Weimar and Nazi Germany

• When did the Kaiser abdicate?

  9th Nov 1918
• Who was elected president and chancellor in Jan 1919?

  Friedrich Ebert
• Which parties gained most seats in the Jan 1919 National Assembly elections?

  Mostly moderate parties. Social Democratic Party 40% seats, Centre Party 20% seats.
• What was Article 48?

  allowed the president to make a law without going through the Reichstag in an emergency situation
• What was the structure of the government in the Weimar Republic?

  coalition government/ proportional representation. Each party gets 1 seat for every 60 000 votes.
• What was the role of the Chancellor?

  Chosen by president and could decide what laws could be passed unless bypassed by the Reichstag.
• What was the Reichstag and Reichsrat?


  The two houses of parliament in the Weimar constitution who could vote on which laws to be passed.
• After WW1, how many soldiers died/ were injured?

  11 million fought in the war. Nearly 2 mil died and 4 mil wounded.
• By how many marks did government debt go up in Germany after WW1?

  100 billion marks
• What was the Treaty of Versailles?


  Treaty that ended war
• What were the territorial terms of the Treaty of Versailles?

  All colonies given to Allies. Rhineland demilitarised. Coal to be mined in the Saar by France.
• What were the military terms of the Treaty of Versailles?

  Army not to exceed 100, 000. Banning of aircraft and submarines.
• What were the economic terms of the Treaty of Versailles?

  £6.6 billion in reparations. Cattle and sheep to Belgium & France.
• What was Article 231?

  Blame clause in Treaty of Versailles
• What was the "Dolchstoss theory"?


  Stab in the back theory - politicians had betrayed the military by surrendering and signing the armistice.
• What was the Spartacist Uprising?


  Jan 1919, 50 000 members of the communist group led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht staged a communist uprising.
• What did the Spartacists take over?

  government's newspaper and telegraph bureau
• Who were the Freikorps?

  Bands of soldiers who refused to disband and formed private right-wing armies - they opposed the Republic.
• How many members did the Freikorps have?

  250 000 men in March 1919
• What was the Kapp Putsch?

  1920, Wolfgang Kapp led a Freikorps takeover after they had disbanded.
• How many political assassinations were committed by right wingers from 1919-22?

  354
• How many political assassinations were there between 1919 and 1923?

  376
• What was the French occupation of the Ruhr?


  Jan 1923 - Germany defaulted on reps, so French troops occupied the Ruhr industrial area. Confiscated industrial goods, e.g. coal mines, steel works, factories
• How many industrial reserves were there in the Ruhr?

  80% of German coal, iron and steel reserves
• How did Germans respond to the Ruhr occupation?

  passive resistance
• How did the French respond to the passive resistance?

  expelled 150 000 from the area, killed 132
• How much did a loaf of bread cost in 1922 and 1923?

  100 marks in 1922, 200 000 billion marks in Nov 1923
• Who was benefited by hyperinflation?

  -People in debt, because they could repay their debts with worthless money.

  -Farmers, as their products remained in high demand.
• Who was not benefited by hyperinflation?

  -People on fixed incomes, e.g. students, pensioners, the sick because incomes didn't keep up with prices

  -People with savings - money became useless
• Who was Gustav Stresemann?


  Chancellor of Germany August - Nov 1923, foreign secretary for 6 years onwards
• What were the terms of the Dawes Plan?

  1924 - Ruhr evacuated in 1925, German Reichsbank formation under Allied supervision, US loans, more time to pay reps
• How much money did the US loan Germany?

  Began with 800 mil marks, over 6 years nearly $3000 million
• What was the temporary currency introduced by Stresemann in 1923?

  Rentenmark. In the following year, converted to the Reichsmark, a new currency backed by gold reserves & supported by Reichsbank
• What was the Young Plan?

  -Reduced total reparation debt from £6.6 billion to £2 billion

  -Germany was given 59 years to pay (longer)
• Industrial output has doubled by what year?

  1928
• What was the Locarno Pact?

  1925 - Germany, France, Britain and Belgium agreed to respect each others territory. New border with France to improve relations.
• When was Germany given a permanent seat in the League of Nations?

  Sep 1926
• What was the Kellogg-Briand Pact?

  Signed by 64 countries in 1928 - it outlawed war as a solution to international rivalry
• By what percentage did wages increase in 1928?

  10%
• How many new homes were built between 1924-31?

  over 2 million