POLTITICAL AND GOVERNMENTAL CHANGE 1918 –89: A –LEVEL EDEXCEL
ROUTE G
• Politics before 1918 was led differently and less organized. Most of the parties supported
the Kaiser and his military command, but the Kaiser was an incapable war strategist.
• Reichstag still met but the high command would ignore it.
• Hindenburg and Ludendorff led a military dictatorship.
• The Kaiser and Ludendorff led a Revolution from Above, to prevent a revolution from below.
• Prince Max of Baden led the new government.
• The Treaty of Versailles was an agreement signed by the allies declaring an end to the war
and the consequences/ terms were set out which Germany had to meet. It was signed on
June 28, 1919.
• Lost colonies and land from the Treaty of Brest Litovsk, Eupen and Malmedy, Alsace and
Lorraine and Upper Silesia.
• They had to pay reparations for 132 billion marks, £6.6 billion.
• No heavy artillery, no warships over 10,000 Tonnes, restricted the army to 100,000 troops
(about the seating capacity of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum), no tanks, no air force.
• No uniting with Austria
• The Rhineland becomes demilitarized and acts as a buffer zone for France.
• An armistice was called by Max of Baden, for settlement of peace, and was called for 3rd
October 1918.
• Prince Max made many constitutional reforms to his government, extending the vote to all
men and making the army and the ministers responsible of the government not the Kaiser –
shared responsibility.
• The Spartacist revolt happened in January 1919, and they were radical, they wanted change,
they wanted a strong government, decisive, overturning the Treaty of Versailles and a strong
leader. They wanted social change and with that a revolution.
• Prince Max of Baden tried to get the Kaiser to abdicate and lay off his ruling government but
refused. On the 8th of November 1918, Bavaria broke from Germany, forming its own
government in 1919. Kaiser abdicated and fled to Holland after the breaking apart of his
empire and Max dissolved the government.
• The Council of People’s Representatives was set up on November 10, 1918. Led by Ebert,
head of the SPD group and the USPD group by Hugo Hasse. The cabinet was mostly made up
of socialists. Ebert became head of the cabinet for both USPD and SPD members.
• Ebert created the Ebert Groener Pact with the army, agreeing that it would support the
government if it did not voice or support any left-wing ideas in the Reichstag.
, • The armistice to end the war was signed on 11th November 1918 by Mathias Erzberger on
behalf of the Reichstag.
• The Treaty of Versailles was signed on 28th June 1919
• Prince Max of Baden tried to call for an armistice on 3rd October 1918
• Immediately after the armistice was signed legislations that were placed to calm the
unsettled political and economic situation was that they allowed only an 8-hour working
day, set up free independent unions, widened health and employment services and helped
ex-soldiers get back into work.
• The government had its own private army and had asked the Friekorps to put down the
Spartacists Revolt in 1919 January, executing its leaders Liebknecht and Luxembourg.
• In the Spartacists Revolt of 1919, 50,000 were demonstrated in the middle of Berlin. Taking
over newspaper stands and key office buildings/ taking over the postal services.
• In the first Weimar elections, there was a high voter turnout of 82.7% of all electors. The SPD
had not earned enough votes to become a government and so had to form a coalition with
the DDP and the Centre Party.
• DNVP – German National People’s Party – old conservative classes, nationalists, landowners,
anti-Semitic
• DVP – German National Party – Gustav Stresemann led the DVP. Supported the Reichstag
without supporting the view for the Republic. Nationalists supported the army, moderately
conservative, led by Gustav Stresemann.
• The Centre Party – based on Church and Christian values. Rooted for social reform and was
fanatically opposed to communism, urging its voters to vote against communism.
• DDP – German Democrats, wanted social change, liberal and educated, often part of the
government coalition, members concerned with improving conditions for the industrialists
and reforming the army.
• SPD – largest party in the government 1919 – 1929, long established party, was not anti-
monarchist and until 1917 when its supporters of the regime were rooting for a more
republican stance, liberal, middle-class people and wanted moderate social reform.
• USPD – used to be a part of the Council of People’s Representatives, split in 1917 to leave
the SPD party. Stood for social change and equal rights in society. Luxemburg used to be a
part of the USPD before breaking away from it and becoming more radical, especially during
the 1919 Spartacist Revolt.
• KPD – communist party, set up in 1919. Attracted the poor and the uneducated. Promise a
better life and more employment. Establishment of a communist state and the abolishment
of private ownership.
• The results of 1919 show that the SPD had 165 seats, and this decreased to 102 seats in
1920. But DVNP, DVP, USPD and KPD all made gains while the Centre Party, DDP and SPD all
made losses. By 1920, more people were voting for extreme parties.
• Ebert was the first President of the Republic on 11th February 1919 with 277 votes to 51.
• The new Weimar Constitution was passed by the National Assembly on 31st July 1919.
