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Key Facts about the Rise and Fall of the Weimar Republic The German Revolution: The events in 1918, Proportional Representation: The voting starting with the Kiel Mutiny, which saw the system used in Weimar Germany which Kaiser abdicate and democratic political parties guaranteed that all Weimar governments would take control of Germany. be coalitions and thus unstable.
Social Democrats/ Social Democratic Party/ The Treaty of Versailles: Reluctantly signed SPD: The biggest party in Germany before the by Weimar government in June 1919, Germany rise of the Nazi which took over when the Kaiser had to accept War Guilt, agree to pay abdicated (stepped down).It was left wing but not reparations, have a much reduced army and extreme and had middle class as well as working navy, no air-force and cede a massive amount class supporters of land, including the Polish corridor.
Friedrich Ebert: The leader of the Social Stabbed-in-the-Back Myth: The idea put Democratic Party in 1918, he was the first forward by right-wing nationalists that the President of what became known as the Weimar German army was defeated in the war by Republic. He died in 1925 and was replaced by communists in Jews causing trouble in Hindenburg. Germany rather than by the Allies, making the new government ‘the November Criminals’.
The Reichstag: Germany’s parliament which Reparations: The money Germany had to pay was based in Berlin. It has existed before the to France and Belgium as compensation for the Revolution but mainly as a place where the damage caused by the First World War; the Kaiser’s policies were discussed. It had no power amount was finally set in April 1921 by the but its existence made it easier for the SPD to League of Nations - £6.6 billion to be paid in 66 take control events during the revolution of 1918. equal annual instalments.
The Spartacus Revolt: The failed Communist The German Workers Party (DAP): A tiny rising against parliamentary democracy in extreme right wing nationalist party started by January 1919, led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Anton Drexler which attracted Adolf Hitler to join in 1919. Soon he took control and changed Liebknecht. They wanted the Soviet system its name to the NSDAP - the Nazis adopted in Russia after the 1917 Revolution.
The Freikorps: The volunteer right-wing militia, The 25 Point Programme: The Nazis political full of communist hating ex-soldiers which Ebert programme, which was a mixture of anti- used to crush the Spartacus Rising. When the semitism, nationalism and socialism. Behind it government tried to disband this force, it was the assumption that the Nazis would take supported Kapp in the Kapp Putsch in 1920. power using violence not votes.
The Weimar Constitution. The agreed list of The SA: Aka the Brownshirts or Storm rules by which Weimar Germany would be run. Troopers - the Nazis private militia made up Individual freedoms were guaranteed as was the mainly of disillusioned working class Germans voting system (proportional Representation) and who hated Jews, communists, the rich and the the roles of the President and the Chancellor. Treaty of Versailles.
Article 48: The article in the Weimar Constitution The Kapp Putsch: Right-wing rising in March which gave the President the power to make 1920 led by Wolfgang Kapp and the Freikorps. decrees (laws) in an emergency. Sadly, it was Mainly a protest against the Treaty of open to abuse as what an emergency was wasn’t Versailles and the enforced disbandment of specified. Freikorps. Defeated by general strike by workers of Berlin.
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The Ruhr Invasion: The invasion by 60,000 General Hindenburg: Elected President in 1925 French and Belgian troops of the Ruhr area of and again in 1932; the former leader of Germany in January 1923, following Germany’s Germany’s army was respected by people of all failure to pay reparation installment in December classes but he did lean towards right-wing 1922. They started to take what was owed. policies and abused Article 48 1930-1933.
Passive Resistance: The general strike by The League of Nations: The international workers in the Ruhr, against the invading forces, organisation set up after the First World War to ordered by the Weimar government which discuss issues so as to avoid future wars. caused shortages and economic problems. Germany was invited to join in 1926.
Hyperinflation: The major economic problem in Kellog-Briand Pact: An agreement in 1928, 1923; rapidly increasing prices caused by signed by by 50 countries (including Weimar shortages and the Weimar Government’s Germany) never to go to war again!!! decision to print extra banknotes effectively making the German currency worthless.
Gustav Stresemann: The centre-right politician Weimar Culture: An expression used to whose policies brought an end to the describe the explosion in new ideas in all forms hyperinflation crisis and led to Germany’s of media in Germany in the 1920s, partly as a economic recovery and international result of the new freedom established by the rehabilitation between 1924 and 1929, a period Weimar Constitution; it included modernist art, known as the Stresemann Era. theatre, films, literature and night-life/ clubs
The Munich Putsch: Hitler’s failed attempt to The Wall Street Crash: The collapse of the seize power, starting in a Munich beer hall in stock market in New York in October 1929 which November 1923. 16 SA men were killed but Hitler is often seen as the start of the worldwide Great used the trial to great effect by saying he was Depression. The collapse of the American trying to save Germany from the chaos of economic affected Germany so badly because democracy making him a national figure. Germany depended on American money.
