The Collapse of the Weimar Republic
There are a various number of reasons for the downfall of the Weimar
republic and the establishment of the one party rule, including
Hitler's appeal, however it was his consolidation of power 1933-1934
which was largely responsible for the collapse of the Weimar regime.
Factors such as the Enabling Act of 1933, the Reichstag fire, the use
of the SA, and the banning of all opposition contributed to allowing
and enabling Hitler to form a one party, Nazi dominated state.
"In two months", Von Papen confided in a friend " we'll have pushed
Hitler in to a corner and he can squeal until his heart's content".
Hitler's conversion of Germany into a one party state 1933-1934, which
is not highlighted by the sources shows this not to be the case.
The historical circumstances Germany was experiencing including
economic depression, existing repercussions of world war one, and a
profound lack of solid constitution inevitably gave Hitler an
advantage as the need for a stable government increased, as
illustrated in sources 2 and 5. Opposing the suggestion that it was a
plethora of weaknesses Germany possessed that created the demise of
the Weimar republic source 1 indicates that it was in fact Hitler's
widespread appeal that enabled the Nazi one party state to expand.
'National Socialism was inconceivable without Hitler.'
Hitler as an individual could be perceived as a confident party
organiser, creator of Nazi ideology, good orator etc. Although Hitler
displayed his 'unique confidence' and great power to the public,
devising an era of 'Hitlercentric' followers, it could be argued that
Hitle...
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depression of the 1920s, and post war factors such as reparations. In
addition to this the middle class, upper class and aristocracy feared
communism and were keen to support Hitler as he was assuring that if
he took control then communism would not be an issue.
As a result from 1930 coalition could be formed, creating the
impression of incompetent politicians disagreeing over insignificant
differences whilst Germany was in a state of ultimate chaos. The need
was strong for a leader who would be able to provide solutions and
discipline the chaos in Germany. The inadequate expanse of the Weimar
republic was blatant, each Weimar party was associated with a
particular class or interest group, whilst the Nazis on the other hand
were a national party forming alliances with classes throughout
Germany.
The Weimer Republic, is the democratic government established in Germany in 1918 that ruled for fifteen years after the collapse of the German empire after the First World War.The republic consisted of moderates from the Social Democratic Party as well as their liberal allies, which included the German Democratic Party, and the Catholic Center Party. The Weimer Republic sought political democracy, which they believed was attainable by the elimination of war, revolutionary terror, and capitalism. Despite their clear goal, the Weimer Republic faced backlash by the radicals of society, which included communists, National Socialists, and the Nazi Party led by Adolf Hitler. THESIS: The Weimer Republic’s instability in the period of 1918-1933 is
Why, by 1934, had the Nazis benefited more than the Communists from the shortcomings of the Weimar Republic?
The first major reason that the Weimar republic failed was that it was extremely inefficient and did not have clear goals set within the government. All the different ideas coming from the parties in the republic, created a situation where the people of Germany were getting very unclear, vague messages. This problem can be seen in the struggle between the German Democratic Party and the Communist Party. Troeltsch, a theologian and leader of the German Democratic Party said, “The development will not stop at democracy, and a ‘dictatorship of the proletariat’ will assume the form of terrorist domination by a minority” (Doc 1). This statement is only somewhat reliable because Troeltsch was a politician, and he would benefit from over exaggerating what would happen if the opposing party were to gain control.
Hitler was superb at convincing people to believe everything he said. He promised the people a roast in every pot, security, and many more things. By promising the people security that meant that he would keep them all safe and that he can do a better job than anyone else. Adolf Hitler increased in support from bankers and industrialists. So, pretty much he had most of the people who had higher power on his side durning this time period. The the united States stock market crasedd in October 1929 unemployment in Germany quickly rose to over six million. This opened another window for Hitler to get more peoplewho thought that they had nothing and their life was over to side with him. President Hindenburg did not want for Hitler to become the chancellor so instead he appointed Von Pappen but, Adolf Hitler did not agree nor did the Nazi's. hitler eventually did become the chancellor on January 30th, 1933 Hitler then banned all political parties. In 1934 the president died and Adolf Hitler forced his way into power. Now that he was the president he can change anyhting that he wants.
