Back Home Next

Test your Understanding:

    Germany 1919-1939

 
bullet

  
bullet

Firefox users there is an add-on here which will allow you to use this site with the collapsible lists, as it is in IE.

             
bullet

When was the Kiel mutiny which precipitated Germany’s defeat in World War I?
bullet

October 1918

bullet

When and where was the Weimar Republic declared?
bullet

Weimar, in Germany

bullet

Who became President of the Weimar Republic in 1919?
bullet

Freidrich Ebert

bullet

List FIVE differences in the Constitution, 1914 versus 1919.
bullet

Elected president not hereditary Kaiser

bullet

Chancellor responsible to the Reichstag, not to the Kaiser

bullet

Reichstag made laws and controlled the government (not the Kaiser)

bullet

Proportional representation (before only males over 25 could vote)

bullet

Bill of Rights

bullet

What was the Reichstag?
bullet

German Parliament

bullet

What did the Weimar’s Bill of Rights promise?
bullet

Equality before the law, and political and religious freedom

bullet

Name FIVE problems the Weimar government faced, 1919-1923
bullet

Ineffective Constitution

bullet

Left-wing rebellions

bullet

Right-wing rebellions

bullet

Invasion and hyperinflation of 1923

bullet

Munich Putsch

bullet

Which article of the Constitution gave emergency powers to the President?
bullet

Article 48

bullet

What is ‘proportional voting’ and how did it damage the Weimar Republic?
bullet

parties got Reichstag seats, not by winning constituencies, but in proportion to the number of votes they got nation-wide

bullet

Who was leader of the army in the 1920s, and how did he damage the Republic?
bullet

von Seeckt - he was right-wing and did not put down right-wing rebellions

bullet

Who led the Spartacist Revolt in 1919?
bullet

Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Leibknecht

bullet

Where did a Communist ‘People’s Government’ come to power in 1919?
bullet

Bavaria

bullet

What Communist group rebelled in the Ruhr in 1920?
bullet

Red Army - a paramilitary group

bullet

Who led a Freikorps brigade to rebel against the Versailles Treaty, March 1920?
bullet

Dr Wolfgang Kapp

bullet

Which SPD foreign minister was assassinated in 1922, and why?
bullet

Walter Rathenau - becase he made a treaty with Communist Russia

bullet

Why did many right-wing troublemakers get away with their crimes?
bullet

Because right-wing judges sympathised with their cause

bullet

Where did the French invade in January 1923?
bullet

The Ruhr

bullet

What was ‘hyperinflation’, and what caused it?
bullet

Runaway rising prices.   It was caused by the government printing money to pay striking workers, who had gone on strike to oppose the French invasion

bullet

What did Bruno Buchrucker do?
bullet

led the Black Reichswehr rebellion in Berlin, October 1923

bullet

Who founded the Nazi party?
bullet

Anton Drexler

bullet

Which FOUR groups of people did Hitler blame for Germany’s problems?
bullet

the Allies who enforced the Versailles Treaty

bullet

The November Criminals who signed it

bullet

The Communists

bullet

the Jews (who he said were behind it all)

bullet

Give SEVEN causes of the Weimar government’s problems
bullet

Communists wanted world revolution/hated the new government

bullet

Right-wing politicians hated the Versailles Treaty and wanted the Kaiser back

bullet

Officials were disloyal and hated the government

bullet

Army led by General von Seeckt was unreliable

bullet

Proportional representation prevented one party getting a majority

bullet

Occupation of the Ruhr humiliated the Gernans and led to hyperinflation

bullet

Printing money to pay strikers.

bullet

How many of the 25-points of the programme of the Nazi Party can you remember?
bullet

Unity of all German-speaking peoples

bullet

Abolition of the Treaty of Versailles

bullet

Conquer land to feed Germany’s population

bullet

Only Germans (not Jews) can be citizens

bullet

Special laws for non-Germans

bullet

Only Germans can vote, be employed or hold public office

bullet

Expel foreigners to give all Germans job and a decent standard of living

bullet

Foreigners who have come to Germany since 1914 must be expelled

bullet

All citizens have equal rights and duties

bullet

The first duty of a citizen is to work

bullet

No payments to unemployed people

bullet

War-profiteers give back the money they made

bullet

Nationalisation of industries

bullet

Large companies must share their profits

bullet

Pensions must be improved

bullet

Help for small shops and businesses

bullet

Give small farmers their land

bullet

Punish criminals by death

bullet

Reform of the law to make it more ‘German’

bullet

Improve education so that all Germans can get a job

bullet

Improve people’s health by making it law for people to do sport

bullet

A new People’s Army

bullet

German newspapers free of foreign influence

bullet

Freedom of religion

bullet

Strong central government with unrestricted power

bullet

What were the Four principles of Mein Kampf?
bullet

National socialism & loyalty to Germany

bullet

Racism; all races inferior to Aryans

bullet

Lebensraum; living space in Poland & Russia

bullet

Strong government - Obedience to Fuhrer & use of armed force.

