~ Vocabulary on Versailles and Weimar Republic ~
14 Points: Fourteen Points were first outlined
in a speech Wilson gave to the American Congress in January 1918. Wilson's
Fourteen Points became the basis for a peace programme and it was on the back
of the Fourteen Points that Germany and her allies agreed to an armistice in
November 1918.
Big 3: three most
important politicians during the peace treaty settlements were David Lloyd
George, Georges Clemenceau, and Woodrow Wilson.
Lloyd George:
(1863-194) Prime Minister of UK during wartime and was the major British
politician present at the Treaty of Versailles. He tried to play the middle role between France and America.
Clemenceau: Prime
Minister of France during the last year of war and one of the major voices
behind the Treaty of Versailles at the Paris Peace Conference. He is nicknames ‘Le Tigre” and
“Pere-la-Victorie” (father of victory).
Woodrow Wilson:
(1856-1924) President of US during WWI and Paris Peace Conference.
Reparations: refers
to the payments and transfers of property and equipment that Germany was forced
to make under the Treaty of Versailles following its defeat during WWI
War Guilt Clause:
Article 231 said Germany had to admit full responsibility for starting the war
League of Nations:
created by Woodrow Wilson, intergovernmental organization founded as a result
of the Paris Peace Conference. It
was the first permanent international organization whose mission was to
maintain world peace.
Mandates: League of
Nations mandates were established under Article 22 of the Covenant of the
League of Nations. It stated that
the former German colonies in Africa and the Pacific and the non-Turkish
provinces of the Ottoman Empire should be administered by different governments
on behalf of the League.
Plebiscites: a vote
to determine what nation you would like to become part of. It was developed by the League of
Nations as part of Woodrow Wilson’s idea of self-determination.
DMZ (Demilitarised Zone): an area, usually on the frontier between two or more military powers,
where military activity is not permitted, usually by a peace treaty or
armistice
Polish Corridor/ East Prussia: known as the Danzig Corridor or Corridor to the Swa, was a territory
located in the region of Pomerelia, which provided the Second Republic of
Poland with access to the Baltic Sea, thus dividing the bulk of Germany from
the province of East Prussia. The
majority of individuals living in the corridor were German.
Danzig: a Polish
city located on the Baltic Sea
Self-determination:
the principle that nations have the right to freely choose their sovereignty
Anschluss: demands
for the union of Austria and Hungary.
After the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the majority of the
German speaking people in Austria wanted to unite with the new German
Republic.
Spartakists: a
left-wing Marxist revolutionary movement organized in Germany during WWI. It was founded by Karl Liebknecht, Rosa
Luxenburg, and Clara Zetkin.
Bavarian Soviet Republic: it was, as part of the German Revolution of 1918-1919, the
short-lived attempt to establish a socialist state in form of a council
republic in the Free State of Bavaria.
It sought independence from the also recently proclaimed Weimar
Republic.
‘Stab in the back’ myth:
the notion believed in Germany, especially from right-winged individuals, that
Germany did not lose WWI but instead did not loose WWI but was instead betrayed
by the civilians on the home front, especially the republicans the republicans
who overthrew the monarchy
November Criminals:
advocates denounced the German government leaders who signed the Armistice on
November 11th, 1918
Friedrich Ebert:
(1871-1925) German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
Social Democrats:
SPD is a Marxist-influenced party
Catholic Centre Party:
Catholic party in Reichstag
KPD: Communist party
of Germany known as the “Spartacists”
Diktat: belief that
the Treaty of Versailles was forced upon Germany and they had no choice but to
sign it. An order or decree
imposed without popular consent.
Weimar Constitution:
constitution that governed Germany during the Weimar Republic
Proportional Representation: concept of voting system used to elect members of the Reichstag. The number of seats won by the party is
proportionate to the number of votes received.
Article 48: article
of the constitution of the Weimar Republic that allowed the President, under
certain circumstances, to take emergency measures without the prior consent of
the Reichstag
Article 53: allowed
the President to appoint the Chancellor
Kapp Putsch:
occurred March 1920, and was a revolution against the government, directed by
right-wing journalist Wolfgang Kaap, who opposed Ebert and the Treaty of
Versailles
Munich Putsch (Beer Hall Putsch): occurred November 1923, and was Hitler attempt to
overthrow the Weimar government and establish a right wing nationalistic one in
its place
Freikorps (Free Corps):
German volunteer military units that helped prevent uprisings against the German
state
Dawes Plan: an
attempt in 1924, following WWI, for the Triple Entente to collect war
reparations debt from Germany.
When after five years the plan proved to be unsuccessful, the Young Plan
was adopted in 1929 to replace it
Locarno Treaties:
were seven agreements negotiated at Locarno, Switzerland in October 1925, in
which they sought to secure post-war territorial settlement and return
normalizing relations with Germany
Young Plan: adopted
in 1930, it reduced futher payments so Germany could manage their debt.
Occupation of the Ruhr:
between 1923 and 1925, occupation by Belgium and French troops as a response to
Germany’s failure to pay reparations
Hyperinflation:
inflation that is very high or out of control and currency looses value, while
things become more expernsive.
Rentenmark: currency
issued in November 1923 to stop hyperinflation
Gustav Stresemann:
German politician who served as Chancellor and Foreign Minister during the
Weimar Republic. He helped
re-establish European relations
NSDAP / Nazis:
far-right German nationalist party
Wall Street Crash:
greatest stock market crash in US history, which marked the beginning of the
Great Depression
Storm Troopers/ SA:
paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party, also known as the ‘Brownshirts’
Mein Kampf: book by
Hitler, meaning ‘My Struggle’, that combines an autobiography and his political
ideology
Brüning: Chancellor
of Germany during Weimar Republic.
von Papen: served as
Chancellor and Vice Chancellor under Hitler
von Schleicher: last
Chancellor of Germany during the era of the Weimar Republic, and was
assassinated by Hitler during the Night of the Long Knives
Reichswehr:
“Imperial Defence” formed by the military organization of Germany. Armed forces of the first German
Republic.
Hindenburg: second
President of Germany and was responsible for Germany coming into power
Presidential Emergency Decree: Article 48 of the constitution of the Weimar Republic of Germany
allowed the President, under certain circumstances, to take emergency measures
without the prior consent of the Reichstag
Reichstag: the
parliament of the Weimar Republic.
The parliament was elected according to proportional representation
Chancellor: head of
German government, equivalent to Prime Minister
President: Germany’s
head of state
Reichstag Fire: an
arson attack on the Reichstag building in February 1933 by Van der Lubbe, a
communist and pyromaniac.
Emergency Decrees (or Reichstag Fire Decree): decree of the Reich President for the protection
of people and state issued by President Hindenburg in response to the Reichstag
fire. The decree nullified many of
the key civil liberties of German citizens and gave Nazis additional power in
the government.
Enabling Act: passed
by Germany’s Reichstag and signed by Hindenburg on 23 March 1933. It was the second major step, after the
Reichstag Fire Decree, through which Chancellor Adolf Hitler legally attained
power and established his dictatorship.
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