2.2 What was the Weimar
Republic?
Revolution in Germany
9th Nov 1918 – Kaiser fled Germany
People tired of war – lots of riots and rebellions over Germany
Friedrich Ebert (leader of SPD) temporarily became leader of
Germany
o He first signed an armistice to end WW1.
o Next he improved working conditions, helped unemployed,
improved housing and more food supplies.
Granted more freedoms and arranged elections for a
new parliament
Ebert wanted Germany to become a democratic republic
o Ebert supported equality and allowing people to vote in
politics
The Spartacists and the Free Corps
One of the main political groups was the Spartacus League,
named after a Roman gladiator led a slave uprising in Ancient Rome
o They believed in communism – wanted Germany to be run by
small councils not by a parliament.
6 Jan 1919 – the Spartacists tried to overrun Berlin
th
Armistice – an agreement to stop fighting
Article 48 – the part of the Weimar Constitution that gave the President
the right to rule in a time of crisis without requiring the support of the
Reichstag
Communism – the political system where all property is owned by the
government; people are equal and they are paid by the government
according to their needs
Constitution – the set of rules by which a country is governed
Democratic Republic – the system of running a country in which all
adults have the right to vote for the government they want
Free Corps – a right-wing German paramilitary group that was active in
the early years of the Weimar Republic
Left-Wing – the political belief that promotes equality, high taxation for
the rich, and the redistribution of wealth
Proportional Representation – the political system in which the
number of politicians for a particular party is in proportion with the
number of votes they win
Spartacus League – a group of German communists who wanted a
revolution similar to the one that had taken place in Russia in 1917
Weimar Republic – the name given to Germany’s democratic system
between 1913 and 1933
, o Thousands roamed the streets with guns storming important
buildings
o Ebert response was to send 2000 ex-soldiers from the Free
Corps
After 3 days of intense street warfare, the Free Corps recaptured
buildings and arrested Rosa Luxemberg and Karl Liebnecht (the
Spartacist Leaders.
They were beaten and murdered – the revolt was over
Communism
The Spartacus League was a left-wing, communist party.
Communists believed in:
o Equality for everyone – no classes or wage gap
o No private property – the government runs all farms and
businesses
o Everyone shares their wealth, ideally no need for councils
Many countries feared communism due to the 1917 Russian
Revolution where communists were hostile to wealthy people.
Free Corps
Were a groups of ex-soldiers from WW1.
They hated communists as they blamed them for stirring up trouble
at the end of the war and hence losing the war
They stopped many Communist uprisings (Bavaria in May 1919,
Ruhr in March 1920) with brutality
Armistice – an agreement to stop fighting
Article 48 – the part of the Weimar Constitution that gave the President
the right to rule in a time of crisis without requiring the support of the
Reichstag
Communism – the political system where all property is owned by the
government; people are equal and they are paid by the government
according to their needs
Constitution – the set of rules by which a country is governed
Democratic Republic – the system of running a country in which all
adults have the right to vote for the government they want
Free Corps – a right-wing German paramilitary group that was active in
the early years of the Weimar Republic
Left-Wing – the political belief that promotes equality, high taxation for
the rich, and the redistribution of wealth
Proportional Representation – the political system in which the
number of politicians for a particular party is in proportion with the
number of votes they win
Spartacus League – a group of German communists who wanted a
revolution similar to the one that had taken place in Russia in 1917
Weimar Republic – the name given to Germany’s democratic system
between 1913 and 1933
Republic?
Revolution in Germany
9th Nov 1918 – Kaiser fled Germany
People tired of war – lots of riots and rebellions over Germany
Friedrich Ebert (leader of SPD) temporarily became leader of
Germany
o He first signed an armistice to end WW1.
o Next he improved working conditions, helped unemployed,
improved housing and more food supplies.
Granted more freedoms and arranged elections for a
new parliament
Ebert wanted Germany to become a democratic republic
o Ebert supported equality and allowing people to vote in
politics
The Spartacists and the Free Corps
One of the main political groups was the Spartacus League,
named after a Roman gladiator led a slave uprising in Ancient Rome
o They believed in communism – wanted Germany to be run by
small councils not by a parliament.
6 Jan 1919 – the Spartacists tried to overrun Berlin
th
Armistice – an agreement to stop fighting
Article 48 – the part of the Weimar Constitution that gave the President
the right to rule in a time of crisis without requiring the support of the
Reichstag
Communism – the political system where all property is owned by the
government; people are equal and they are paid by the government
according to their needs
Constitution – the set of rules by which a country is governed
Democratic Republic – the system of running a country in which all
adults have the right to vote for the government they want
Free Corps – a right-wing German paramilitary group that was active in
the early years of the Weimar Republic
Left-Wing – the political belief that promotes equality, high taxation for
the rich, and the redistribution of wealth
Proportional Representation – the political system in which the
number of politicians for a particular party is in proportion with the
number of votes they win
Spartacus League – a group of German communists who wanted a
revolution similar to the one that had taken place in Russia in 1917
Weimar Republic – the name given to Germany’s democratic system
between 1913 and 1933
, o Thousands roamed the streets with guns storming important
buildings
o Ebert response was to send 2000 ex-soldiers from the Free
Corps
After 3 days of intense street warfare, the Free Corps recaptured
buildings and arrested Rosa Luxemberg and Karl Liebnecht (the
Spartacist Leaders.
They were beaten and murdered – the revolt was over
Communism
The Spartacus League was a left-wing, communist party.
Communists believed in:
o Equality for everyone – no classes or wage gap
o No private property – the government runs all farms and
businesses
o Everyone shares their wealth, ideally no need for councils
Many countries feared communism due to the 1917 Russian
Revolution where communists were hostile to wealthy people.
Free Corps
Were a groups of ex-soldiers from WW1.
They hated communists as they blamed them for stirring up trouble
at the end of the war and hence losing the war
They stopped many Communist uprisings (Bavaria in May 1919,
Ruhr in March 1920) with brutality
Armistice – an agreement to stop fighting
Article 48 – the part of the Weimar Constitution that gave the President
the right to rule in a time of crisis without requiring the support of the
Reichstag
Communism – the political system where all property is owned by the
government; people are equal and they are paid by the government
according to their needs
Constitution – the set of rules by which a country is governed
Democratic Republic – the system of running a country in which all
adults have the right to vote for the government they want
Free Corps – a right-wing German paramilitary group that was active in
the early years of the Weimar Republic
Left-Wing – the political belief that promotes equality, high taxation for
the rich, and the redistribution of wealth
Proportional Representation – the political system in which the
number of politicians for a particular party is in proportion with the
number of votes they win
Spartacus League – a group of German communists who wanted a
revolution similar to the one that had taken place in Russia in 1917
Weimar Republic – the name given to Germany’s democratic system
between 1913 and 1933
