Threats to the Weimar Republic
Unit 4 Mindmap for Edexcel Germany Course looking at the early years of the Weimar Republic
- Created by: JMitch
- Created on: 25-05-13 13:28
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- Threats to the Wiemar Republic
- Wiemar Constitution
- 1919 National Assembly elections had 85% turnout and 38% support for the SPD
- Constitution a compromise between SPD and the Centre
- 18 Lander states
- Reichstag main legislative chamber - could over-rule Reichsrat with a 2/3rds majority
- Reichstag elected by Proportional representation and universal suffrage
- This meant most governments were Coalitions - weakening the republic
- Reichstag elected by Proportional representation and universal suffrage
- Cabinet answerable to the Reichstag
- Article 48 gave the President significant powers
- Parties acted as interest groups for small sections of society
- Bill of Rights and Welfare enshrined in the Constitution
- Treaty of Versailles
- Lost lots of land including to France, Belgium and Poland
- Lost 20% of Coal Production and 15% of Agricultural resources
- Army limited to 100,000 men
- No Airforce or Submarines
- Article 231 - The War Guilt clause
- Colonies were confiscated
- Rhineland demilitarised and occuied for 15 Years
- Anschluss Forbidden
- Caused Schidemann's government's resignation in protest
- Political Divisions
- Spartacus Uprising 1919
- KPD established as the Communist Party Jan 1st 1919
- Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebnicht led an uprising seizing newspaper offices in Berlin
- Was put down easily by the Army and the Friekorps
- Red Bavaria 1919
- USPD Bavarian leader assassinated
- Socialist Republic of Bavaria declared in April
- Confiscation of wealthy properties began
- People's Red Army set up but was beaten by the regular army and Friekorps
- Friekorps summarily executed 800 Socialists
- Ruhr Revolution 1920
- Red Army was set up against the Friekorps and govt. declared in Essen
- Army and Friekorps put it down (Days earlier they had been rebelling
- June 1920 Elections
- Wiemar Coalition lost 6 Million votes - only 45% of vote
- Polarisation of politics beginning with 18% USPD and 15% DVP
- Kapp Putsch 1920
- Brigade of Friekorps ordered to be disbanded in coordination with Versailles
- Lutwitz refused and led an Uprising, capturing govt. district of Berlin
- Army wouldn't retaliate, government sent into exile and Kapp declared Chancellor
- Government ordered workers to strike - Regime collapsed after 4 days
- Munich Putsch 1923
- Bavarian government refused to arrest Nationalists - Hitler saw this as an oppertunity
- Led an uprising to capture Bavarian government power
- Army initially refused to fight but was put down by police
- Left 17 dead and Hitler was jailed for 5 Years (released after 18 months)
- Views of the Judiciary
- Were not replaced from pre-war classes
- Anti-republican and sympathetic to the right (Hitler only got 5 years for High Treason)
- Rathenau's Assassin only given a short prison sentence
- Foreign Minister Rathenau assassinated after Treaty of Rappello
- Harsh on the left (for a socialist breaking press laws he got 11 years)
- Didn't fully implement the Law to defend the Republic
- Law to Defend the Republic set up special courts to deal with assassinations
- Political Violence
- Friekorps disbanded but most members joined other extremist groups
- 374 Assasinations 1920-22 (356 from Right wing organisations
- Foreign Minister Rathenau assassinated after Treaty of Rappello
- Law to Defend the Republic set up special courts to deal with assassinations
- Spartacus Uprising 1919
- Economy
- Debt tripled 1919-1922
- Borrowed and printed money to pay Reparations
- Germany defaulted on Coal and Timber payments of 1922
- France Invaded the Ruhr with 60,000 troops
- Germany couldn't fight them - paid workers to passively resist
- Printing money to do this caused Hyperinflation
- Bread rose from 250 marks (Jan) to 1.5 Billion (Sept.) and 201 Billion (Nov.)
- Economic meltdown and banking collapse - Banks closed for 3 weeks
- 70% of union members unemployed
- Middle class savers hit the worst
- Printing money to do this caused Hyperinflation
- Germany couldn't fight them - paid workers to passively resist
- France Invaded the Ruhr with 60,000 troops
- Reparations
- Economy
- Debt tripled 1919-1922
- Borrowed and printed money to pay Reparations
- Germany defaulted on Coal and Timber payments of 1922
- France Invaded the Ruhr with 60,000 troops
- Germany couldn't fight them - paid workers to passively resist
- Printing money to do this caused Hyperinflation
- Bread rose from 250 marks (Jan) to 1.5 Billion (Sept.) and 201 Billion (Nov.)
- Economic meltdown and banking collapse - Banks closed for 3 weeks
- 70% of union members unemployed
- Middle class savers hit the worst
- Printing money to do this caused Hyperinflation
- Germany couldn't fight them - paid workers to passively resist
- France Invaded the Ruhr with 60,000 troops
- Article 231 - The War Guilt clause
- Reparation Commission decided that Germany had to pay 226 milliard marks in Jan 1921
- This was revised to 132 millard marks (£6.6 billion) in April
- Agreed to pay 2000 million marks a year to follow a policy of fulfillment
- Economy
- Wiemar Constitution
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