Threats to the Weimar Republic from the left and the right
I can describe the political threats to the early Weimar Republic that emerged from both the left and right.
Threats to the Weimar Republic from the left and the right
I can describe the political threats to the early Weimar Republic that emerged from both the left and right.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- The Weimar Republic faced violent threats from both sides of the political spectrum.
- The 1919 Spartacist Uprising, led by communists, sought to establish a workers’ state but was crushed by the Freikorps.
- When the Freikorps were ordered to disband they launched a failed attempt to restore the Kaiser: the Kapp Putsch.
- The army refused to attack and it was only defeated by a workers' strike.
- Assassinations, paramilitary clashes and coups, like Hitler's Munich Putsch, revealed deep divisions in Weimar Germany.
Keywords
Nationalism - devotion and loyalty or showing strong support to one's own country or nation
Authoritarian - demanding total obedience to those in positions of authority
Freikorps - meaning 'free corps'; a private army formed by ex-soldiers from the First World War
Paramilitary - a group which is organised like an army, but is not official
Common misconception
The Weimar Republic’s reliance on the Freikorps might suggest that the government supported right-wing ideologies.
The Weimar Government used the Freikorps out of desperation to suppress left-wing uprisings, but this reliance highlighted its inability to maintain order independently, rather than an alignment with right-wing ideologies.
To help you plan your year 11 history lesson on: Threats to the Weimar Republic from the left and the right, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 11 history lesson on: Threats to the Weimar Republic from the left and the right, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
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Explore more key stage 4 history lessons from the Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1918–39 unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
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