11 mark
What did the Weimar government establish in 1927 to improve workers' lives?
A ten-hour working day.
A 46-hour working week.
A ban on overtime.
A mandatory rest day every week.
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Changes to Weimar Society (Edexcel GCSE History: Modern Depth Study (Paper 3))
Exam Questions
20 mins20 questions
21 mark
What was the purpose of the 1927 Unemployment Insurance Act in Germany?
To provide insurance to businesses when their employees go off sick.
To provide jobs for those who were unemployed.
To provide financial support during unemployment or sickness.
To provide medical insurance to all employed Germans.
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31 mark
By how much did workers' real wages increase from 1925 to 1928?
5%
10%
25%
50%
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41 mark
Which group opposed the Weimar Republic's educational reforms?
The lower classes.
Foreign governments.
Teachers.
The Protestant and Catholic churches.
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51 mark
How many women were elected as party representatives in the Reichstag in 1920?
111
112
113
114
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61 mark
What characteristics did the ‘New Women’ of Weimar Germany have?
They bought more expensive clothes.
They wore their hair long.
They smoked cigarettes and drank alcohol.
They focused more on becoming wives and mothers.
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71 mark
Why did the NSDAP oppose the Weimar culture?
Members of the NSDAP were excluded from profiting from Weimar culture. They wanted a share in its success too.
The NSDAP believed Weimar culture was responsible for the moral decline of German society.
The NSDAP saw the government’s funding of culture as a waste of money. They believed it took resources away from the people who needed financial help.
The NSDAP encouraged the move away from traditional values. However, they disliked any foreign influence on Weimar culture.
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81 mark
Study Interpretation 1 and Interpretation 2. These Interpretations are about the living standards in Germany between 1923 and 1929. How are these two interpretations different?
Interpretation 1: An extract from the History Teachers’ Association Modern History Guide, published in 2007.
Working people actually improved their situation with better real wages, unemployment insurance and lower working hours. What this did, however, was to alienate other groups such as big business, who resented their loss of power and profit, and the lower middle class, who saw their own position threatened by a system which seemed to favour the working class. |
Interpretation 2: Germany from War to Dictatorship by Richard Bessel. It was published in 1997.
The Weimar Republic was an over- strained Welfare State and the ‘achievements’ of the years of ‘relative stability’ were damaging liabilities. The 1927 Unemployment Insurance Act had failed within a year, and this reflects the fundamental problem which plagued the Weimar Republic: the changed relationship of the people to the state which emerged from the First World War. |
Interpretation 1 states that ‘real wages’ increased and this improved big businesses. Interpretation 2 states that these increases in wages contributed towards ‘the changed relationship of the people”.
Interpretation 1 states that the Weimar Republic’s Welfare State did not improve Germany’s living standards. Interpretation 2 states that living standards improved during the Weimar Republic.
Interpretation 1 states that big businesses were responsible for improving the working people’s situation in Weimar Germany. Interpretation 2 states that the Weimar Republic was responsible for the achievements of the Welfare State.
Interpretation 1 states that living standards improved during the Weimar Republic. Interpretation 2 states that the Weimar Republic's Welfare State did not improve Germany's living standards.
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91 mark
Study Source A. Source A shows the cultural changes in Weimar Germany. What inference could be made about Source A?
Source A: The right panel of Otto Dix’s work ‘Metropolis’ from 1927.
Weimar Germany had a pest problem, which the Weimar Republic failed to control.
Fashion has changed in Weimar Germany because the two men featured in the picture are wearing different-coloured trousers.
New Weimar art aimed to make the audience uncomfortable and question the society in which they lived.
Culture had changed during the Weimar Republic. Many artists of this era had strong right-wing beliefs which the painting reflects.
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101 mark
Study Source B. Source B is an example of Weimar art. What is the origin of Source B?
Source B: Grey Day’ by George Grosz, 1921.
Grey Day’.
George Grosz, 1921.
A painting.
This is a piece of expressionism to represent the boredom of day-to-day life in Weimar Germany.
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11 mark
What caused the Weimar government to introduce a series of reforms to improve working conditions?
The Weimar government had to keep the workers happy to stop the spread of Communism in Germany.
The Weimar government had to keep the workers happy to help pay off the reparations.
The Weimar government had to keep the workers happy to stop the spread of right-wing politics in Germany.
The Weimar government had to keep the workers happy as this was a term in the Treaty of Versailles and Wilson’s 14 Points.
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21 mark
What was a consequence of the housing crisis in Germany in the 1920s?
By 1922, Germany had a shortage of 2 million homes.
By 1923, Germany had a shortage of 1 million homes.
By 1924, Germany had a shortage of 2 million homes.
By 1925, Germany had a shortage of 1 million homes.
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31 mark
How were the views of liberal men and young women similar regarding their beliefs about the 'New Woman' in Weimar Germany?
Both liberal men and young women disliked the ‘New Woman’ as it went against traditional values.
Both liberal men and young women disliked the ‘New Woman’ as it increased the divorce rate and decreased the birth rate in Germany.
Both liberal men and young women liked the ‘New Woman’ as it gave women opportunities and equality.
Both liberal men and young women liked the ‘New Woman’ as it allowed women to be better wives and mothers.
