Weimar society and culture

• What significant improvement in living conditions occurred in the 1920s in Weimar Germany?

  Living conditions slowly improved.
• What did the Weimar government provide starting in 1927 to help citizens?

  Unemployment insurance.
• How many new homes were built by private companies between 1925 and 1929?

  37,000 new homes.
• What was the housing shortage in Weimar Germany by 1923?

  1 million homes.
• What was the role of new building associations in Weimar Germany?

  They built 64,000 homes.
• What was a significant issue regarding employment in Weimar Germany?

  Employment remained insecure.
• What rights did women have from the beginning of the Weimar Republic?

  Women had the right to vote and to stand for election.
• How did women's rights in marriage and work compare to men's in Weimar Germany?

  Women had equal rights with men.
• What was a significant issue women faced in the workforce during the Weimar Republic?

  Women were still paid less than men.
• What was the attitude of male-dominated trade unions towards women working?

  They especially opposed women working.
• How did some 'new women' in Weimar Germany express their independence?

  They wore shorter hair and more revealing clothes.
• What cultural changes did 'new women' embrace in Weimar Germany?

  They smoked, drank, and enjoyed a more sexually open culture.
• What concerns did more conservative Germans have regarding 'new women' in Weimar Germany?

  They felt these women threatened traditional values.
• What evidence did conservatives point to as a threat from 'new women'?

  Rising divorce rates and falling birth rates.
• What characterized the artistic and cultural scene in Weimar Germany?

  There was a surge of artistic and cultural experimentation.
• What did the Weimar constitution establish regarding freedom of speech?

  It allowed artists to experiment freely.
• What type of art aimed to express the artist's thoughts and feelings in Weimar Germany?

  Expressionist art.
• Who were notable expressionist artists mentioned in the study material?

  Otto Dix and George Grosz.
• What was the goal of New Objectivism in art?

  To show life as it really is, including ugliness and poverty.
• What was the Bauhaus?

  A design college in Berlin.
• How did the Bauhaus influence the arts?

  It became an artistic centre that influenced all the arts.
• Who was a notable architect influenced by the Bauhaus?

  Erich Mendelsohn.