GCSE History (OCR A)

Weimar and Nazi Germany Topic Summaries

Early challenges to the Weimar Republic (1919–1923)

Changes in society, 1924–1929

  • Changes in living standards: 
    • Wages and work: working hours were reduced, and wages increased for many workers. However, wealthy Germans didn’t like seeing workers benefit.
    • Unemployment insurance: 3% of wages was taken for insurance, which helped people if they became ill or unemployed.
    • Housing: a 15% rent tax was introduced to fund building new homes, but there were still housing shortages.
    • Welfare reforms: expanded support for the unemployed, the elderly, and war veterans.
    • Affordability: consumer goods such as radios and household appliances became more affordable.
  • Changes for women:
    • Work: by 1918, 75% of women were in jobs previously done by men (since the men had been conscripted to fight in WWI). This dropped to 36% by 1925 as men returned.
    • Education: women were increasingly encouraged to go to university leading to greater participation in many professions. However, traditional attitudes remained strong, and many women were still expected to prioritise family life.
    • Politics: women gained the right to vote in 1918. Article 109 of the constitution stated women had equal rights to men (though this wasn’t always fully realised).
    • Leisure: with more earning power, young women became more independent and not solely invested in getting married and having children. This ‘new woman’ attitude conflicted with traditional and right-wing values.
  • Cultural changes and artistic movements:
    • New movements: artists experimented with bold styles such as: 
      • Expressionism (art should reflect thoughts and feelings)
      • New Objectivism (art should show reality, not romantic ideas)
      • Modernism (art should embrace the future and urban life)
    • The Bauhaus Movement: a modern art school in Berlin that treated art and architecture as unifying forces founded on functional, standardised designs.
    • Media: art often reflected social problems, including poverty and the impact of war. German cinema became world-famous, with films like Metropolis and The Cabinet of Dr Caligari.

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