| A | B |
|---|
| What did the German Generals do when they realized they were losing the war? | They asked the Kaiser for peace, it was all done in secret. |
| Why did Germany form a democracy? | They thought it would make the Allies be more sympathetic towards them in the peace agreement. |
| What political party was asked to form the first republic? | The Social Democrats |
| Who was the party leader of the Social Democrats? | Friedrich Ebert |
| This was the name given to the German parliament. | Reichstag |
| What was porportional voting? | The German people would vote for a political party to have a seat in the Reichstag, not a person. The political party then got to chose members of the Reichstag based on what porportion of the vote they won. |
| Who would choose the Chancellor or the Prime Minister? | The majority part in the Reichstag. |
| How was the president chosen? | He was chosen by the people. |
| Whenever there was a controversy, what did the Weimar Constitution allow for? | A new election. In 14 years there were 20 different elections. |
| What were some of the rights of the German people as listed in the Weimar Constitution? | Freedom of the press, speech, and religion. All Germans were equal in front of the law. All Germans enjoy the right to move and settle anywhere. Every German can express their opinion freely in word, writing, print or image. Woman had the right to vote and hold office. |
| What was Article 48? | It allowed the President to suspend the Reichstag in times of national emergency. |
| This is the term for massive runaway prices. | Hyperinflation |
| How did hyperinflation change the lives of Germans? | It brought an urgency to shopping. Workers demanded to be paid twice a day and given an hour off after being paid. Germans blamed Jews for the hyperinflation. |
| How did Germany finance World War I? | They borrowed heavily and they printed large quantities of unbacked currency. |
| Why did American Jewish leaders tend to play down the seriousness of the blaming of German Jews for the seriousness of the economic situation? | They didn't want to call attention ot their own separation within American society by making appeals on behalf of their German Jewish brethren. |
| What was the Dawes Act? | The Allies negotiated loans to Germany and brought an end to hyperinflation. |
| The period between 1924 and 1929 was called the _______________. | Golden Age |
| What happened in Germany during the Golden Age? | Gustav Stresemann ruled Germany, the currency became stable and German began to achieve international acceptance. |
| What brought despair to Germany in 1929? | The crash of the U.S. stock market. When the U.S. stock market crashed, the U.S. recalled their loans to Germany. Germany was unable to repay their loans and it led to large unemployment and inflation in Germany. |
| This was an uprising led by Karl Libeknecht and Rosa Luxemburg in 1919. | The Spartacus Uprising |
| How does Ebert respond to the Spartacus Uprising? | He uses ex-army soldiers who hated communist and loved violence to put down the rebellion. They were called the Frei Corps or the Free Corps |
| In 1920, there was a rebellion led by Wolfgang Kapp and General Walther Luttwitz. What was this rebellion called and how did Ebert respond to it? | It was called the Berlin Kapp Putsch and President Ebert fled the town and called on supporters of the Weimar to strike and bring transportation and communication to a standstill. Kapp and Luttwitz realized they could not control the country and fled. |
| Why did the French invade the Ruhr area of Germany in 1923? | Germany was not paying their war reparations. |
| How does Streseman respond to the invasion of the French? | He uses passive resistance. The French kill 132 Germans including a 7 year old boy. The French expell 150,000 from this region. Since the German government did not launch a strong resistance to the French, it led Hitler to believe that the time was right for his own overthrow. |
| What was Hitler's attempt to overthrow the Weimar Republic in 1923 called? | The Munich Beer Hall Putsch |
| What sentence did Hitler receive for his attempted overthrow of the government. | He was sentenced to five years, but he only served 9 months. He could have been tried for treason and since he was an Austrian citizen, not a German citizen, he could have been deported back to Austria. |
| Why does Hitler's trial for the Beer Hall Putsch become important. | At the trial, Hitler is allowed to speak and it gives him an audience. The trial lasts 24 days and makes the front pages of every German newspaper. |
