marie weimar germany

• what weaknesses remained in germany? (2)

  germany relied heavily on loans from america. extremist parties still existed
• give examples of communist revolts

  - March 1919: they organised strikes and riots in Berlin. Defeated by the Freikorps.

  - April 1919: they turned Bavaria into a Soviet Republic. They took from the rich and shared it among the workers. The army and the Freikorps crushed the revolt and killed the leaders
• why was the new government known as the 'november criminals' ?

  they signed the armistice on the 11th of novmber 1918. this ended ww1 but it meant that germany had then lost the was and people felt their new government had 'given in' and even 'stabbed germany in the back
• what were the weaknesses of the weimar constitution? (3)

  the president could use article 48 to do anythhing in an 'emergency'(not defined) - proportional representation allowed extremist parties, like the nazis and communists a say in the government - proportional representation meant that no party had a majority in parliament so thhe cpountry was run by coalitions
• What was the Kellogg-Briand Pact?

  this was in 1928 when germany and 60 other countries agreed not to go to war with eachother
• what was the locarno pact

  an agreement between germany and france, in 1925 to never change the borders between the 2 countries.
• what was the young plan

  1929, agreement to extend deadline for reparation payments for another 59 years
• what was the dawes plan?

  1924, germany borowed 800 million gold marks from the usa. germany could now build factories which created jobs and goods to improve the germany economy. also allowed germany to pay reparations in affordable chunks, depending on how rich germany was at the time.
• why did french soldiers invade the ruhr in germany 9th january 1923?

  germany couldnt afford to pay the 2nd installment of reparations but the french didnt believe them. they invaded the ruhr region because it was a rich, industrialised are and they would be able to take what they were owed firectly from the mines and factories
• why did kaiser wilhelm the second abdicate on the 9th of november 1918?

  he abdicated and ran away to the netherlands because he had no support. conditions were poor and people were starving. the sailors at kiel had mutinied (refused to obey orders) and this had spread to the soldiers and people in general. the workers had gone on strike
• what is a putsch


  an armed uprising. people try to fight and take over from the government using violence and weapons
• what was the rentenmark?

  it was a new currency introduced by stresemann to solve the problem of hyperinflation. he got rid of the worthless money. he also stopped passive resistance and said germany would start paying reparations again.
• what did germany hate about the treaty of versailles?

  they were angry that they were blamed for the war and had to pay reparations (£6.6 billion). they lost all their colonies and 70,000km of land. felt vulnerable because their army was cut to 100,000 men and the rhineland was demilitarised.
• what was the weimar constitution?

  set of rules saying how weimar germany should be run. published in august 1919.
• why did germany sign the treaty of versailles?

  had no choice, if they didnt sign, the allies would invade
• what was hyperinflation?


  money became worthless because the government printed more money. people collected their wages in wheelbarrows but would still struggle to buy clothes and food. savings became worthless. people blamed the government
• why was germany called the weimar republic?

  The new government, led by Ebert after a general election in January 1919, was unsafe in Berlin so they moved to the town of Weimar.
• what happened to the spartacists?

  The Spartacist Uprising was put down by the Freikorps. These were ex-army soldiers. 1000s of communists were killed and Luxemburg and Liebknecht were shot. The communists hated the Weimar Republic after this event.
• what was the treaty of versailles?

  the peace settlement signed after ww1 had ended in 1918. it was signed on the 28th of june 1919
• when was the german golden age?

  1919-1929
• Which of Stresemann's actions helped Germany recover economically?

  rentenmark, dawes plan, young plan
• what happened as a result of the ruhr invasion?

  Germany was so poor that the government printed more money. This led to hyperinflation.
• what changes did hitler make to the german workers party after he becam their leader?

  changed name to nationalist socialist german workers party, drew up idea in 1920 (25 point programme), set up private army in 1921 called the SA. they protected nazi speakers at rallies and beat up opponent, such as communists
• how did all of stressemann's actions impact germany?

  weimar republic was more stable, extremist parties were less popular, cultural revival - new artists and writers, berlin was full of cafes and cubs and renowned throughout europe.
• who were the spartacists?

  The Spartacists were communists. Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht led a revolt in January 1919. They took over public buildings and organised a general strike.
• what cultural movements thrived during the golden age?

  expressionism in art, bauhaus design, 'roaring twenties' cultural explosion
• what happened in the kapp putsch


  freikorps, led by wolfgang kapp, tried to seize power by force in berlin, 13 march 1920. kapp was supported by berlins army and police. the government fled to dreseld but they asked workers to go on strike. this meant that there was no transport, water, gas or coal in berlin. so, the putsch ended and kapp ran away to sweden.
• what did the german government do when the ruhr was invaded?

  they ordered germans to use passive resistance. the mines and factories stopped production. the french killed 132 germans
• what positions did gustav stressemann hold in the weimar republic?

  chancellor in 1923. foreign minister 1923-1929.
• What was proportional representation?


  system of voting where the number of seats for each party on the reichstag were based on the numbers of votes won in elections.
• which of stressemann's actions helped germanys relations with other countries?

  locarno pact, joining LON in 1926, kellogg - briand pact
• who took over governing germany after the kaiser

  Friedrich Ebert of the Social Democratic Party
• how did cultural tensions manifest during the golden age?

  conflicts between traditional and modern values, debated over societal norms and gender roles.