NAZI GERMANY
Problems facing Weimar government
Social Political Economic
→ Revolutions ; Spartacist, Kapp, Munich. → Ebert had difficulty getting → 2 million men killed ⇒ less men in
control/support of Reichstag industrial
→ High-Anti-sementic views Workforce ⇒ less taxes ⇒ less economy
→ Assassination of political opponents =
→ Communist threat instability (Erzberger & Rathenau in 1922) → 1/3 of state budget = spent on war
pensions and compensation
→ Strain on hospital + economy → Presidents has Emergency Powers
(Article 48) → Germany in lots of debt- high expenditure
→ Famine (particularly in Berlin) during the war
→ Threat of Communists (Spartacist
→ Social unrest + low morale revolution) → £6.6 billion in reparations, war pensions
Germans humiliated, “stab in the back” and compensation (bonds)
and “November criminal” theories. → German army collapsed-sailors in
Wilhelmshaven and Kiel = mutinied → National income 1/3 of what it had been in
→ Angry soldiers, returning from war soviets all over Germany 1913
with weapons ⇒ high threat of uprising
→ Coalition government- too many →Industrial production 2/3 of what it had
→ Nationalists hated Weimar different ideologies- hard to make a decision been in 1913
quickly, unstable
Strengths Weaknesses
→ Proportional representation ⇒ fair → Emergency powers/ Article 48 ⇒ what is an
Emergency?
→ Bill of Rights ⇒ freedom of expression and religion to everyone
→ Proportional representation ⇒ difficult to make a decision
→ No censorship because there are too many different ideologies, very divided +
unstable so no single party ever won the majority.
→ Democratic ⇒ all men and women over 20 get the vote
→ Ebert didn’t have much support from Reichstag
→ Elected president and Reichstag ⇒ fair and Democratic
→ No support from public (weren’t used to democracy)
→ president stops the Chancellor from becoming too powerful - ’Stabbed in the back myth’
- November Criminals
→ The Weimar had ended the war
→ Wander Vogel movement Weimar ⇒ ‘corrupt + sleazy’,
→ Extremist groups (Communists and Nazis) were not winning Germany falling into moral decline
much support = people were happier
→ Lack of support from army (their friends had been sacked due to
→ By 1927, the industry was recovering the Treaty of Versailles)
→ Huge unemployment
, Treaty of Versailles
Treaty clause Result Importance
Border adjustments → Less land ⇒ Less production Quite important to the people of germany,
→ German population falls by 11% since land is a symbol of the countries
→Less defence power
→Loss of home=social unrest ⇒ BUT less people/land for
→Less trade = weaker economy Germany to be responsible for, especially
important in times of economic distress.
Overseas land taken from Germany (given → Less defence
to Britain and France mostly) in → Less alliances/defence
Russia,Belgium, French territory, Romania, → German humiliation
Serbia, Montenegro… → Less trade = weaker economy
→ Social unrest Very important to the people of Germany
→ Humiliated, angry Germans as it made them and their country look
War Guilt clause- Article 231 (Germany → Angry soldiers returning from bad, national pride went down.
takes all blame for the war) war with weapons = high threat of Led to Kapp Putsch, Munich Putsch,
uprising Spartacist revolution ⇒ Social unrest
Reparations (Germany to pay → Economy exhausted even more Hugely important to Germans
£6.6 billion for worldwide war → Chaos and poverty all over Germany Led to poverty, Occupation of the
damage) → Hatred of the Weimar Ruhr,Hyperinflation, and more issues.
Disarmament → Vulnerable to risk of Large impact on Germans.
(only 100,000 soldiers, 36 ships, no air force attack/invasion
or submarines, ban on alliance → Social unrest lots of angry Led to huge unemployment levels +
with Austria, conscription banned) unemployed freikorps spartacist uprisings
Weimar structure
- President = Head of State
Elected every 7 year. Supposed to stay out of day-to-day government.
ONLY act in a crisis, Article 48, Emergency Powers (could make laws without consulting the Reichstag
in an emergency BUT what is an emergency?)
