Chapter 2- impacts of WW1

• what did Germans think during the war ?

  • it was popular & patriotic Germans thought it would end quickly
  • German protesters demanded an end to the war
  • in October an army general decided Germany could not win
• describe the defeat and end of monarchy

  • the Kaiser had lost control
  • army and generals refused to support the kaiser
  • Kaiser abdicated in 1918 and secretly left Germany
  • Germany surrendered and the war was over
• what were the impacts on Germany ?

  • owed vast sums of money
  • factories were exhausted
  • war pensions
  • some factory owners made loads while other shad restricted wages
  • women worked during the war
  • it's of mutiny and revolition
  • some people believed that politicians had betrayed Germany by ending the war
• who was the temporary leader of the weimar Republic ?

  Ebert
• who were the spatacists and what did they want ?

  • a communist group
  • wanted Germany to be run by a small council
• describe what happened in 1919

  • spatacists seized power of Berlin
  • Ebert sent free corps to attack
  • free corps recaptured Berlin
  • Ebert held elections and became the new president
  • Weimar constitution was formed
• what were the weaknesses of the weimar constitution ?

  • proportional representation meant lots of parties are able to gain reichstag seats
  • law making became a slow process
  • many groups did not like democracy
• what were the seven main political parties ?

  • communist (kpd)
  • social democrats (SPD)
  • German democrats (DDP)
  • centre (zentrum)
  • peoples (dvp)
  • national peoples (dnvp)
  • national socialist German workers (NSDAP)
• who supported the communists ?

  working class
• who supported the social democrats ?

  mainly working class
• who supported the German democrats ?

  middle class
• who supported the centre ?

  catholics
• who supported the people's party ?

  middle class
• who supported the national peoples ?

  middle & upper class
• who supported the national socialist German workers ?

  • unemployed
  • ex soldiers
  • upper class
  • middle class
• what was the treaty of Versailles ?

  • pay reperations of 6.6 billion
  • small army of 100000 men & no subarines
  • must hand over colonised areas
  • must take blame for the war
• how did Germans feel about the treaty ?

  • it was too harsh
  • called it a diktat - a dictated peace
  • felt politicians had betrayed the country by asking for a ceasefire
• describe the reperations

  • in 1921 the figure was set to 132 billion gold marks
  • it was to be paid yearly for the next 66 years
  • the first installment was 2 billion gold marks to France and belgium
  • some payments were in gold but the majority was in goods like coal
• what happened after the first payment ?

  by the time of the next payment Germany announced that they could not afford to pay
• describe the occupation of the Ruhr

  • France & Belgium did not believe that they could not pay
  • decided to take what they were owed by force
  • French & Belgian troops marched the Ruhr
  • Germans who stood up got arrested
• what was the Ruhr ?

  the rich & industrial area of germany
• how did the hyperinflation occur ?

  • German government ordered the workers to strike
  • workers continued getting paid
  • German government printed more money & prices began to rise
  • in 1918 read was 0.6 marks but in 1923 it was 23 billion marks
• what were the impacts of the hyperinflation ?

  • bank savings became useless
  • pensions could not buy necessities
  • small businesses collapsed
  • loans became easier to pay off