The Collapse Of The Weimar Republic

The essay will examine factors of economic hardship that ultimately lead to the failure of German democracy, after Germany’s defeat in world war one and resulted in Hitler’s rise to dictatorship. German democracy lasted for a total of 14 years between the period of 1919 to 1933. The collapse of the Weimar Republic occurred due to the faults and weaknesses within the parliamentary system as well as the economic hardships from reparations produced from the Treaty of Versailles, and the Great Depression which raised a huge figure of unemployment in all of Germany, these factors tested the Weimar political system, and their mismanagements eventually gave way to the beginning of a dictatorship. The way in which Hitler and the Nazi party rose to

From 1924 (the Dawes Plan) and in 1929 (the Young Plan), these plans had provided the Weimar republic with loans to aid stabilisation of Germany’s currency, after the 1923 hyperinflation. however American required the payments back to mend their fallen economy. The unemployment figures had raised from 8.5% in 1929 to 29.9% in 1932, a total of 21.4% increase over a 3year period, this potentially supporting the view that many of the economic problems may have had their roots in the supposed years of stability. The figures of unemployment on Germany had a major effect on the German society, which society had been exposed to few food shortages, thousands of children suffered devastatingly from malnutrition and hunger related diseases, they were cast into poverty and deep misery. The deflationary policy was introduced, and its purpose was to cut welfare spending and increase taxation however its effects only enhanced the severity of the depression. Many German citizens began to join the Nazi movement as it offered the only realistic alternative to communism. The Nazi party unlike the Weimar republic delivered solutions resolving economic hardships related to the depression, and promised to abolish the Treaty of Versailles, which supported the public’s desire and an opportunity to recover from the humiliation brought. The Nazis offered employment to Germany with their policy of public works and promise to create jobs for the unemployed. People saw them as a symbol of strength whereas before, without the economic depression, the people had no need to look towards the Nazis, as they felt secure. Therefore, the fact the Nazis electoral support in 1930 rose to 18.9%, making them the second largest party in the Reichstag, suggests that the economic depression greatly increased the support the public gave to the Nazi Party. Hitler prospered from the failures of the Weimar Republic