- Chancellor- leader of the biggest single party
(Ebert in 1918, Hindenburg in 1925)
deal with day-to-day government, appointed by president, had to be supported by the majority of the
Reichstag
- Proportional Representation no. of votes = no. of seats in Reichstag (
Lead to lots of diff parties ⇒ too many diff ideologies ⇒ hard to make a decision quickly)
- Every man and woman over the age of 20 = could vote and had equal rights
May not have been sensible as the Weimar had many enemies
Problems facing Weimar government
Social Political Economic
→ Revolutions ; Spartacist, Kapp, Munich. → Ebert had difficulty getting → 2 million men killed ⇒ less men in
control/support of Reichstag industrial
→ High-Anti-sementic views Workforce ⇒ less taxes ⇒ less economy
→ Assassination of political opponents =
→ Communist threat instability (Erzberger & Rathenau in 1922) → 1/3 of state budget = spent on war
pensions and compensation
→ Strain on hospital + economy → Presidents has Emergency Powers
(Article 48) → Germany in lots of debt- high expenditure
→ Famine (particularly in Berlin) during the war
→ Threat of Communists (Spartacist
→ Social unrest + low morale revolution) → £6.6 billion in reparations, war pensions
Germans humiliated, “stab in the back” and compensation (bonds)
and “November criminal” theories. → German army collapsed-sailors in
Wilhelmshaven and Kiel = mutinied → National income 1/3 of what it had been in
→ Angry soldiers, returning from war soviets all over Germany 1913
with weapons ⇒ high threat of uprising
→ Coalition government- too many →Industrial production 2/3 of what it had
→ Nationalists hated Weimar different ideologies- hard to make a decision been in 1913
quickly, unstable
Strengths Weaknesses
→ Proportional representation ⇒ fair → Emergency powers/ Article 48 ⇒ what is an
Emergency?
→ Bill of Rights ⇒ freedom of expression and religion to everyone
→ Proportional representation ⇒ difficult to make a decision
→ No censorship because there are too many different ideologies, very divided +
unstable so no single party ever won the majority.
→ Democratic ⇒ all men and women over 20 get the vote
→ Ebert didn’t have much support from Reichstag
→ Elected president and Reichstag ⇒ fair and Democratic
→ No support from public (weren’t used to democracy)
→ president stops the Chancellor from becoming too powerful - ’Stabbed in the back myth’
- November Criminals
→ The Weimar had ended the war
→ Wander Vogel movement Weimar ⇒ ‘corrupt + sleazy’,
→ Extremist groups (Communists and Nazis) were not winning Germany falling into moral decline
much support = people were happier
→ Lack of support from army (their friends had been sacked due to
→ By 1927, the industry was recovering the Treaty of Versailles)
→ Huge unemployment
, Treaty of Versailles
Treaty clause Result Importance
Border adjustments → Less land ⇒ Less production Quite important to the people of germany,
→ German population falls by 11% since land is a symbol of the countries
→Less defence power
→Loss of home=social unrest ⇒ BUT less people/land for
→Less trade = weaker economy Germany to be responsible for, especially
important in times of economic distress.
Overseas land taken from Germany (given → Less defence
to Britain and France mostly) in → Less alliances/defence
Russia,Belgium, French territory, Romania, → German humiliation
Serbia, Montenegro… → Less trade = weaker economy
→ Social unrest Very important to the people of Germany
→ Humiliated, angry Germans as it made them and their country look
War Guilt clause- Article 231 (Germany → Angry soldiers returning from bad, national pride went down.
takes all blame for the war) war with weapons = high threat of Led to Kapp Putsch, Munich Putsch,
uprising Spartacist revolution ⇒ Social unrest
Reparations (Germany to pay → Economy exhausted even more Hugely important to Germans
£6.6 billion for worldwide war → Chaos and poverty all over Germany Led to poverty, Occupation of the
damage) → Hatred of the Weimar Ruhr,Hyperinflation, and more issues.
Disarmament → Vulnerable to risk of Large impact on Germans.
(only 100,000 soldiers, 36 ships, no air force attack/invasion
or submarines, ban on alliance → Social unrest lots of angry Led to huge unemployment levels +
with Austria, conscription banned) unemployed freikorps spartacist uprisings
Weimar structure
- President = Head of State
Elected every 7 year. Supposed to stay out of day-to-day government.
ONLY act in a crisis, Article 48, Emergency Powers (could make laws without consulting the Reichstag
in an emergency BUT what is an emergency?)
- Chancellor- leader of the biggest single party
(Ebert in 1918, Hindenburg in 1925)
deal with day-to-day government, appointed by president, had to be supported by the majority of the
Reichstag
- Proportional Representation no. of votes = no. of seats in Reichstag (
Lead to lots of diff parties ⇒ too many diff ideologies ⇒ hard to make a decision quickly)
- Every man and woman over the age of 20 = could vote and had equal rights
May not have been sensible as the Weimar had many enemies
