Germany Notes Year 12:
Key Knowledge:RED
Keywords/Dates:BLUE
1918-1924=The Establishment and Early Years of the Weimar Republic
1.1:The Impact of War
A)The Political Crises of October to November 1918
Key Notes:
● Political system in Germany in the Second Reich: Authoritarian with
aspects of democracy(had a Reichtag but it had no control over the
Chancellor who was chosen by the Kaiser-who also had the ability to
dissolve the Reichstag)
● On September 29th 1918, General Ludendorff(part of Germany’s
High Command) called for armistice negotiations as he realided
Germany was on the brink of defeat and didn't want the humiliation of
surrendering. Knowing that Germany’s autocratic rule was an
obstacle to negotiating peace,on 30th September the Kaiser
announced changes to how the leadership and decision making in
Germany functioned and announced limitations on his own position.
He did this to try and preserve his position while appeasing the Allies.
● Prince Max of Baden was appointed Chancellor on 1st October- on
the 3rd October, he sent a ‘Peace Note’ to Woodrow Wilson
requesting an armistice.
● Woodrow Wilson's 14 Points provided a good basis for
negotiations=they were a means of dealing fairly with the aftermath of
war-some points were specific to Germany(giving back French
territory) and some were more general (setting up the League of
Nations)
● When Baden heard a response 3 weeks later, Wilson demanded that
Germany evacuate all occupied territory, put an end to submarine
warfare and fully democratise their political system , essentially
, forcing Germany to surrender and for the Kaiser to abdicate. Upon
hearing of these terms, Ludendorff fled to Sweden on the 26th
October after being unable to garner military support to resist these
terms.
● The news of the ‘Peace Note’ incensed the German people who now
realised that they were going to lose and that all their suffering had
been for nothing- it also led to their broken morale and undermined
their respect for the Kaiser and political leaders.
● On the 30th October, the Kaiser suffered a humiliating mutiny at
Wilhelmshaven. This was followed by another mutiny at Kiel on 3rd
November. The Kaiser had lost the support of the armed forces
(General Groener had told the Kaiser the army they would no longer
support him) and was losing control of the country. He had no choice
but to abdicate but didn't actually sign the abdication until after it was
announced.
● Revolt was spreading around Germany- on the 8th November 1918
there was a revolt in Bavaria which deposed the Bavaian monarchy
and proclaimed a republic there
● On the 9th November 1918, the Kaiser was forced to abdicate after
the SPD called on workers in Berlin to join a general strike. Price Max
also resigned and gave his post to Freidrich Ebert,who was the
leader of the SPD.
● The Armistice was signed with the Allies on the 11th November at 11
am
● Ebert’s objective after signing the armistice was to establish a new
government. He organised new elections to take place in January
1919 for the new Constituent Assembly(elected body with the task of
drawing up the new constitution
● Ebert needed the support of the Army to survive- he therefore signed
the Ebert Groener Pact on the 10th November 1918. This was where
Groener agreed that the army would support Ebert and his
government if Ebert agreed to resist the demands of soldiers to
democratise the army and defend Germany against communist
, revolution(most army officers were aristocratic and afraid of a
revolution similar to the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia) . Although
the pact was necessary for Ebert, it was seen as a betrayal for those
on the left- causing threats to the new Republic like a Spartacist
revolt in December 1918 which killed 16 and the Spartacist Uprising
(January Revolution) on January 6th 1919 which was put down after
a week of violence. Ebert faced many problems from the left, as he
had to contain revolutions that were put under further pressure for
more radical change from the USPD and KPD who had footholds in
the workers and soldiers councils.
● Ebert also supported the Stinnes-Legien Pact which was a deal
where the trade unions made a commitment not to interfere with
private ownership and the free market, in return for workers
committees, an 8 hour working day and full legal recognition.
● The elections for the new Constituent Assembly saw a variety of
parties seek election, for various sections of the political spectrum.
B)The Establishment of the Weimar Constitution
KEY NOTES:
● The elections for the Constituent Assembly were held on 19th
January 1919. Women and Men over 20 were allowed to vote, The
SPD got the largest share of seats in the Reichstag, but did not gain
a majority so had to form a coalition
, ● The new assembly met in a town called Weimar, as Berlin was still
politically volatile from the January Revolution.Ebert was elected
President of the new assembly and Phillip Scheidemann was the first
Chancellor.
● The turnout for the election was 83%. The KPD boycotted the
election, however the parties that were committed to the new republic
totalled 77% of the vote share.
● The workers and soldiers councils that had been set up after the
revolution handed over power to the assembly to run the country and
begin to organise the new constitution
● The Weimar Constitution provided votes for men and women over 20
and also set out rights for individuals(such as a ban on censorship
and a right to religious freedom) alongside political changes.
● Proportional Representation was introduced: mean that the % of
votes= the % of seats in the Reichstag, This system made it hard to
gain a majority, making coalition governments likely.
● This allowed small parties to gain more votes, reflecting the deep
divisions in Germany at the time
● Article 48 was also introduced within the constitution, giving the
president the right to rule by decree if necessary.
● Some sections of society remained largely unreformed,such as the
civil service, army and judiciary, all of which remained
unchanged.Many in these sections were not supportive of the new
republic.
● Ebert signed the new constitution into Law on the 11th August 1919.
C)The Terms, Strengths and Weaknesses of the Constitution-Would it
Work?
STRENGTHS:
● All men and women had the right to vote. Article 109 gave men and
women equal rights under the law, which meant Germany’s voting
