The Fall of the Weimar Republic

The Weimar Republic would have continued to be a functional government far longer than achieved if not for the defeat of WWI, the economic burdens imposed by the Versailles Treaty, and the flawed Article 48 which all contributed to the down fall of Germany’s first attempt at a legitimate Democracy. This paper will argue that the societal, economical, and constitutional aspects all played a role in the hopeless Democracy Germany attempted which ultimately lead Germany into a totalitarian state that would further shake the world with the rise of the NSDAP and Adolf Hitler.

First, the defeat of WWI was not just the beginning of the Weimar Republic but could be considered a catalyst to its downfall as well. During the later stages of WWI German citizens really felt the burden and dissatisfaction of the war. During this time there were vast food shortages, really low wages, while unemployment was sky rocketing. Most of Germany’s men were off fighting the war and left a huge gap in the work force for women to fill. This could be considered a crisis of classical modernity considering Germany may not have been ready for this form of forced modernism where women played a larger role than just being the house wife. Citizens and politicians, now awoken from hopes to “break out of its self-inflicted international isolation”, were beginning to tease the idea of a peaceful country and a contributing role in the world economy (Peukert, 1987; 24) Germany, by the demands of Ludendorff on September 29, 1918 accepted Wilson’s Fourteen Points and to create a new government (Peukert, 1987; 26). Ludendorff’s hidden agenda was to rid the conservative and military leadership the responsibilities of their failed war and put the blame on parliament (Peuke...

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... been revised or the state of emergency have been defined Hitler may not have risen to such power and humanity may not have seen its darkest days.

Some of the reasons that doomed the Weimar Republic was the defeat of WWI, the economic hardships caused by the Versailles Treaty, and the notorious Article 48 in the Weimar Constitution. This paper has effectively argued that the communal hardships, constitutional flaw, and poor economy all played a role in the impossible attempt of Democracy Germany attempted after WWI.

Works Cited

Peukert, Detlev J.K. The Weimar Republic. New York: Hilll and Wang, 1987.

Wheeler-Bennett, Sir John. "The End of the Weimar Republic." Foreign Affairs, 2004: 352-371.

Wilde, Marc de. "The state of emergency in the Weimar Republic; Legal disputes over Article 48 of the Weimar." Tijdschrift voor Rechtsgeschiedenis, 2010: 136-158.