Political-isms
This political ideology that emerged in Europe after World War I. It was based on authoritarian leadership, state power, militarism and antisocialism.
Fascism
a series of political murders carried out in early 1920s Germany by right wing nationalists. The targets were left wing political figures, whistle-blowers
Femegerichte or Feme killings
an artistic movement where reality was altered or distorted, in order to stimulate certain emotions or moods.
Expressionism
German for ‘seizure of power’ used to refer to the process by which Hitler was appointed chancellor in January 1933
Machtergreifung
an informal agreement between the Weimar government and military, made in November 1918
Ebert-Groener Pact
The name given to revolutionary communism in Europe in the early 20th century. It comes from a movement that seized control of Russia in October 1917
Bolshevism
an art school and movement in Weimar Germany, formed in 1919. It integrated modernist ideas and modern industrial production techniques, to provide functional yet attractive designs
Bauhaus
belief that historical events are shaped by previously-occurring events or factors. No event is entirely unexpected or unpredictable
Determinism
a failed attempted by Adolf Hitler and the NSDAP to seize political control in Bavaria in November 1923
Beer Hall putsch
was designed to facilitate repayment of Germany’s World War I reparations debt
Dawes Plan
a Catholic-based German political party, formed in 1870. It had socially conservative views and policies
Zentrumpartei
the process of dismantling an army, discharging its soldiers and returning them to civilian life
demobilization
German state parliaments. They possessed limited local legislative power and their membership reflected both national and local political trends.
Landtags
was an attempt to displace and remove the Weimar government in March 1920. It began when Freikorps units seized control of Berlin
Kapp putsch
a 1929 agreement that revised Germany’s reparations debt, reorganising it into 59 annual instalments
Young Plan
developed in the early 1920s and outlined initially in the NSDAP’s ’25 Points’ charter, largely based on fascism
National Socialism Nazism
right-wing paramilitary brigades, comprised mainly of ex-soldiers.
Freikorps
a 1923 coalition of the four largest political parties (SPD, Centre, DVP and DDP) in the Weimar Republic
The Great Coalition
a 1922 treaty between Germany and the Soviet Union, restoring diplomatic communication
Treaty of Rapallo
an international agreement to end the war and declare armed conflict illegal.
Kellogg-Briand Pact
a historiographical school that suggests German history has been dominated and determined by its militarism, nationalism and authoritarian leadership
Sonderweg
Germany’s largest communist party, formed as a breakaway group from the Social Democratic Party in December 1918
Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands or KPD
Imperial Germany under the leadership of Kaiser Wilhelm II, between 1888 and 1918
Wilhelmine period
a campaign of passive resistance and strikes, launched to protest the 1923 occupation by French and Belgian troops.
Ruhrkamph
an international agreement signed in 1932 that suspended Germany’s reparations obligations, on account of the Great Depression.
Lausanne Agreement