2. The Recovery of Weimar - Germany In Transition

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  • Created by: Amb81101
  • Created on: 03-06-17 09:38
What was Gustav Stresemann able to do to improve Germany's economic and international position?
Work successfully with Britain, France and the USA.
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What did Stresemann realise?
Germany could not afford reparation payments.
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What did he do?
Persuade the French, British and Americans to change payment terms through the Dawes Plan.
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Who was the Dawes Plan named after?
Charles Dawes.
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What did the Dawes Plan allow?
Germany longer time to pay reparations.
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When was the Dawes Plan agreed?
August 1924.
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What were the main points of the plan? (4)
1) Reparations begin at 1 bilion marks for 1st year, then increase over a 4 year period to 2.5 billion marks per year. 2) Ruhr area evacuated by Allied occupation troops. 3) Germann Reichbank reorganised under Allied supervision. 4) USA give loans.
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What was the 'Reichbank'?
German National Bank.
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Who was the plan accepted by?
Germany and the Allies.
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When did the plan come into effect?
September 1924.
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What did the Dawes Plan aim to do with the help of US loans?
Boost the German economy.
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Was US loans effective?
Yes. They helped economic recovery and enabled Germany to meet reparation payments.
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Wha did Stresemann do to restore confidence in German currency?
He introduced a temporary currency called the 'Rentenmark'.
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Did the Rentenmark restore confidence in the German people?
Yes.
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What did it then convert into?
The Reichsmark.
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Following reparations, what did the German government regularly do?
Complained about the level of payments.
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What happened in 1929 prior to this?
The Allied Reparations Committee asked American banker Owen Young to investigate the issue.
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What did he then do?
Came up with a new plan for payments. (The Young Plan)
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What was the reparations figure, and what was it reduced to?
Reduced from £6,600 million to £1,850 million.
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What was the length of time Germany had to pay extended to?
59 years with payments at an avergae of 2.05 billion marks per year.
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Was the Young Plan a considerable achievement for Stresemann?
Yes.
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Who was it criticised by?
Right-wing politicians - Such as Adolf Hitler and Alfred Hugenberg.
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What did they object to?
Further payment of reparations.
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Was there a recovery from hyperinflation/inflation?
Yes, although there were different views about the extent of the recovery.
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Who had benefitted from this hyperinflation? (1)
Big businesses as they could pay off debts.
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Why were workers generally better off during this period?
The average working day of 8 hours remained while the wages increased.
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Did the relations between workers and their emplyers worsen?
No.
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What happened to the 9 million unemployment figure of 1926?
Fell to the 6 million mark over the next two years (1927-28).
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Wht were the Weimar Republic over-dependant on at this time?
Loans from the USA.
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What was the 'Vicious Circle of Payments'?
USA lends money to Germany. Germany pays reparations to Britain and France. Britain and France used Germany's payment to repay loans from WW1 to USA.
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Who experienced problems throughout the 1920s and particularly after 1927?
Farmers.
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What were they effected by?
A worldwide depression in agriculture.
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What is meant by 'depression'?
A period of extended and severe decline in a nation's economy marked by low production and high unemployment.
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What is meant by 'agriculture'?
Farming (the production of crops, livestock, or poultry).
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What did they need to do to remain competitive on both home and foreign markets?
Need to modernise.
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What did the lack of profit do to them? (2)
1) Led them into further debt. 2) Discouraged investment into new machinery.
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Who slightly benefitted during this period?
Industrial workers.
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Wh?
Wages increased, but not so much above the rising of living costs.
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Did the economic recovery effect everyone equally?
No.
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What occupations ranged for the lower middle class?
Skilled craftsmen to newer jobs in the civil service.
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Did the lower middle class recover fully recover from the hyperinflation of 1923?
No.
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What did they feel?
That their interests were being ignored by the Weimar Republic, which seemed to favour big businesses.
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What were the Stresemann years referred as?
The Golden Age.
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Why was this?
Because of his successes abroad.
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What was one of these successes?
The Lorcano Pact.
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Who did Stresemann have successful relations with?
The League of Nations.
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What was the 'League of Nations'?
The international body established after WW1 in order to remain peace.
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What was Stresemann determined to do?
Improve relations with France and Britain.
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Why was this? (2)
1) Partly to restore Germany's international prestige. 2) To gain their co-operation in reducing the worst features of the Treaty of Versailles, especially reparations.
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Wht did Stresemann realise?
That France needed to feel secure in order to co-operate over changes to the Versailles Peace Treaty.
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What year was the Lorcano Pact signed?
1925.
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Who did Germany sign the Pact with? (4)
1) Britain. 2) Belgium. 3) France. 4) Italy.
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Wht did these countries agree to do by this agreement?
To keep existing borders between Germany, Belgium, and France.
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Wht did the Lorcano Pact begin?
A period of co-operation between Germany, France and Belgium.
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What was this sometimes described as?
'The Lorcano Honeymoon'.
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What would Germany have to become in order for the Lorcano Pact to come into operation?
A member of the League of Nations.
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What was the 'League of Nations'?
An international organisation established in 1920 to try to remain peace.