The conditions in Germany when Hitler came into power were that the Wiemar Republic was weak, they had a democracy and after president Heindenburg died the democracy was even weaker. There was hardly any money, before the Great Depression began. Aldof Hitler promised a better life for everyone in Germany, and with his persuasive speech managed to get what he wanted, power. The treaty of Versailles blamed Germany for the First World War. The Weimar politicians did not seem to have an end to the ongoing crisis so they gave Hitler a spot in politics, his speech soon enough brought him up the hierarchy and lead to his success. The support for the Nazi party was rising every day before the Communists, the Great Depression did much of Hitler’s
The Left and Right at the Birth of Weimar Germany From the general chaos and unrest that followed the Kiel Mutiny in late 1918, the centre-left emerged to lead Germany into a new era of democracy. Philipp Scheidemann, a key figure in the moderate SDP, declared a Democratic Socialist Republic from a balcony in Berlin on 9th November 1918. However, the whole of Germany was not behind him, since simultaneously, and from a different Berlin balcony, Karl Liebknecht, leader of the communist Spartacists (KPD), declared a Soviet Republic.
loans in 1920 would easily be able to pay these off now - leaving them
them make a full recovery but in the long run I don't think that they
“On 2 August 1934, President Hindenburg died. Within an hour of his death Hitler announced that the offices of chancellor and president were to be combined and that he was the new head of state. Hitler’s adolescent dream of becoming Fuhrer of the German people had been realized” President Hindenburg’s death marked the official end of the Weimar Republic, a democratic ‘experiment’ that had lasted since 1918. The causes of the dissolution of the Republic are wide ranging and numerous, as was explained in the articles of both Richard Bessel, and John McKenzie. The two author’s agree on the sequence of events which led to the dissolution of the Republic, however, they disagree on what exactly caused the transition from Weimar to the Third Reich. The author’s disagreement stem from a differing view of the fundamental cause, political structure versus political leadership.
The main reason was that people were discomposed that Germany had lost a war and most of the people blame for the defeat. On the other hand, during 1929-1933, the worldwide Great Depression, which impacted Germany, and there was no leader of Weimar could solve the economic problem.
another factor possibly could be the economic collapse of germany during the great depression and the lack of support the Weimar republic showed. It was unable to deal with Germanys problems and this set Hitler in an ideal position to rise to power. The nazi party became more and more popular and by 1932 they had 230 seats in the Reichstag. Hitler's opportunity to do a political deal came about during the great depression when there was a collapse of trade and the death of stresseman. The people of germany were desperate due to the increasing rate of unemployment and the increasing political instability: they were desperate and needed a strong government.
2. What were weaknesses of the Weimar Republic? How did different political groups seek to remedy these weaknesses?
The causes of the failure of the Weimar government are multi-faceted. However, I assert that the Weimar government's inability to keep the people's confidence in their capabilities, which eventually rendered them obsolete, was fundamentally due to the threats from within rather than the external hazards. Through exploring the flaws in the constitution and the threats to the WG's authority from the outside, it will be proven that what brought the WR down were its intrinsic vulnerabilities , and that the external threats were only catalysts of their downfall; without the presence of the internal weaknesses in the first place, the external perils would not have been able to threaten the rule of the government.
The Extent to Which the Weimar Republic Recovered after 1923 In the period after 1923, under Gustav Stresemann, Germany was able to stand back on its feet and overcome many of its difficulties. Weimar Republic was created in 1919 to govern a defeated Germany after World War One. Germany was facing many social, political and economical problems while the new constitution laid open for the seizure of power. There were many rebellions and attempted revolutions making the country very unstable. Situations were made worse by the harsh terms of Treaty of Versailles, causing hyperinflation and a huge amount of national debt.
The Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic was created in Germany in 1918 as a result of widespread socialist unrest. A liberal constitution was drawn up in 1919. There was extensive instability in Germany around this time. The Weimar government had trouble pleasing right and left wing parties because, at this time, Germany was very polarised politically. Hitler dissolved the republic in 1933.