The Weimar Republic

The Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic was set-up in January 1919. It seemed like a new

start for Germany after the revolution, this new republic was a

democracy, chosen by the people. However, the Weimar Republic, like

many new parliaments, was having teething troubles.

The main trouble came from the communists. In March they organised

strikes, demonstrations, riots, etc. in Berlin. Their one aim, to win

power. They wanted to model Germany on Bolshevik Russia.

The Weimar Republic's solution to this problem was to send in the

Freikorps. They were ordered to shoot anyone carrying a gun. During

just a few days over a thousand people were shot dead. The Free Corps

were ruthless, on one occasion thirty sailors were slaughtered as they

collected their wages.

The other party who'd sought to win power in Germany had been the

Independent Socialists. They had much support in Bavaria but were not

so strong nationally. They had set up a republic of their own in

November 1918 and it was not particularly in a position where by the

republic could change hands to another political party. This all

changed, however, in February 1919 when Eisner, their leader was shot

dead by a right wing, nationalist student. Such was the man's

popularity in Bavaria that his funeral was attended by over 100,000

people. With Eisner dead the question was, who should take control

now?

The Communists argued with the democratic socialists and came out

victorious. In March 1919, Bavaria was made into a Soviet Republic.

Under the new communist regime, houses, food, cars and clot...

... middle of paper ...

...lic's

life, saw party politics brought into disrepute, and as such people

lost interest in their governments. parties were unable to form

effective coalitions with each other because of their antagonistic

nature. The number of people who did not exercise their right to vote

in 1919 was 16%; in 1928 that figure had increased to 26%. People

thought less about the people they were voting for and this may have

been one reason that they were so easily won over by the very powerful

Nazi propaganda in the late 1920s. There were a very broad range of

parties in Weimar Germany, with differing views on how to run the

country. There were parties like the democratic SPD, committed to the

Republic, and then those like the DNVP, whose leader, Alfred

Hugenburg, said: "I believe in government by the elect few, not by the

elected."