Social and Cultural developments

• Why was the German social welfare reform very expensive? 

  It supported over 2 million war widows, orphans and war disabled.  
• Why did the position of women in Germany improve due to WW1? Give 1 example.  

  -Over 2 million German soldiers had been killed in the war and there were less opportunities for young women to get marriage. 

  -The war had brought many more women into paid employment- many wanted to stay in work. 
• What was the viewpoint of the League of German women (BDF), which was the most popular women’s group in the 1920s? 

  The group, who had 900,000 members promoted traditional family values and maternal responsibilities. 
• Give 3 pieces of evidence to demonstrate there were more rights for Weimar women, one for each topic:  

  -employment 

  -sexual freedom 

  -politics and public life. 

  Employment -36% of the Weimar German workforce were women 

  -By 1933, there were 100,000 women teachers and 3,000 women doctors 

  Sexual Freedom -Birth control was more widely available 

  -Divorce rates increased 

  -There was a rise in the number of abortions 

  Politics and public life -Women gained equal voting rights 

  -41 women were elected to the new Reichstag 
• Examples Employmentrights were not perfect for women

  • Women were required to give up their employment when they married
  • Women were paid less than men doing the same work
  • Married women who continued to have paid jobs were blamed for male unemployment
• Examples Sexual rights were not perfect for women

  • Abortion was still a criminal offence and was performed unsafely
  • Catholic and Protestant churches vigorously opposed birth control, divorce and abortion
• Examples politics and public lifewere not perfect for women

  • No woman became a cabinet member during the Weimar Republic
  • Only the KPD made gender equality a key element in its programme
  • None of the other parties gave support to feminist issues
• Name two popular German youth groups in the Golden Age. 

  -Wandervogel: Highly nationalistic and enjoying the outdoors 

  -Church Youth Groups: Both for Catholic and Protestant children.  

  -Political Youth Groups: E.g. The Social Democratic Youth movement, The Bismarck Youth, Hitler Youth. 
• How many Jewish people lived in Germany under the Weimar Republic? 

  More than 500,000 (but less than 1% of the population). Over 80% of the Jews were well educated. 
• What percentage of banks did Jewish families (such as the Rothschilds) own? 

  50%. They also owned 18% of the whole banking sector in Germany. 
• How did Berlin’s nightclubs change during this time period? 

  They adopted American styles of jazz music and liberation. Nudity was featured strongly and individuals did not need to conceal their sexuality any longer. 
• What is the name of the predominant movement in German art, music and literature? 

  Expressionism. Many believed that forms of art should express meaning or emotion rather than reality. 
• What is Jewish Bolshevism? 

  A term used by anti-Semites in the Weimar period to imply that Jews and communists were closely associated. 
• What is the name of the best-known film of the Weimar Era which happens to be directed by a Jewish director? 

  The Blue Angel.