have to pay to the allies?

  £6.6 billion
• due to the treaty of versailles, where did the Saar coalfiels have to go, and for how long?

  to France for 15 years
• due to the treaty of versailles, how many men were allowed in the German army?

  100,000 men
• due to the treaty of versailles, how many battleships were allowed in the navy and how many submarines?

  six battleships, and no submarines
• due to the treaty of versailles, what happened to the Rhineland?

  it was demilitarised
• due to the treaty of versailles, what did germany lose?


  all of it's colonies.
• due to the treaty of versailles, how much European territory and population did Germany lose?

  13% of European territory, and 10% of its population
• due to the treaty of versailles, how much iron and coal reserves did Germany lose?

  50% of its iron and 15% of its coal reserves
• what did the extreme right wing groups want?

  to return to a strong government with a strong army, headed by a powerful leader such as a kaiser
• what did the extreme left-wing groups want?

  for Germany to be controlled by the people
• what did the extreme left-wing groups oppose?

  capitalism
• in 1919, how many seats did SDP, DDP, and Centre Party have in the national assembly?

  77%
• how many seats did SDP, DDP, and Centre Party have in the national assembly after the elections of 6th June 1920?

  they only had 45% in the new Reichstag
• who had the rest of the seats in the new Reichstag?

  the extreme left and right-wing had about 20% of seats each
• when was the revolt and who performed it?

  January 1919, by the Spartacist League
• who was the revolt in january 1919 led by?

  Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht
• what did the workers call and when, and how many workers took the street?

  a general strike on the 6th January and 100,000 workers
• what happened when the government tried to shut down the Freikrops?

  5000 freikorps marched on Berlin
• who controlled the rebels in Berlin?

  the right wing politician Wolfgang Kapp.
• how did Kapp flee?

  he was given a false passport provided by the police
• how many political assassinations were there between 1919-1922?

  376
• what were the men that the KDP hired to protect them called?

  Red Front Fighters
• at the beginning of 1923, why did the german government stop paying reparations?

  it could no longer afford to do so.
• how did France and Belgium respond to Germany no longer paying reparations?

  they sent troops into the Ruhr. They confiscated materials and goods as compensation for the lost reparations.
• what was the Ruhr?

  an area which produced 80% of Germany’s coal and iron.
• what did Germany do instead of fighting against the French and Belgian troops?

  the government instructed the miners to stop work so that the invaders could not take the goods they produced.
• what did the government do that triggered to hyperinflation?

  print money to pay the workers and to make up for the Governmental income they lost from the Ruhr
• by 1923 how much did a loaf of bread cost?

  200,000 billion marks.
• what began to replace money due to hyperinflation?

  barter (swapping goods)
• what led to imports to dry up?

  Foreign suppliers refusing to accept German marks for goods
• why did unemployment increase due to hyperinflation?

  normal business was disrupted.