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41 mark
What caused the German conservative upper classes and the extreme right-wing to be horrified by Weimar Art?
The art was displayed on the streets of Germany and not in art studios. This went against the traditional way for art to be displayed in Germany.
Many artists had strong left-wing beliefs. This challenges the traditional ways of life valued by the right.
The meaning of the art was very clear and included themes that the right objected towards.
The majority of Weimar Art contained flowers and buildings. The right did not consider this to be real art.
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51 mark
Study Source C. Source C shows an example of a ‘New Woman’. How does Source C support the following inference: “The Women of Weimar Germany went against traditional values”.
Source C: A German film poster from 1925 entitled Three Waiting Maids.
The three women in the poster are shown wearing the new Weimar styles, including short hair and make-up.
The three women have decided to work instead of staying at home taking care of their families.
The three women have recently divorced their husbands.
The three women are being used as propaganda to display their equality with men under the new Weimar Consitution.
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61 mark
Study Interpretation 2. Interpretation 2 is about Weimar culture between 1923 and 1929. What contextual knowledge supports the view mentioned in Interpretation 2?
Interpretation 2: An extract from Culture and Society in Weimar Germany by Elizabeth Harvey. It was published in 1997.
Partial thought it was, the impact of artistic and modernism and mass culture in the Weimar period was sufficient to provoke a powerful backlash, especially from a section of the middle class. This could have been because … domestic developments in the Republic threatened the security of the middle class politically and economically as well as culturally. |
There was a backlash from the extreme left-wing parties as they no longer controlled and produced Germany’s cultural output. This reduced their power in Germany.
There was a backlash from the extreme left-wing parties as they disliked the lack of modern ideas in the Weimar cultural movement.
There was a backlash from the extreme left-wing parties as they disliked how the new Weimar culture undermined the Weimar Republic and the Weimar Consitution.
There was a backlash from the extreme left-wing parties as they saw the government’s funding of culture as a waste of money, which should be spent on those who needed financial help.
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11 mark
What change occurred in women’s employment in Weimar Germany?
By 1925, the employment rate of women had fallen to 25% from 75% in 1918.
Article 108 in the Weimar Consitution gave women the right to access all professions.
The legal professions employed lots of women on a part-time basis.
There was an increase in women employed as teachers and doctors.
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21 mark
How significant were the Weimar Republic’s attempts to reduce unemployment after the hyperinflation crisis of 1923?
Very significant. By 1926, the unemployment rate was at 20%. By 1928, this number had fallen to roughly 2%.
It was significant. By 1926, the unemployment rate was at 4%. By 1928, this number had fallen to roughly 2%.
It was not significant. By 1926, the unemployment rate was 2%. By 1928, this number had risen to 4%.
It was insignificant. By 1926, the unemployment rate was at 2%. By 1928, this number had dramatically risen to 20%.
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31 mark
Study Interpretation 1 and Interpretation 2. These interpretations are about culture between the years 1923 and 1929. Why are these interpretations different?
Interpretation 1: An extract from Weimar and Nazi Germany, by Stephen Lee. It was published in 1996.
The 1920s saw a huge cultural revival in Germany. Indeed, these years have been seen as the greatest period of experimentation in the whole of Germany’s history. As things settled down politically, writers and artists had more of a chance to try out new ideas. The results were impressive and spread across all areas of the Arts. |
Interpretation 2: An extract from Culture and Society in Weimar Germany by Elizabeth Harvey. It was published in 1997.
Partial though it was, the impact of artistic and modernism and mass culture in the Weimar period was sufficient to provoke a powerful backlash, especially from a section of the middle class. This could have been because … domestic developments in the Republic threatened the security of the middle class politically and economically as well as culturally. |
Interpretation 1 is about writers and artists in Weimar Germany. Interpretation 2 is about the security of the middle class in Weimar Germany.
Interpretation 1 has focused its interpretation on the cultural impact of the Weimar period. Interpretation 2 has focused on their interpretation of the political, cultural and economic impact of the Weimar period.
Interpretation 1 states that the cultural revival in Germany was huge. Interpretation 2 also states that the cultural movement in Weimar Germany was so huge that it created a powerful backlash.
Interpretation 1 was written in 1996 by Stephen Lee. Interpretation 2 was written in 1997 by Elizabeth Harvey.
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41 mark
Study Interpretation 1 and Source A. Interpretation 1 discusses Weimar culture between 1923 and 1929. How does Source A support Interpretation 1?
Interpretation 1: An extract from Weimar and Nazi Germany, by Stephen Lee. It was published in 1996.
The 1920s saw a huge cultural revival in Germany. Indeed, these years have been seen as the greatest period of experimentation in the whole of Germany’s history. As things settled down politically, writers and artists had more of a chance to try out new ideas. The results were impressive and spread across all areas of the Arts. |
Source A: The right panel of Otto Dix’s work ‘Metropolis’ from 1927.
Source A supports Interpretation 1. Source A provides an example of the new type of writing which emerged in the 1920s.
Source A supports Interpretation 1. Source A provides an example of a traditional piece of art which became unpopular in 1920s Germany.
Source A supports Interpretation 1. Source A provides an example of a new type of art created in the 1920s.
Source A does not support Interpretation 1. Source A is a piece of art by Otto Dix. This artist is not mentioned in Interpretation 1.
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