Evaluation of Weimar Germany
The Weimar Republic was an extremely complex and diverse place
throughout the entirety of the interwar years. The society and the
culture that the Weimar created had several different facets and
frontiers according to how one chooses to approach it. The fundamental
themes of the period evolve around Political conflict, economic
instability, social unrest and diverse ideologies.
In relation to this essay I shall be focusing my attention on the
latter themes, as I believe that the determinants of social unrest and
conflicting ideologies are paramount when investigating the social and
cultural development of the Weimar Republic.
There is little doubt that pre-war and post-war German societies were
very different. Prior to the Great War, under an autocratic regime,
the innovative intellectuals within society felt that the institution
oppressed their views and creative instinct.
In contrast, post World War one Germany brought with it an extremely
diverse and radical culture. It is with the benefit of hindsight that
it becomes apparent that this period was an opportunity for those
pioneering modernists to sow their ideology in fertile lands.
Those observers who nostalgically refer to the Weimar years as the
‘Golden Twenties’ are clearly not referring to the socio-economic
distresses of the period. Instead, as Eberhard Kolb expresses they are
referring to “The eruption of new vitality, the liberation of creative
forces in a short decade of unbound intellectual and artistic
freedom.” (1)
In the immediate post War years rapid ideological change and economic
development were evident throughout m...
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...al history, 1918-33, (New York, 1974),
p. 110.
(4) P. Bookbinder, Weimar Germany, p. 250.
(5) P. Bookbinder, Weimar Germany, p. 254
(6) W. Gropius, ‘Bauhaus Memorandum’, (Weimar, Feb 3rd, 1922), in
Whitford (ed.), p. 134.
(7) E. Kolb, The Weimar Republic, p. 86.
(8) J. Willett, The Weimar years: a culture cut short (1984), p. 9.
(9) W. Laqueur, Weimar, a cultural history, 1918-33, (New York, 1974),
p. 137
(10) E. Kolb, The Weimar Republic, p. 90.
(11) J. Willett, The Weimar years: a culture cut short (1984), p. 7
(12) J. Willett, The Weimar years: a culture cut short (1984), p. 7
(13) J. Willett, The Weimar years: a culture cut short (1984), p. 7
(14) H. Pachter, Weimar Etudes, (New York, 1982), p. 91
(15) W. Laqueur, Weimar, a cultural history, 1918-33, (New York,
1974), p. 277.
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
The German Weimar Republic was an attempt to make Germany a more democratic state. While this was a very good idea in theory, the Weimar Republic was ineffective due to the instability that came with it. Several factors contributed to the instability of Germany’s Weimar Republic, such as the new political ideals brought forward and the government’s hunger for war. To begin, one of the factors that contributed to the instability of the Weimar republic was the presence of new political ideals. Marie Juchacz unintentionally highlighted that reason in her speech to the National Assembly.
Hagen W (2012). ‘German History in Modern Times: Four Lives of the Nation’. Published by Cambridge University Press (13 Feb 2012)
The period after World War One was very politically unstable. Many different kinds of governments, such as fascism and communism, were coming up all over Europe. One country that especially faced this political fluctuation was Germany. After the war, Germany was forced into a democracy known as the Weimar Republic, but this government soon collapsed and Hitler’s fascism took over. There were various factors that contributed to the fall of the Weimar Republic, but three major ones were the lack of popular support for the government, the lack of efficiency and internal organization, and the competition of other, more conservative parties such as the Nazis.
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
Treitschke, Heinrich. “History of Germany in the Nineteenth Century and Historical and Political Writings.” The Human Record. By Alfred J. Andrea and James H. Overfield. Vol. 2. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2011. 2 vols. 292-295.
Germany experienced a lot of economic changes after Germany was split into East Germany and West Germany. Initially, West Germany was established as a federal republic but was established as it’s own independent nation in 1955. Many events happened in West Germany from the 1950s to the 1980s before Germany became one nation again. There were events such as “oils price shocks, generous social programs, rising deficits and loss of control.” East Germany’s economy was strong due to the Soviet Union’s reliance on Eastern Germany’s production of machine tools, chemicals and electronics. It became appealing to reunite with West Germany when the value of East Germany’s currency became “worthless” outside of it’s country because Eastern Germany was relying on the Soviet Union’s demand (Marketline).
The general public of Germany had never had any say in political matters; they allowed the Kaiser to make all the decisions regarding themselves and their once-prosperous country. The groups controlling Germany began to change during October and November 1918. More power began to fall into the hands of the people as they realised the blame for their involvement in the war was the Kaiser’s. People such as the armed soldiers, sailors and workers started protesting and going on strike. This was a far cry from before the war, when Germany was wealthy, proud and ambitious. So for a brief period, it seemed that a revolution would take place, with the people of Germany wanting a social and political revolution.
...ce of many Germans to the Weimar Republic – perhaps even paving the way for Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party’s rise to power in the 1930s.
The Collapse of Weimar and the Rise of Hitler In 1919, a defeated Germany was forced to abandon government under the Kaiser, who had fled to Belgium and adopt the Weimar, a democratic but flawed system. Soon after Hitler and the Nazi Party appeared, and years later the Weimar Republic fell. What accounted for the fall of the Weimar? My essay will prove that there was not a single reason,
Exploring the Reasons Behind Public's Discontent with the Weimar Government There were a number of reasons why the German people were unhappy with the Weimar government. One of the main reasons for this was the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. The result of this was that Germany has to take the war guilt, Germany had to pay reparations of 6,600 million marks to the allies in particular France, Germany lost its colonies, it lost its air force & tanks, and its soldiers were restricted to 100,000. The Ruhr was demilitarised. Also they lost their colonies and its land was cut up such as the Polish Corridor and Alsace Lorraine.
They were the ones who carried out the war, they were cut down to size
German people were unused to a democracy and blamed the government “November criminals”, for signing the Treaty of Versailles. From the very beginning, the new Weimar government faced opposition from both sides of the political spectrum. The Left wing Spartacist group, lead by Liebknecht and Luxemburg, looked up to the new Soviet councils in Russia, wanted to place Germany into a similar system.
Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1969. Kitchen, Martin. A History of Modern Germany: 1800-2000. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2006. Sprout, Otto.