Summary
Summary AQA Nazi Germany notes
All AS level and majority of A Level content notes for Nazi Germany AQA history
[Show more]
Connected book
Book Title:
Author(s):
- Edition:
- ISBN:
- Edition:
Seller
Follow
Content preview
Part one: the Weimar Republic, 1918-1933The Establishment and early years of Weimar, 1918-1924
In September 1918 a Civilian government was made to a) shift the blame of wartime
defeat onto Weimar Republic b) create better relations with the West
German Revolution
Revolution from above - September/October 1918
This new civillian government is being established as Prince Max of Baden is gaining
liberalist support in the Reichstag to ask Woodrow Wilson for an armistice. Ludendorff
also retires
Revolution from below - October/November 1918
Kiel sailors mutiny. Prince Max hands over chancellorship to socialist Ebert.
Scheidemann declares formation of republic and as a result the Kaiser (knowing he has
no support) abdicates and flees to Holland
Revolution: dealing with the army - November
Ebert Groener Pact - 10th November gains Weimar Republic the support of the army.
11th November (remembrance day) Weimar Republic signed an armistice to end WW1.
Spartacist uprising - radical left
Ebert’s moderate line had angered some left wing opposition, so on 6th December the
Spartacists held a demonstration in Berlin where 16 people were killed. Then a month
later on the 6th January the Spartacist uprising occurred where there was a week of
fighting in Berlin, Army vs Spartacists. The Spartacists were led by Rosa Luxemborg
and Karl Liebknecht. In this uprising over 100 workers died.
The Weimar constitution
Advantages Disadvantages
Germany now a democracy which also Strong opposition from extreme left and
appeased the allies in the West extreme right
The German public could vote for a new 9 coalitions in 4 years as proportional
president every 7 years representation meant it was hard to win a
majority, means things ended in argument
Chancellor couldn’t gain too much power not agreement
as they needed ⅔ support in the
,Reichstag to do anything Coalitions meant the president often had
to step in with article 48 to assume
Even local governments had a say in how emergency control to make decisions.
their particular region was run Ebert did it 136 times
Proportional Representation meant even German president could dismiss the
smaller parties could have some political Reichstag and assume control of the
infuence army using article 48
No single strong party to make decisions
when push came to shove
Constitution appeared weak as it was bad
at decision making, meaning some
thought a single influence like a Kaiser
would be better.
Never full support for the constitution as it
was linked with the loss of WW1
The Treaty of Versailles - 1919
Treaty made between France, UK, USA and Germany to create peace. Built,
supposedly upon Woodrow Wilson’s, January 1918, 14 Point Plan which aimed for
peace so the US could make back the $260 billion it had spent on the war by rebuilding
international trade.
USA - Woodrow Wilson
➢ Thinking just beyond punitive revenge as they knew it might lead to more war
➢ Looked favourably on Germany as they wanted widespread international
economic recovery
France - Clemenceau
➢ Wanted to punish Germany with harsh reparations due to all the French death
that occured during the war
➢ Don’t like Germany as the stole Alsace-Lorraine
➢ Needed to rebuild own nation and economy
Britain - Lloyd George
➢ Some idea of revenge, wanted to expand British Empire at expense of Germany.
Lloyd George’s entire election campaign was based on making Germany pay
➢ Also wanted trade with Germany
, ➢ Needed Germany to be able to withstand extremist groups - Fear of Communism
The 14 points basically wanted economic recovery for everyone, nations to regain
autonomy eg. Poland, lost territory of Alsace Lorrain to be returned to France, League
of Nations formed, widespread demilitarisation.
The TOV was formatted in January 1919 without Germany present, it stripped them of
their military and some land and forced to pay 132 billion gold marks in reparations.
Terms of TOV
❖ Polish corridor - cut Germany in half to give Poland access to the sea
❖ Demilitarised Rhineland - no German military allowed in area as France
thought it was too close to French land. The Locarno Pact later agreed to
permanent demilitarisation in 1925
❖ Disarmament - only 100,000 in Army, no conscription. No submarines in the
navy and lots of other military restrictions
❖ War Guilt clause - Article 231 stated that Germany accepted all responsibility for
starting the war, villainising the nation
❖ Reparations - 132 billion gold marks, annual payments were 7% of Germany’s
annual income
❖ Removal of industrial Saarland - Saar controlled by LON until 1935, removing
48% of German iron ore, 16% of its coal and 15% of agricultural output, making it
harder to pay reparations
The Stab in the Back - national humiliation
The allied forces believed that Germany would not love these terms, but accept them as
a consequence of defeat. However many Germans felt that they had not been
honourably defeated on the battlefield, and instead politicians trying to establish the
Weimar Republic had cheated the German soldiers who were close to victory. This
meant they felt ‘stabbed in the back’ by both the Weimar Republic and the TOV. They
were particularly annoyed by the War Guilt clause of the TOV which said Germany were
the only responsibles for the outbreak of war. This made the TOV a Diktat - dictated
peace. Also turned many Germans against Weimar and encouraged lots of soldiers who
lost their jobs into Freikorps
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller roryhopkins. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £15.49. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
72042 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 14 years now