bullet

Who were the thugs of the Nazi party who terrorised opponents?
bullet

Sturmabteilung - the Stormtroopers (SA)

bullet

Which FIVE groups supplied most supporters of the Nazis?
bullet

Skilled workers

bullet

Businessmen

bullet

Lower employees (eg shop assistants)

bullet

Unskilled workers

bullet

Farmers

bullet

Give FIVE causes of the Munich Putsch
bullet

Weakness of Weimar republic [ILRI]

bullet

Nazi Party growing - to 55,000 (including SA/ Ludendorff)

bullet

Stresemann called off resistance to the French invasion

bullet

Mussolini's example

bullet

The planned Bavarian rebellion was called off

bullet

Which right-wing group rebelled in Berlin in 1923?
bullet

Black Reichswehr

bullet

What three Bavarian leaders did Hitler try to get to join the Munich Putsch?
bullet

Kahr, Lossow, Seisser

bullet

List FOUR results of the Munich Putsch
bullet

Nazis defeated - Hitler arrested, imprisoned and forbidden to speak

bullet

Hitler used his trial as a propaganda exercise

bullet

Mein Kampf published

bullet

Hitler began to try to get power by being elected

bullet

Suggest FOUR reasons the Weimar republic survived
bullet

Freikorps put down Communist rebellions of 1919-20

bullet

Army put down Communist revolts of 1923

bullet

Left-wing strikers defeated the Kapp Putsch in 1920

bullet

Stresemann brought stable, prosperous government

bullet

List SIX things Stresemann achieved
bullet

Dawes Plan 1924

bullet

Controlled inflation

bullet

Got the French to leave the Ruhr

bullet

Germany joined the League of Nations

bullet

Economic growth

bullet

Reforms made life better for ordinary people

bullet

For what were the following famous: Gropius, Marlene Dietrich, Otto Dix and Erich Maria Remarque?
bullet

Gropius - architect (founder of the Bauhaus school of art & architecture)

bullet

Marlene Dietrich - singer/ filmstar

bullet

Otto Dix - painted horrific pictures of trenches

bullet

Erich Maria Remarque - wrote All Quiet on the Western Front

bullet

What modern film was set in 1930 Berlin?
bullet

Cabaret

bullet

Explain FIVE ways Hitler reorganised the Nazi Party, 1924–1928.
bullet

Set a fanatical personal bodyguard, the SS

bullet

Took over other right-wing parties

bullet

Set up Hitler Youth

bullet

Josef Goebbels developed propaganda

bullet

Gained the support of wealthy businessmen

bullet

How did Hitler appeal to German businessmen?
bullet

They saw him as a safeguard against Communism

bullet

Name FOUR German firms or individuals who financed Hitler.
bullet

Fritz von Thyssen (steel)

bullet

Alfred Krupp (steel)

bullet

IG Faben (chemicals)

bullet

Skoda

bullet

Name TWO non-German firms or individuals who financed Hitler.
bullet

Henry Ford (Ford cars)

bullet

Irenee du Pont (General Motors)

bullet

Who drew the Nazi posters?
bullet

Hans Schweitzer - 'Mjolnir'

bullet

What were the NINE reasons Hitler came to power in 1933
bullet

Long-term bitterness about Versailles

bullet

Ineffective Constitution of Weimar Republic

bullet

Money from rich businessmen

bullet

Propaganda machine

bullet

Programme which offered something to everyone

bullet

Attacks on opponents by SA

bullet

Personal qualities - especially speaking ability

bullet

Economic Depression

bullet

Recruited by Hindenburg

bullet

How many unemployed were there in Germany in 1928 and in 1932?
bullet

2 million in 1928; 6 million in 1932

bullet

How many seats did the Nazi party have in the Reichstag in 1928 and in 1933?
bullet

12 in 1928; 288 in 1933

bullet

Suggest FOUR personal qualities which helped Hitler come to power.
bullet

Brilliant speaker

bullet

Powerful eyes

bullet

Good organiser

bullet

Driven determination

bullet

What caused the economic depression in 1929?
bullet

Wall Street Crash caused American banks to call in loans

bullet

Who was Chancellor in 1932?
bullet

von Papen

bullet

Who was President in 1932?
bullet

Hindenburg

bullet

What date did Hitler become Chancellor?
bullet

30 January 1933

bullet

List the EIGHT steps by which Hitler turned his position as Chancellor into that of Fuhrer?
bullet

Reichstag Fire - 27 Feb 1933

bullet

General Election - 5 March 1933

bullet

Enabling Act - 23 March 1933

bullet

Gestapo - 26 April 1933

bullet

Trade Unions banned  - 2 May 1933

bullet

Opposition banned - 14 July 1933

bullet

Night of the Long Knives - 30 June 1934

bullet

Fuhrer - 19 August 1934

bullet

List SEVEN ways the Nazis kept control of the German people?
bullet

One-Party State

bullet

Terror

bullet

Propaganda

bullet

Youth

bullet

Workforce

bullet

Religion

bullet

Racism

bullet

List SIX German social groups affected by the Nazi regime.
bullet

Nazi Party members

bullet

Ordinary people

bullet

Women

bullet

Youth

bullet

Opponents

bullet

'Untermensch'