Lecture notes

Weimar was created right at the end of WWI, when the Kaiser abdicated. The government signed the armistice Many citizens unhappy with the signing of the armistice as they believed that Germany was still winning the war (propaganda) , thus they disliked We

0 purchase

Module
History IB

Institution
York College

Weimar was created right at the end of WWI, when the Kaiser abdicated. The government signed the armistice Many citizens unhappy with the signing of the armistice as they believed that Germany was still winning the war (propaganda) , thus they disliked Weimar from the very beginning

[Show more]

Preview 2 out of 6 pages

View example

Uploaded on June 25, 2024
Number of pages 6
Written in 2023/2024
Type Lecture notes
Professor(s) Mr
Contains All classes

Institution York College
Education Unknown
Module History IB

£13.49

Add to cart

Save

100% satisfaction guarantee
Immediately available after payment
Both online and in PDF
No strings attached

Topic 14: Beginning of Weimar 1918-1923

Weimar was created right at the end of WWI, when the Kaiser abdicated. The government
signed the armistice
- Many citizens unhappy with the signing of the armistice as they believed that
Germany was still winning the war (propaganda) , thus they disliked Weimar from the
very beginning

The October 1918 reforms
- Ludendorff, which knew germany was on the brink of defeat, wanted to introduce
democracy → Wanted to change Germany into a constitutional monarchy
(democracy while monarchy was maintained)
- October 3rd → chancellor and government not longer dependent on kaiser but to the
reichstag
- Ludendorff’s reasoning
- Shifted responsibility for Germany’s defeat and the signing of the armistice
onto the new leadership of Weimar, as opposed to the military leadership and
conservative forces
- Origins of the “stabbed in the back” myth
- A more democratic germany would better appeal to the allies
- A move towards democracy would pacify the socialists and avoid revolution
- In late october, a 2nd bill was adopted, transforming the german empire into a
constitutional monarchy
- By the first week of November the reform had failed to impress the German people
and discontent was turning into a fundamental revolutionary movement who
demanded for immediate peace and the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II.
- Troops and sailors realized the war was lost and carrying on would do nothing
- National shock when Germany announced their military had lost despite the
propaganda and censorship leading people to be misinformed
- Increasing anger and bitterness over socio-economic conditions

The creation of Weimar
- Navy mutiny at Kiel on 29th of october, because they were ordered to fight the British
Navy (effort for German pride)
- By the 2nd of november, the mutiny had spread (to Lübeck and Hamburg)
and was uncontrollable
- Soviets (councils) developed in Berlin, Cologne and Stuttgart.
- On the 9th it was proclaimed Wilhelm II had abdicated, and on the 10th the republic
was announced

Securing power
- Ebert-Groener agreement (November 10th 1918)
- Groener (the army commander) agreed to support the government and use
the army to maintain security/stability of the republic
- Ebert agreed to oppose revolutionary socialism and preserve the authority of
army officers
- Stinnes-Legien agreement (November 15th 1918)

, - Karl Legien (leader of trade unions) and Hugo Stinnes (leader of industrial
employers) made a deal that the trade unions would not interfere with private
ownership and the free market
- In return, there would be an 8h working day and recognition of trade unions
- Ebert endorsed it because trade unions were powerful and linked to the SPD

First elections (January 19th 1919)
- SPD (moderate socialist, against far-left, pro republic): 38%
- ZP/BVP (roman catholic, pro republic, center-right): 20%
- DDP (liberal, pro republic, constitutional reforms): 19%
- DNVP (conservative, anti-semitic, monarchist, nationalist): 10%
- NSDAP (nazi, right wing, anti-semitic): less than 1%

The constitution (11th of august 1919)
- Germany is a federation of 18 Landër
- All men and women over 21yo vote for president (every 7) and reichstag (every 4)
- Strengths
- Democratic
- Based on proportional representation (1MP for 60 000 ppl)
- Reichstag (parliament chamber) + Reichrat (lander chamber)
- Power was shared
- Weaknesses
- Born out of military defeat and tainted by humiliation of treaty of versailles
amid revolution
- Weak government that are very short-lived because they’re coalition gov
- Article 48 allows the president and chancellor to bypass parliament
- Traditional institutions stayed → army, judges, civil service

Weimar had to deal with many problems from the start, because it was right after war
- War casualties and civilian deaths
- Spanish flu
- Food and fuel shortages
- Political extremism

Creation of a provisional government by Friedrich Ebert
- Short term government to deal with the revolutionary movement until a national
election was held to vote for a parliament
- Coalition government composed of several parties, namely the German Social
Democratic Party (SPD) and the German Independent Social Democratic Party
(USPD)
- Lack of unity in his coalition government due to the varying aims and methods of the
socialist movement
- German society in a state of near-collapse, giving political figures little room to
maneuver when it was necessary to make difficult and hasty decisions
- Ebert was a moderate and feared the political situation could easily run out of control,
with his main worry being that the extreme left would gain the upper hand

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 avoinot23. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.

Will I be stuck with a subscription?

No, you only buy these notes for £13.49. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.

Can Stuvia be trusted?

4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)

65539 documents were sold in the last 30 days

Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 15 years now

Start selling