Germany - history gcse edexcel

• Two million German soldiers died in World War I
• Germany's debts trebled from 50 billion marks to 150 billion marks during World War I
• 750,000 Germans died as a result of food shortages during World War I
• British navy blockade of German ports prevented German ships from bringing food into the country during World War I
• Germans protested against the government during World War I through strikes, demonstrations, and riots
• The Kaiser abdicated in November 1918 because politicians were concerned about the demonstrations and advised him to abdicate
• Friedrich Ebert asked the army for help and set up a council of six politicians to run the country to prevent the communists from gaining power
• November Criminals


  Politicians who agreed to the Armistice
• Freikorps


  Volunteer ex soldiers to stop communist uprisings
• Reasons why the church was a threat to Nazi Germany

  • Religious beliefs were powerful
  • People who believed in God might be less likely to worship Hitler as the leader of Germany
  • The Church taught its people very clear rules of behaviour and attitude such as tolerance and respect while the Nazis glorified strength, violence and racial superiority
  • Church meetings could be used to spreading anti-Nazi ideas
• KPD


  Communists, wanted Germany to be controlled by the people, wanted a violent revolution to make this happen, against capitalism, wanted to end private ownership of land and business, were internationalists who wanted co-operation with other countries
• Socialists


  Left wing, wanted the same as communists but less extreme, did not want to have a violent revolution
• Followers of communism


  • Marxists
  • Reds
  • Socialists
  • Bolshevik
• Common ownership


  People share ownership of business and land not individuals
• Internationalist


  Belief that countries should co-operate
• DNVP


  Extreme right-winged group, wanted a strong government with a strong army headed by a powerful leader (Kaiser), were nationalists, supported capitalism, promoted families, law and traditional values
• Nationalist


  The belief in the best nation in the world
• Private property


  When individuals own land e.g. factories, houses
• Fascist/Nazi


  Extreme nationalists
• The Spartacus League demanded that Germany have its own Communist revolution and a government based on local workers' councils after the Russian Revolution
• The Spartacus League became more determined after the abdication of the Kaiser because they did not trust Friedrich Ebert and the Social Democratic Party to look after the workers
• The Spartacus League became the German Communist Party in December 1918
• Spartacist Revolt


  The revolt in January 1919
• Ebert sacked a popular police chief in Berlin on 4 January 1919
• Thousands of workers called for an uprising and a general strike in Berlin the next day
• Over 100,000 workers took to the streets on 6 January
• The workers seized the government's newspaper and telegraph offices on 6 January
• Ebert's government started losing control of the capital
• Ebert and the Social Democrats were concerned about losing the support of rich landowners and industrialists
• Ebert ordered the army to organize demobilized soldiers into Freikorps units
• Around 250,000 men were in the Freikorps by March 1919
• Freikorps units


  Composed of demobilized soldiers, many of whom were opposed to communism
• Spartacist Revolt


  An uprising led by the Spartacists in Germany
• Ebert turned the Freikorps on the rioters
• The workers were no match for the Freikorps as they were mainly unarmed
• The workers were driven off the streets by 13 January
• The Spartacist Revolt was badly prepared and had no hope of success
• A hundred Spartacists were killed compared to only 13 Freikorps
• Luxemburg and Liebknecht were arrested and killed on 16 January
• The arrest and killing of Luxemburg and Liebknecht robbed the Communists of their leaders