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,
but in fact a series of events that lead to the collapse of the
Weimar.
President Ebert used the Freikorp, who were a rightwing mercenary
unit, to put down the Spartacus uprising, a communist inspired
revolution. After that, Ebert was always seen as an enemy in the eyes
of the extreme left, and so consequently the government he
represented, Weimar, was also seen in the same light. Next, the Kapp
Putsch saw Dr. Kapp, leader of the Freikorp and an extreme
right-winger, try to take control of Berlin with his mercenaries.
This time Ebert used the moderate leftwing in the form of the trade
unions, to put down the revolt, by calling a general strike in the
region. This would result in the rightwing becoming against the new
republic, along with leftwing groups. But possibly the greatest
threat for early Weimar Germany was the Treaty of Versailles. The
treaty left the Weimar with a massive debt that she was unlikely to
repay. The problems that were handed to the new government and the
events that occurred as the new Republic was created can be seen as a
factor that lead to its eventually downfall.
Weimar Republic’s type of government caused another problem. Its
parliamentary system was proportional representation, allowing small,
locali...
... middle of paper ...
... events, which allowed Hitler to
undermine parliamentary democracy in Germany. Had any of these events
occurred separately there is a strong chance that the Weimar would
have been able to survive, however the effect of them all occurring
simultaneously was almost certainly the reason in which the Weimar
collapsed and allowed Hitler and the Nazi Party’s rise to power.
Bibliography
“Fall of Weimar and Rise of Nazis.” August 28, 2001.
[http://www.history.sfasu.edu/Jackson/412/Outline_Weimar&Nazis.htm][5/26/2003]
Rempel, Gerhard. “The Nazi Road to Power”.
[http://mars.acnet.wnec.edu/~grempel/courses/germany/lectures/27power_road.html]
[5/26/2003]
Sage, Henry J. “The Rise of Nazi Germany: The SS-State.” September 9,
2001.
[http://www.nv.cc.va.us/home/nvsageh/Hist122/Part3/Germany1933.htm][5/26/2003]
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.
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.
loans in 1920 would easily be able to pay these off now - leaving them
build up a name for himself, as well as, to get to know people in high
After the First World War Germany recognised her first ever democratic government, the Weimar republic lasted from 1918 – 1933 an astonishingly long time given its turbulent start. The November revolution saw the election of soldier and worker councils similar to that of the Russian revolution in 1917, it spread across Germany like wildfire and in turn split the country before a democracy could even be instated nevertheless on November 9th 1918 the German republic was established. From then on The Weimar Republic was set on unstable and insecure path and this is why it is one of Germanys most important historical periods; it was Germanys earliest form of non-imperial government and rule and its collapse in 1933 paved the way for the rise of Hitler and the Nazi party. For these reasons there have been endless works published on the Weimar republic and the outpouring of literature post world war two focuses on the collapse of the Weimar republic and how the Nazi party came to power. However, to understand why the debate surrounding the Golden Era in the Weimar Republic is an interesting one and lacking in historical works, it is key to examine the historiography of the Weimar republic as a whole. Furthermore, to understand why historians focus on other periods in the Weimar’s history in particular the consequences of the treaty of Versailles and the consequences of the Wall Street crash in 1928 which led to its collapse.
Richard Bessel’s article stresses the political structure of Weimar Germany as the cause of its failure. Its structure was flawed in numerous ways, all of which contributed to its inevitable failure. First of all, the problems within Germany due to the First World War were massive. This caused economic, political and social problems which first had to be dealt with by the new Weimar government. The loss of the war had left Germany with huge reparations to pay, and massive destruction to repair. In order to gain the capital needed to finance efforts to rebuild, and repay the Allies, the economy had to be brought back to its prewar levels. This was not an easy task.
The Weakness of the Weimar Republic and Hitler's Rise to Power The question directly relates to the idea that the political power of a country can be taken over by ambitious people in different ways. From our knowledge we know there is three ways this can be done…by take over by force, also known as a 'coup d'etat', in a more democratic and just way or by a political deal. In the 1920's and the 1930's Hitler led a right wing political party and was seen by many as a dictator. He wanted to overthrow and control the German government and he tried all three of these ways in an attempt to do so, some methods were more successful than others.
The Weimar constitution was forced into creation by the German desire to sign an armistace with the Allied forces after significant defeats on the Western front. Not only were the Allies demanding a democratic governing style in Germany, but there was also a strong desire to move away from the autocratic state that had existed under the Kaiser. Although the new constitution outwardly appeared to be democratic, there were several internal factors that severely undermined the democratic integrity of the new constitution, and made it almost indistinguishable from its autocratic predecessor.
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.
The Failure of the Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic survived to years of greater internal peace from the mid-1920s, when the political problems were covered, until exposure by the economic and political crises of 1929, Hitler’s appointment as German Chancellor in 1933 was more or less the most important event of the 20th century. The most direct causes for the collapse of the first German democracy must be sought in the years between the end of World War I and the establishment of the Third Reich. The parliamentary democracy which was established in Germany in 1918-19 was the consequence of defeat and revolution and not the deliberate choice of a majority of the population.
The Treaty of Versailles, which put an end to World War I, caused a number of positive and negative outcomes in Germany. Germany was in need of a democratic government in order to meet the harsh provisions of the Treaty of Versailles. Established by members from the Social Democrat Party in 1919, the Weimar Republic became the central power in Germany for the following years. The republic was found in the city of Weimar and was a replacement, so to say, for the imperial government that had previously stood as the central authority. Even though the Weimar Republic managed to lead Germany for 15 years, it experienced devastating drawbacks such as hyperinflation, lack of support from the public, and the constant efforts from different groups to overthrow the government; because of these factors, different political groups sought a resolution, such as overthrowing the government and pushing for a strong leader.
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.
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.
The Bauhaus became the most famous art institution in the late 19th century, and was established during the formation of the Weimar Republic. Its innovation of art with industry reflected a new era, even though it only lasted until the Nazis came into power in 1933. Nevertheless, it left its own imprint in which new artist that came into the institution learned new crafts and artistic skills that they applied into their own work. This would eventually lead the institution to influence contemporary artist with modern design, style, architecture, and art. The Bauhaus purpose was to implement all the arts together with industry. However, it had to be appealing and pleasing to the eyes. Their aesthetic work had to reflect simple, linear, geometric,
But was it doomed from it's beginning? One of the main fields where problems arose was the legacy of World War 1. Germany's unexpected defeat was blamed on the "November Criminals" and made people suspicious of the new government. The Treaty of Versailles associated the government with Germany's acceptance of this national humiliation. The soldiers returning back from the front line were bitter at the republic and many joined right wing paramilitary groups, such as the Freikorps.