Weimar Germany

• Proportional representation

  Seats were given to political parties according to the percentage of votes they received
• Name three weaknesses of weimar Germany

  1. Very slow to make urgent decisions, so Article 48 is exploited
  2. Proportional representation allows extremist parties in the reichstag
  3. It was hard to agree on some issues because of proportional representation as seats don't agree with each other
• Name three strengths of the weimar Republic

  1. Proportional representation gave a fair number of seats to the number of votes received for each party
  2. Laws must be reviewed by reichstag and by Reichstrat
  3. Power belongs to voters, not one leader (like the kaiser)
  4. anyone over age 21 can vote
• Name the terms of the Treaty of Versailles

  1. Land (Germany lost all 11 colonies in Africa and the east)
  2. League of Nations (Germany not allowed to join)
  3. Army (limited to 100,000 men - also, only 6 cruisers, 6 battleships and 12 destroyers)
  4. Money (£6.6 billion in reparations)
  5. Blame (article 231 war guilt clause)
• What was the stab in the back Theory

  Germany had Lost World War 1 because it had been forced from Germany itself...

  Different groups were blamed like: Jews, army generals, politicians, the government, and nationalists blame socialism, communism, and trade unions
• When was the Treaty of Versailles issues

  1919
• When was the Spartacist uprising

  1919
• What party was the spartacist uprising from and what wing

  left-wing , independent socialist party
• When was the Kapp Putsch

  1920
• what were the Freikorps- wing? how many?

  • Right-wing group
  • Made up of 250,000 armed ex-soldiers
• what were the events of the Kapp Putsch

  Marched the freikorps on Berlin causing vimar ministers to flee

  Government tell trade unions to strike - causes chaos and impossible for Kapp to stay in control

  Kapp flees berlin and weimar ministers return
• Name the key events of hyperinflation

  1914-18 . Government print excess money to pay for World War 1

  1918-22 . weimar government print even more money for post-war shortages and to pay for the first reparations installment

  Jan 1923 . French troops invade the Ruhr - weimar government print more money

  Nov 1923 . The German mark is worthless
• What happened at the French occupation of the ruhr

  French troops invade to take reparation payments in goods and precious metals

  German workers go on strike as under order by the weimar government

  Results in disaster for the economy

  Weimar government tryto print more money to compensate
• What percent of coal, iron and steel were found at the ruhr

  80%
• Positive effects of hyperinfilation

  - payed off loans for the poor

  - black market flourishes

  - people from other countries can afford more
• Negative effects of hyperinflation

  - savings were worthless

  - blamed weimar government for the issues

  - businesses go bankrupt

  - prices rise faster than wages
• what were Streisemann's economic reforms

  - End to passive resistance . Eases tensions between Germany France and Belgium and means government no longer has to pay for the striking workers wages. (doesn't fix the occupation of the ruhr, but stabalises economy)

  - new currency, the Rentenmark . made people trust physical money again

  - the Dawes plan . Reduced reparations to £50 million a year , USA agree to loan Germany money to invest in the rebuilding of its Industries

  - the Young Plan . Reduced reparations from 6.6 billion to £2 billion , payments can be made over a longer time
• When was the Dawes plan instituted and what did it state?

  1924

  Reduced reparations to £50 million a year

  USA agree to loan Germany money to invest in the rebuilding of its Industries
• When was the Young Plan instituted and what did it say?

  Reduced reparations from 6.6 billion to £2 billion

  payments can be made over a longer time
• What were streisemann's foreign policies?

  - the locarno pact 1925 . Germany agree to new boarder with France , permanent demilitarization of the Rhineland

  - League of Nations 1926 . Germany become a member

  - the Kellogg-Briand pact 1928 . Avoid the use of War to achieve foreign policy
• What is the League of Nations

  International body that hoped to discuss world problems in order to avoid War
• Who signs that locarno packed

  Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Belgium
• How many nations signed the kellogg-Briand Pact

  62
• What position in government did Stresemann have and what was the effect of his Economic reforms and foreign policys on voters

  Foreign minister

  He got German voters to back moderate politicians rather than extreme left or right wing parties, and restored some faith in the Weimar Republic
• what were the 3 changes in society from 1924-29

  living standards

  women

  the arts
• Changes to living standards from 1924-29

  - working hours reduced whilst wages and working conditions improve

  - housing associations build 101,000 homes

  - unemployment insurance makes sure workers have basic benefits if they become unemployed or sick
• Changes of women from 1924-29

  - women can vote and stand for elections (after 1918)

  - women granted equal rights in work and Marriage

  - women encouraged to go to university and take up professions like teaching and medicine, but few women get high status roles

  - easier to earn money means more independence for younger single women

  - in full-time work drop from 75% in 1918, to 36% in 1925, but part time work is more popular
• Changes to the arts from 1924-29

  - Bauhaus movement encourages no restrictions and lots of experimentation with artistic expression

  - art and cinema explore more wide and expressionist things e.g. The disaster of the First World War

  - Bauhaus art school also practice in unique architecture
• what years were considered the glden years

  1924-29