• The first chancellor of the FRG was Adenauer, head of the CDU.
ROUTE G
• Politics before 1918 was led differently and less organized. Most of the parties supported
the Kaiser and his military command, but the Kaiser was an incapable war strategist.
• Reichstag still met but the high command would ignore it.
• Hindenburg and Ludendorff led a military dictatorship.
• The Kaiser and Ludendorff led a Revolution from Above, to prevent a revolution from below.
• Prince Max of Baden led the new government.
• The Treaty of Versailles was an agreement signed by the allies declaring an end to the war
and the consequences/ terms were set out which Germany had to meet. It was signed on
June 28, 1919.
• Lost colonies and land from the Treaty of Brest Litovsk, Eupen and Malmedy, Alsace and
Lorraine and Upper Silesia.
• They had to pay reparations for 132 billion marks, £6.6 billion.
• No heavy artillery, no warships over 10,000 Tonnes, restricted the army to 100,000 troops
(about the seating capacity of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum), no tanks, no air force.
• No uniting with Austria
• The Rhineland becomes demilitarized and acts as a buffer zone for France.
• An armistice was called by Max of Baden, for settlement of peace, and was called for 3rd
October 1918.
• Prince Max made many constitutional reforms to his government, extending the vote to all
men and making the army and the ministers responsible of the government not the Kaiser –
shared responsibility.
• The Spartacist revolt happened in January 1919, and they were radical, they wanted change,
they wanted a strong government, decisive, overturning the Treaty of Versailles and a strong
leader. They wanted social change and with that a revolution.
• Prince Max of Baden tried to get the Kaiser to abdicate and lay off his ruling government but
refused. On the 8th of November 1918, Bavaria broke from Germany, forming its own
government in 1919. Kaiser abdicated and fled to Holland after the breaking apart of his
empire and Max dissolved the government.
• The Council of People’s Representatives was set up on November 10, 1918. Led by Ebert,
head of the SPD group and the USPD group by Hugo Hasse. The cabinet was mostly made up
of socialists. Ebert became head of the cabinet for both USPD and SPD members.
• Ebert created the Ebert Groener Pact with the army, agreeing that it would support the
government if it did not voice or support any left-wing ideas in the Reichstag.
, • The armistice to end the war was signed on 11th November 1918 by Mathias Erzberger on
behalf of the Reichstag.
• The Treaty of Versailles was signed on 28th June 1919
• Prince Max of Baden tried to call for an armistice on 3rd October 1918
• Immediately after the armistice was signed legislations that were placed to calm the
unsettled political and economic situation was that they allowed only an 8-hour working
day, set up free independent unions, widened health and employment services and helped
ex-soldiers get back into work.
• The government had its own private army and had asked the Friekorps to put down the
Spartacists Revolt in 1919 January, executing its leaders Liebknecht and Luxembourg.
• In the Spartacists Revolt of 1919, 50,000 were demonstrated in the middle of Berlin. Taking
over newspaper stands and key office buildings/ taking over the postal services.
• In the first Weimar elections, there was a high voter turnout of 82.7% of all electors. The SPD
had not earned enough votes to become a government and so had to form a coalition with
the DDP and the Centre Party.
• DNVP – German National People’s Party – old conservative classes, nationalists, landowners,
anti-Semitic
• DVP – German National Party – Gustav Stresemann led the DVP. Supported the Reichstag
without supporting the view for the Republic. Nationalists supported the army, moderately
conservative, led by Gustav Stresemann.
• The Centre Party – based on Church and Christian values. Rooted for social reform and was
fanatically opposed to communism, urging its voters to vote against communism.
• DDP – German Democrats, wanted social change, liberal and educated, often part of the
government coalition, members concerned with improving conditions for the industrialists
and reforming the army.
• SPD – largest party in the government 1919 – 1929, long established party, was not anti-
monarchist and until 1917 when its supporters of the regime were rooting for a more
republican stance, liberal, middle-class people and wanted moderate social reform.
• USPD – used to be a part of the Council of People’s Representatives, split in 1917 to leave
the SPD party. Stood for social change and equal rights in society. Luxemburg used to be a
part of the USPD before breaking away from it and becoming more radical, especially during
the 1919 Spartacist Revolt.
• KPD – communist party, set up in 1919. Attracted the poor and the uneducated. Promise a
better life and more employment. Establishment of a communist state and the abolishment
of private ownership.
• The results of 1919 show that the SPD had 165 seats, and this decreased to 102 seats in
1920. But DVNP, DVP, USPD and KPD all made gains while the Centre Party, DDP and SPD all
made losses. By 1920, more people were voting for extreme parties.
• Ebert was the first President of the Republic on 11th February 1919 with 277 votes to 51.
• The new Weimar Constitution was passed by the National Assembly on 31st July 1919.
• The first chancellor of the FRG was Adenauer, head of the CDU.
