KQ1

• Weimar Republic


  The German government after the Kaiser had abdicated in November 1918
• Weimar Republic


  • Democratically elected by a system of proportional representation
  • President elected for 7 years and selected a Chancellor to form the government
  • Chancellor most likely to get laws passed by the Reichstag
  • Reichstag made up of regularly elected representatives
  • Article 48 gave the President power to make laws without consulting the Reichstag in an emergency
• Germany lost 13 per cent of its land, 6 million citizens, Alsace-Lorraine to France, Polish Corridor to Poland, Saarland to League of Nations control
• Germany was limited to 100,000 soldiers, no tanks, heavy guns, aircraft or submarines, ships of less than 10,000 tons, no troops in the Rhineland
• Germany agreed to pay £6600 million in reparations
• Germany was forbidden from uniting with Austria and joining the League of Nations
• Article 231 (of 440) in the Treaty of Versailles blamed Germany for the war
• Abdication


  When a monarch leaves the throne
• Republic


  A country without a King or a Queen
• Armistice

  An agreement to end war
• President

  Runs the country
• Chancellor

  In charge of the government
• Reichstag


  German parliament, makes laws
• Article 48


  President can ignore the Reichstag in an emergency
• Constitution


  Rules about how a country is governed
• Coalition


  Political parties working together in a government
• In 1919 £1 was worth 35 German marks; by November 1923 it was worth 1,680,000,000,000,000 German marks!
• Spartacist Uprising 1919


  1. Led by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg

  2. Aimed to make Germany a communist country like Russia

  3. Formed the German Communist Party (KPD)

  4. Called a general strike and took control of important buildings in Berlin

  5. The Reichswehr (Army) and Freikorps (demobilised soldiers) ended the rebellion

  6. Spartacist leaders were captured and executed

  7. 3,000 people died in the uprising
• Kapp Putsch 1920


  1. The Berlin Freikorps refused to be disbanded after the Spartacist uprising

  2. Aimed to create right-wing government with Wolfgang Kapp as Chancellor

  3. The Reichswehr (Army) in Berlin supported Kapp

  4. The Weimar government moved out of Berlin

  5. President Ebert called on workers to go on strike so the Putsch collapsed
• By 1923 German currency was worthless
• Food prices rose which was good for farmers but people had to barter or poach for food
• Savers and pensioners lost all their money
• Businesses could not afford to pay their workers
• Extreme political groups like the Nazis blamed the government
• Munich Putsch 1923


  1. Hitler and 600 Nazis forced Von Kahr (Bavarian chief minister) to support their takeover of the government in Berlin

  2. Von Kahr told the police who attacked and arrested the Nazis

  3. 16 Nazis and 4 policemen were killed

  4. Hitler was put on trial and the Nazi Party was banned