Mein Kampf: The book Hitler wrote during the 9 Unemployment: The main problem caused in months he was in prison after the Putsch. It spelt Germany by the Great Depression. It led to out his ideas and became a best-seller in homelessness and despair in Germany as well Germany, making Hitler (and the Nazis) relatively as the rise of the two most extreme parties- the wealthy and thus able to fund propaganda. Nazis and the Communists, as the Weimar government failed to create jobs.
The Dawes Plan: The agreement signed by Nazi Promises: Hitler and the Nazis promised Stresemann in 1924 which rescheduled different things to different groups of people in reparation payments, reorganised the German order to maximise support. Unpopular policies bank and led to the end of the withdrawal of were dropped. The promised mainly appealed to French and Belgian troops from the Ruhr while the middle class but were vague enough to win also leading to loans of $800 million dollars from votes from all classes. American banks
Locarno Pact: An agreement signed in 1925 to Anti-Semitism: The hatred of Jews, which was respect the international land borders established exploited by Hitler to win votes from people from in 1919 - no more talk of revenge! all social classes.
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Nationalism: An extreme form of patriotism in Reichstag Fire: February 1933 - this fire was which the interests of the country in question are started a week before the key March Election; it viewed as being more important that the interests allowed Hitler to say it was a Communist plot of other countries. It was used to justify the and President Hindenburg to introduce the actions which led to WW2. Order for the Protection of the People and State..
Lebensbaum: The Nazi policy of expanding into Order for the Protection of the People and Eastern Europe if it became necessary for the State: Passed by Hindenburg, using Article Germany’s success. This policy was use to justify 48, in response to Reichstag Fire, it suspended invade Poland in 1939. human rights and enabled Hitler to lock up and silence the communists and other political opponents on the left wing.
Joseph Goebbels: Hitler’s propaganda genius Concentration Camps: Special prison camps who hated Jews and loved Hitler in almost equal set up by the Nazis to house the thousands of amounts. political opponents locked up using the Order for the Protection of People and State. They were run by the SS
Chancellor Bruning: Appointed by Hindenburg .March Election: The election in March 1933 in 1930 and remained in charge until 1932; this which saw the Nazis win their biggest Centre party politician never had the support of percentage of the vote yet (43.8%) which was the Reichstag, was ineffective and was only able good but not good enough to establish an to make laws by asking Hindenburg to make outright majority in the Reichstag. Hitler would decrees (Article 48). now need to make deals to do what he wanted.
Centre Party: Moderate right wing political party The DNVP: The small right wing party of the which was set up before 1914 to represent the rich; it was nationalist and anti-semitic. Its deal interests of Germany’s Catholics; its main with Hitler was one of the reasons why it was importance was in agreeing to support the possible for Hitler to get the Enabling Law Enabling Law in 1933, because of Hitler’s promise passed. not to interfere in the Catholic Church.
Franz von Papen: Member of the Centre party The Enabling Law: The law which gave Hitler who replaced Bruning as Chancellor in 1932; a to power to make any law he wanted, which personal friend of President Hindenburg. would become law immediately, without the Persuaded Hindenburg to make Hitler Chancellor support of either the Reichstag or the president. in January 1933, having been pushed out of power by General Von Schleicher.
General von Schleicher: Very senior Army figure Ernst Rohm: The leader of the SA, which had and friend of both von Papen and Hindenburg; fell nearly 3 million members by 1934. He was out with von Papen and persuaded Hindenburg to more left wing than HItler and wanted Hitler to make him Chancellor in 1932, replacing von deliver the socialist part of his programme and Papen. put him in charge of the German Army.
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The SS: The black shirted Nazi elite set up in The Night of the Long Knives: The attack on 1925 as Hitler’s bodyguard. Membership was the leadership of the SA on 30 June-1July 1934, strictly limited to pure Aryans. When set up, it which saw Rohm and hundreds more senior SA came under the general control of the SA but his members (as well as other right-wing politicians changed after the Night of Long Knives. After Hitler didn’t like) murdered by the SS, acting on murdering the SA leaders, it became the Hitler’s orders. Hitler claimed that Rohm had enforcer of Nazi terror; incorporating the Gestapo been planning a ‘Second Revolution’ but there . Its members were in charge of the was no evidence of this. The SA was no longer Concentration Camps. needed and Rohm was a threat and an embarrassment.
Heinrich Himmler: The ruthless leader of the Der Fuhrer: The title Hitler gave himself when SS. He was very ambitious and wanted the SS to he assumed total political power in August 1934 take control over the SA, making himself more after the death of President Hindenburg; he was powerful than Rohm. This personal ambition was combining the roles of Chancellor and President one reason why he encouraged Hitler to carry out without having an election. He couldn’t risk an the Night of Long Knives. election as he might lose.
Herman Goering: Another leading Nazi. The Army Oath: Taken by all officers and Aristocratic, military background. Leader of the soldiers in the German army after Hindenburg’s SA until the Munich Putsch but then focussed on death and Hitler’s announced that he was the political side of Nazi politics. In 1936 he was becoming Der Fuhrer. All promised loyalty (on put in charge of the German economy, with the pain of death) to Adolf Hitler, the Fuhrer. This task of preparing Germany for war within 4 years. was the final stage in Hitler’s rise to total control of Germany.