| What book does Hitler write while he is in jail? | Mein Kampf which means My Struggle. |
| In Mein Kampf, what were the 4 main goals that Hitler identifies? | Loyalty to Germany, Germany needs Lebensraum or living space and they must acquire more territory, Obedience to the Fuhrer, and his attitude of racism and that all other races are inferior to Aryans. |
| In his speech, Hitler says he is the destroyer of _______. | Marxism |
| Who does Hitler claim he wants as his partner in his battle against Marxism? | The German Government |
| In 1925, Stresemann restores relations with France and they sign the __________ Pact which states that they agree to never change the border between Germany and France. | Locarno Pact |
| When Ebert dies in 1925, who becomes the new German President? | Paul von Hindenberg |
| Who does Paul von Hindenberg blame for Germany's defeat in World War II? | Internal enemies (Jews) Actually during the last two years of World War I, Hindenberg and General Erich Ludendorff were the chief decision makers in conducting the war. Hindenburg could have set the record straight at this point, but he chooses not to. |
| In 1926, Germany joins the League of Nations. Why did they not join the League of Nations prior to this. | According the terms of the Versailles Treaty, they were not allowed to join the League. |
| In 1927, The Kaiser Wilhelm Institute was founded. What did it pave the way for? | The Eugenics laws and practices during the later Nazi Era and they participated in sponsored medical experiments by SS Dr.'s |
| In 1928, the Young Plan was passed. What was it? | It lowered reparations for Germany and said that the U.S. would continue loans to Germany. |
| What was the Kellog-Briand-Stresemann Pact? | It was signed by the leading nations of the world and it said that these nations were committed to renounce aggressive war and settle their differences by peaceful means. |
| In 1929, the Nazi's protested when what film about World War I was released? | All Quiet on the Western Front. It sold more copies than any other book except the Bible in the 1920's. |
| How did Hitler become aware of the German Workers Party? | He was actually hired by the government to acquire information on the Party. While obtaining information, Hitler recognized it was a weak party and one in which he could rise through the ranks quickly. |
| Why did the Communist Party aid Hitler and help him destroy the Weimar Republic? | They didn't think Hitler could be successful in ruling Germany andthat they would benefit from his failure. |
| In 1928, the Nazi party received only 2% of the votes, why is that? | This was during the Golden Age and the economy had recovered from World War I. |
| Who won the election for President of the Weimar Republic in 1932? | Paul von Hindenburg, but the Nazi's received 38% of the votes. |
| Under President Hindenberg, why were both Franz von Papen and General Kurt von Schleicher removed as Chancellor of Germany? | They could not bring an end to the economic depression that Germany was experiencing. |
| Why was Hitler appointed as Chancellor of the Weimar Republic in 1933? | Hindenberg did not have the popular support of the people that he needed, but Hitler did and he thought he could control Hitler. |
| What was Hitler's first action as Chancellor the Weimar Republic? | He acted quickly to destroy democratic institutions and take away teh rights of the individuals. |
| What act did Hitler pass in 1933 that ultimately ended the Weimar Republic and gave Hitler the title of Der Fuhrer. | The Enabling Act |
| What did the Enabling Act do? | It permitted the government to decree laws without Parliament. By this point, the only opposition to Hitler is the Social Democrats. Communist Party members have already been arrested. |
| What were some things that weakened the Weimar Republic? | Their constitution was ineffective, they could call for new elections whenever there was conflict, there were many left and right wing rebellions during the Weimar Republic and the government did not respond strongly to these rebellions. When Germany invaded France, it showed how weak Germany was. There was hyperinflation, the army was unreliable, porportional representation prevented any one party from gaining a majority, there was printing of unbacked currency, long-term bitterness about the Treaty of Versailles, The Weimar republic was an imposition of the enemy, the Germany people were kept in the dark about the process and the German Generals did not admit to the public that they could not continue WWI and that they would be defeated. |
