Weimar Germany glossary This Weimar Germany glossary contains English and German terms and concepts relevant

to the events of 1918-1933. anti-Semitism: Racist ideas or actions against Jewish people on the basis of their race; a widespread form of prejudice in Europe in the early 20th century, particularly in Russia and Germany. Authoritarianism: Describes a political ideology or system where government and rulers not constrained by democratic processes or popularity; a system with strong and decisive leadership. Bauhaus: An artistic school and movement in Weimar Germany, formed in 1919. Bauhaus integrated modernist ideas and modern industrial production techniques, to provide functional yet attractive designs. Bavarian Soviet Republic: Short-lived attempt to establish a socialist government in southern Germany (April-May 1919). Beer Hall putsch (Munich putsch): A failed attempted by Adolf Hitler and the NSDAP to seize political control in Bavaria (November 1923). Black Reichswehr: Another term for the Freikorps, civilian militias formed in secret and in defiance of restrictions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles. cabaret (German, kabarett): A restaurant or nightclub featuring live entertainment such as singing and dancing, often featuring political or erotic overtones. Center Party (German, Zentrumpartei or Zentrum): A Catholic-based political party, formed in 1870. It had socially conservative views and policies; and was involved in most Weimar coalition governments. Chancellor: The head of government in Imperial and Weimar Germany; the broad equivalent of a prime minister. coalition government: A government formed when two or more parties agree to work together to form a majority bloc in an assembly or parliament; coalition governments are often unstable and prone to collapse. Constitution: A document outlining and legally enforcing the system of government in a nation or state; any document that specifies how a nation is to be governed and/or defining the limits of power. Dawes Plan: A 1924 agreement, designed to facilitate German repayment of the nations reparations debt. Deutsche Arbeiterpartie (DAP, or German Workers Party): Right-wing political group formed in 1919, the precursor to the NSDAP. emergency powers: Constitutional powers available to a president or government, allowing them to suspend certain rights or processes and rule by decree; designed for use in times of war or internal or external threat.

Expressionism: An artistic movement where reality is distorted or changed to stimulate emotions or moods; the German Expressionist movement was active in art, literature and filmmaking in the 1920s. Fascism:A political ideology based on authoritarian leadership, state power, militarism and anti-socialism; the first fascist government emerged in Italy in 1922. Freikorps: Right-wing paramilitary brigades, comprised mainly of ex-soldiers; formed in December 1918 to suppress the communist revolution in Berlin and other German cities. Golden Age of Weimar (or Golden Years of Weimar): Period of economic recovery and comparative prosperity in 1924-29, when Germany was bolstered by foreign aid and loans. Great Depression: Period between 1929 and the mid-1930s marked by economic turmoil, stockmarket collapses, overproduction, falling prices, high unemployment and considerable suffering. Hyperinflation:Rapid and uncontrolled inflation, such as that which occurred in Germany in 1923, caused by excessive printing of banknotes. Junkers: A wealthy noble class of Prussian land-owners; many Junkers also held high ranks in the German military or Prussian/German governments. Kapp putsch: A March 1920 attempt to overthrow the Weimar government. Freikorps units seized control of Berlin and demanded the appointment of Wolfgang Kapp as chancellor; the putsch was defeated in four days. Kellogg-Briand Pact: International anti-war agreement, signed by numerous countries in August 1928. KPD: The Communist Party of Germany, a communist group officially formed in December 1918. After failing to seize control in the revolution of 1918-19, the KPD became a parliamentary party. League of Nations: A multi-national dispute-resolution body formed in 1919; Germany received full membership in 1926. The precursor to the United Nations. Locarno treaties: Series of treaties signed in Switzerland in October 1925, confirming European borders and restoring diplomatic relations between Germany and other European nations. minority government: A government that does not have a majority in the legislature (Reichstag) so must govern by negotiating legislation with other parties. Nationalism: Strong affection for and/or loyalty to ones nation; a belief that the interests of the nation are paramount and override international considerations. National Socialism (or Nazism):The ideology and values of the NSDAP, based largely on fascism. National Socialist German Workers Party (or NSDAP):Right-wing nationalist party led by Adolf Hitler; formed from the DAP in 1920. Paramilitary: An organisation, usually not controlled by the state, demonstrating some of the aptitudes of a military force, such as uniforms, weaponry or training.

President: The head of state in a republic; in the Weimar Republic, the president was popularly elected for a seven-year term and appointed the chancellor and the ministry. proportional voting: An electoral system where political parties are given a number of parliamentary seats in proportion to their total vote. Putsch: German for coup; an attempt to seize control and/or overthrow a government by force. Reich:German for empire or realm. Reichstag:The name of the elected parliament in Weimar Germany between 1919 and 1933. The Berlin building that housed the parliament was also referred to as the Reichstag. Reichswehr: The regular German army; limited to 100,000 men by the 1919 Treaty of Versailles. Rentenmark: A paper currency issued by the Weimar government in November 1923, to replace Reichmarks rendered worthless by hyperinflation. Rentenmarks were backed by the gold standard and initially pegged at 4.2 Rentenmark per US dollar. Reparations:Payments of money or goods made as compensation for deaths, injuries and destruction inflicted during a war. Republic: A government where the head of state is an elected president, rather than a hereditary monarch. Revolution: A period of significant and often dramatic political, social and/or economic change in a particular nation. The critical feature of a revolution is concerted attempts to overthrow and replace the government. right-wing: Describes a conservative political position or group. Those of the right-wing generally believe in the need for strong government, natural hierarchies and law and order. Ruhr: A region in western Germany near the border with France. During World War I and the Weimar period, the Ruhr was a vital industrial region, producing coal, steel and textiles. Ruhr occupation:Describes a period between 1923-25 when French and Belgian troops occupied the Ruhr, in response to Germanys failure to meet quarterly reparations payments. SA (or Sturmabteilung, also Brownshirts or Stormtroopers): A Nazi paramilitary brigade, formed in 1919 to wage street battles with political opponents, especially socialist groups. The SA was banned by the Weimar government until 1932. Social Democratic Party (or SPD): German left-wing political party, formed in 1875. SPD was the largest party for most of the Weimar period, and was involved in most coalition governments of the period. Soviet: A council comprised of working-class delegates from factories, mines and military units. Spartacus League (German, Spartakusbund): A group formed in 1914 from former SDP members who opposed the SPDs support of World War I. In December 1918 it became the Communist Party of Germany (KPD).

SPD (see Social Democratic Party) stab-in-the-back legend (German, Dolchstosslegende):A conspiracy theory claiming Germanys surrender in World War I was engineered by subversive elements like socialists, liberals and Jews. It was popular among right-wing nationalist groups. Steel Helmet (German, Stahlhelm):The largest of the paramilitary Freikorps movements; it was later absorbed into the Nazi Sturmabteilung. Treaty of Rapallo: A 1922 treaty between Germany and the Soviet Union, restoring diplomatic communication and renouncing earlier treaty claims. Treaty of Versailles: The 1919 treaty that formally ended World War I, stripping Germany of her colonies and some European territories, while imposing military and industrial restrictions. Wall Street crash: Describes the collapse of share prices on the New York Stock Exchange in October 1929, an event that gave rise to the Great Depression. War guilt clause:Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles, attributing Germany with full responsibility for starting World War I. Wilhelmine period:The period in German history between 1888 and 1918, when it was ruled by Kaiser Wilhelm II. Young Plan: A 1929 agreement which revised Germanys reparations debt, allowing for 59 annual installments.