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What happened in September 1926?
Germany was given a permanent seat on the Council of the League of Nations.
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What did this confirm?
Germany's return to Great Power status.
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What was 'Great Power'?
A nation that has exceptional political influence, resources and military strength.
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Why was the League of Nations for Stresemann a bold move?
Because many Germans regarded the League as the guardian of the hated Treaty of Versailles.
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What did Stresemann use Germany's position in the League to do?
To bring about the Young Plan.
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What did Germany sign along with 64 other nations in 1928?
The Kellogg-Briand Pact.
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What was agreed? (2)
1) They would keep their armies for self-defence. 2) Solve all international disputes 'by peaceful means'.
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What did the pact show? (2)
1) Further improved relations between the USA and the leading European nations. 2) Confirmed that Germany was once again part of these leading nations.
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What were the results of Stresemann's foreign policies? (3)
1) In 1925 France withdrew from the Ruhr. 2) Allies agreed to the Dawes Plan. 3) In 1927, Allied troops withdrew from the west bank of the Rhine, five years before the original schedule of 1933.
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Who had an overall crucial role in the recovery of the Republic?
Gustav Stresemann.
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What made him particularly successful? (3)
1) The Dawes Plan. 2) American loans. 3) Successes abroad.
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What did these do for Germany? (2)
1) Brought closer relations with Britain and France. 2) Re-established the international position of Germany (prestige).
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What period saw greater political stability?
1924-29.
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What did this period of 1924-29 see?
Saw greater support for parties that supported the Weimar Government, and generally less support for the extremist groups such as the Nazis.
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Who was the political stability due to?
Stresemann and Hindenburg.
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When was Hindenburg elected as president?
1925.
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What was the period of 1924-29 known as?
'The Golden Age'.
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Why was this?
Due to the significant changes in the standard of living, the position of women and in culture.
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Did German workers benefit during this period?
Yes, to a certain extent.
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Wht did they benefit from?
The increases in the value of 'real wages'.
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Wht were 'real wages'?
Wages evaluated with reference to their purchasing power rather than to the money actually paid.
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Did the middle classes benefit from the real wages?
No, the middle class had little benefit.
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Did the middle class experience a rise in wages?
No, not really.
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Although unemployment greatly reduced, which professions did it remain high?
1) Lawyers. 2) Civil servants. 3) Teachers.
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What was the figure of unemployed middle-class workers seeking employment?
184,000.
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What did Weimar governments attempt to deal with during this period?
The critical shortage of housing in many parts of Germany.
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Who did they employ to devise a way of reducing house shortages?
Architects and planners.
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What were used to stimulate the building of new houses and apartments? (4)
1) Government investment. 2) Tax breaks. 3) Land grants. 4) Low-interest loans.
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What year had homelessness been reduced by more than 60%?
1928.
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In the 1880s, what did German chancellor Otto von Bismarck introduce?
A series of reforms.
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What did they include?
1) Health insurance schemes 2) Accident insurance schemes 3) Illness insurance schemes
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Who did they help?
The ill and old.
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Wht did the Weimar Republic extend this with?
The Unemployment Insurance Law (1927)
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What did this require?
Required workers and employees to make contributions to a national scheme for unemployment welfare.
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What did other reforms provide?(3)
1) Benefits and assistance to war veterans. 2) Wives and dependents of the war dead. 3) Single mothers and the disabled.
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What year were women over 20 given the right to vote?
1919.
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What did the Weimar Constitution introduce under the position of women? (3)
1) Gender equality in education. 2) Equal pay in the professions.3) Equal opportunity in civil service appointments.
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Was there changes in employment for women?
Yes.
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What was the most obvious change?
The growing number of women in new areas of employment, especially public employment (teaching, social work, civil service etc)
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What did women enjoy?
Social freedom.
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What did they do when they 'went out'? (3)
1) Were unescorted. 2) Drank. 3) Smoked.
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What did they wear?
Relatively short skirts and make-up.
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What did this period see?
The emergence of some of the most exciting art and culture in Europe.
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What fields experienced significant developments?
1) Painting. 2) Cinema. 3) Architecture. 4) Literature. 5) Theatre.
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What did Weimar artists try to show in their art?
Everyday life.
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In architecture terms, what did 'Bauhaus' mean?
'School of building'
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What did these architects design?
Anything from chairs, housing estates, even cigarette kiosks.
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Which 'best known' director produced the film 'Metropolis' in the Golden Age cinema?
Fritz Lang.
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In literature terms, what were political right writers highly critical of? (2)
1) German democracy. 2) Glorifying the experience of WW1.
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In literature terms, what were political left writers against?
War. (Didn't agree with it.)
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What did left wing writer 'Remarque' write?
A moving war novel.
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What was it called?
'All Quiet on the Western Front'.
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What does it describe?
The horrors of WW1.
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What was it then turned into?
A very successful film.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

What did Stresemann realise?

Back

Germany could not afford reparation payments.

Card 3

Front

What did he do?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

Who was the Dawes Plan named after?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What did the Dawes Plan allow?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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