History questions

1. What were the disadvantages of proportional representation for Weimar

Germany? (4) (Remember 4 different points)

2. Why were the 1920s a period of cultural achievement for Germany? (6)
(Remeber 2 PEEL paragraphs)

3. To what extent were Weimar governments successful between 1923 and

1929? Explain your
answer. (10) (Remember you need 3 PEEL paragraphs, 2 and 1, For and against
or vice versa)

The second part of the lesson, we will start looking at the question "Why was
Hitler able to dominate Germany by 1934?

1
Each party had the same percentage of seats in parliament as the percentage
of votes it received in an election. This meant that lots of small parties made it
difficult to pass law as and led to weak and often short lived government.

2
In the 1920s, Germany achieved a cultural period. The Weimar constitution
allowed free expression of ideas. Writers and poets flourished, especially in
Berlin. Artists in Weimar tried to represent reality of everyday life, even when
harsh and shocking. Paintings highlighted how soldiers had been traumatized
by their experiences in the First World War. Bauhaus style of design and
architecture developed, this is possible because Walter Gropius, Paul Klee, and
Wassily Kandinsky taught at the Bauhaus design college. The architects from
the Bauhaus rejected traditional styles to create new exiting buildings and
objects. They were so successful that their first exhibition attracted 15,000
visitors.
The 1920s were a golden age for German cinema, producing one of its greatest
ever international stars, Marlene Dietrich, and one of their most celebrated
directors, Fritz lang. Berlin was very well known for its nightlife. Going to clubs
was a major past time. In 1927 there were 900 dance bands in Berlin alone.
Cabaret artists performed songs criticizing political leaders that would have
been banned in the kaisers days.

3
Defeat in 1918 led to the Kaiser’s abdication, a republic and a new constitution.
The new Germany faced huge problems, not least those caused by its
punishment in the Treaty of Versailles.
The Weimar economy didn’t completely recover but the cultural life in
Germany flourished.

1923 Germany was suffering of hyperinflation. The Chancellor Gustav

Stresemann ended hyperinflation in three months, which was a really short
amount of time.
By solving the problem of hyperinflation, the economy seemed to be good
again, but the Weimar Republic didn’t really recover its economy. “The years
1924 to 1929 have been referred to as Weimar’s ‘Golden Years’, but historians
disagree as to just how much the German economy recovered from the effects
of World War One and hyperinflation.” By 1928 industrial production levels
were higher than those of before the WWI (1913). Between 1925 and 1929
exports increased by a 40%. Hourly wages increased every year from 1924 to
1929 and by 10% in 1928 alone. A chemical manufacturing company from
Germany became the largest industrial company in Europe. Generous pension,
health and unemployment insurance schemes were introduced from 1927.
During 1923 and 1929, politics became more stable and German culture
flourished.
During this period there were no attempted revolutions after 1923. One
politician said that “The republic is beginning to settle a and the German
people are becoming reconciled to the way things are”. Parties that supported
Weimar democracy did well in these years. By 1928 the moderate parties had
126 more seats in the Reichstag than the radical parties.
There was also a cultural revival in Germany. Germany was used to strict
censorship, bar the Weimar constitution allowed free expression of ideas.
Writers and poets flourished, especially in Berlin. Artists in Weimar tried to
represent reality of everyday life, even when harsh and shocking. Paintings
highlighted how soldiers had been traumatized by their experiences in the First
World War. Bauhaus style of design and architecture developed, this is
possible because Walter Gropius, Paul Klee, and Wassily Kandinsky taught at
the Bauhaus design college. The architects from the Bauhaus rejected
traditional styles to create new exiting buildings and objects. They were so
successful that their first exhibition attracted 15,000 visitors.
The 1920s were a golden age for German cinema, producing one of its greatest
ever international stars, Marlene Dietrich, and one of their most celebrated
directors, Fritz lang. Berlin was very well known for its nightlife. Going to clubs
was a major past time. In 1927 there were 900 dance bands in Berlin alone.
Cabaret artists performed songs criticizing political leaders that would have
been banned in the kaisers days.

Even though the Weimar Republic recovered, there were some things they still
did wrong.
 Agricultural production did not recover to its pre-war levels.
 Germany spent more on imports than it earned from exports.
 Unemployment increased from 1.3 million up to 1.9 million by 1929.
 German industry became dependent upon loans from the USA.
 the government ended up spending more than it received in taxes and
so continued to run deficits from 1925 onwards.
German culture represented moral decline, made worse by American
immigrants and Jewish artists and musicians. The Bauhaus collage was in
Dessau because it was forced out of Weimar by hostile town officials.
Germany recovered pretty well from most of its problems, but they weren’t
able to succeed in all of them because of the treaty or other various reasons.