The Challenges Of Social Problems In The Weimar Republic

Great Essays
The Weimar republic was created in 1919 with the abduction of Wilhelm II. This government signed the Treaty of Versailles which later on appeared to cause them problems as the people of Germany thought they had been betrayed by their own government bodies and stabbed in the back, also they signed the armistice, this was why they were called the November criminals. The problems associated with the Treaty as well as dissatisfaction in Germany for a new democratic government that was thought had a weak constitution doomed Weimar politically from the very beginning. To increase the hatred of Germans towards their new democratic government, the economic problems they faced which stemmed from a post war economy which made it almost impossible to …show more content…
To begin with the gaps between the living standards of different classes grew significantly through the years which meant that German workers bitter at restrictions placed on their earnings during the war which meant that every time they woke up another fortune was lost, in the blink of an eye. This was deemed unfair because factory owners made vast fortunes from the war by manufacturing suits, armour and weapons for the soldiers to use on the front line. Women were called up to work in factories alongside men during the war to meet the demands of the commanders. In the opinion of the people this was damaging traditional family values and society as a whole. As a result of the world war, class differences revealed themselves more distinctly than in preindustrial times and thereby strengthened the role of the industrial bourgeoisie. On the other hand, the government was neither prepared nor in a position to compensate for these financial burdens, such as trade-union participation in war-related economic decisions and the setting of priorities. In the 1920s the industrial production and the gross national product per capita barely exceeded the level before 1914. A statistical average contributes little to a description of the economic development and its consequences for the social and political history of the period. Historically more significant was the hectic sequence of critical disturbances …show more content…
There was potential for the reintroduction of a monarch, or even a communist state to aid Germany to become the strong, well known country it was before. The public blamed their problems on the Treaty of Versailles, and in turn, blamed the government that signed it. The new government had inherited a difficult situation. It was unavoidable that the new government would have faced difficulties from the start. The Weimar Republic was beginning to overcome its difficulties during the mid 1920 's as economic, political, and cultural improvements were occurring. These circumstances gave the extremists, the Nazi 's, an opportunity to upgrade themselves as the people searched for a more exceptional solution to the depression. It was not evident that the republic was doomed from the start but it was indisputable that the republic was doomed from around 1930, when the country was splitting into two groups, left and right, who both wanted an end to the republic and a change to another political system, communist or

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Essay Question: Was Hitler’s totalitarian rule one of great achievement or one of great depression and force. Ever since the treaty of Versailles on the 28 June 1919, Germany was left in a state of humiliation and despair with its society wanting of a dictator to bring them back to their former Glory. Adolf Hitler was the answer they were looking for and with Germany’s government struggling along with the great depression the people were eager for anything.…

    • 1310 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Great Depression Dbq

    • 642 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Moreover, from 1929-1933, the National Socialists added nearly 350 members, elevating from a fledgling party to the most widely supported in Eutin over the course of just 4 years. Apparently, Nazi strongholds like Eutin only began to support the National Socialists in the wake of the depression despite prior exposure to Nazi propaganda campaigns. While Nazi political savviness has been widely documented and supported, it becomes clear that skyrocketing…

    • 642 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Patricians were, in early Rome, people who were member outcome of citizen families. In contrast of the plebeian, Patricians were in the privileged class, there were in the noble rank (aristocrat). Patricians dominated the senate and they were making the laws. Gladiators were condemned criminals or slaves.…

    • 608 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It was to a large extent that revolutionary and counter-revolutionary forces destabilised the Weimar Government in the period 1919-1923. Both right and left winged groups sought control or downfall of the Weimar republic leading to multiple revolutions such as the Kapp Putch and the Spartacist uprising, severely effecting the Weimar Government’s overall stability. The Weimar’s flawed constitution further allowed tensions to rise on both left and right winged sides. The Weimar Government, which was led mostly by the Social Democrats and President Friedrich Ebert, also destabilised the Weimar Government through failing to create a new army under the Weimar Republic and instead relied on that of the existing right-winged military and the freikorps (ex-militant group) as their counter-revolutionary forces. These revolutions and counter-revolutions made the Weimar Government appear weak thus destabilising the Government.…

    • 942 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Most of the working class had to work in factories with precarious conditions that threatened the safety of the workers. It was also required that they worked for elongated hours that exhausted them. In return, they were paid in meager wages. With tiring bodies, that had no time to relax or enjoy any luxury with what little money they poessessed, the working class surely suffered. At the time of the 1920's there were no social programs such as pension plans to protect workers.…

    • 1078 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Germany’s unemployment rate reached thirty percent which soon led to hyperinflation. The loss of money from the Treaty of Versailles and the Great Depression led to the rise of Adolf Hitler, who set the stages for a new Great…

    • 605 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The party promised to bring back Germany to its initial prosperity, create more jobs for the people and do away with the Treaty of Versailles. Furthermore, the worsening economic conditions as a result of the invasion of Ruhr by the French and Belgians in 1923, negatively affected the Weimar Republic. This invasion led to hyperinflation and eventually economic depression after the US withdrew its loans following the crash of Wall Street. This is what appealed to the voters (Ferguson and Hans-Joachim 128). Work cited Bessel, Richard.…

    • 617 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Instead a system of gradually restricting the rights of Jews was improvised. Analysis of these key facts reveals the fallacy of viewing the adherents of Nazism as simple caricatures of evil. The misinterpretation that the people of Germany initially sided with Hitler solely to fulfill their homicidal desires overlooks the condition of the country following World War I. After their defeat, the quality of life for many slowly deteriorated. A republican government, the Weimar Republic, was installed by the allies and the country was faced with unjust financial reparations that served as a catalyst for a depression. The desperation of the economic situation combined with general dissatisfaction with the Weimar Republic, many viewing it as a puppet government of the allies, caused a large number of people to feel insecure about…

    • 832 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    For example there was a great need for planes during the war while the US military only had a few planes to begin with and they could not just go out and buy some planes they had to build them. There were planes being built every five seconds and one ship every day at a point during the war. This required massive amount of people to be working in factories. Along with manufacturing plants jobs in munitions plants and military uniforms production factories also opened up. Workers did not only have to make weapons and ammunition for United States but also the allied forging nations due to the Lend-Lease Act created in nineteen forty one.…

    • 1406 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The government that was left could not support the poor economy. A German soldier and anti-semitist, Adolf Hitler, tried to overthrow the government in 1923, but failed and was imprisoned. However, his…

    • 1641 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Therefore, I will explain more in depth of these events, starting off with Hitler coming to power. During Germany’s depression after the war, Germany had a weak government. Hitler was a very powerful and compelling speaker. At one of his speeches, he immediately attracted crowds.…

    • 822 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the aftermath of World War I, Germany remained in turmoil throughout the 1920s, providing the setting for the rise of extremist ideologies and political leaders. To Germans burdened by reparations payments to war victors, and threatened by very high rise in inflation, political chaos, and a possible Communist takeover, Adolf Hitler offered scapegoats and solutions. Germans were provided with an easy explanation to all their problems: Jews and democracy. It was the “International Jewry” that had been responsible for Germany’s defeat in World War I and the humiliating peace treaty.…

    • 619 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Republic’s main weakness however was the fact that barely anyone supported them; even President Hindenburg didn’t abide by the democratic rules. Their failure to help Germany through the economic crisis is what finally turned Germans against them and toward the Nazi…

    • 1005 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Germany was once ruled under the imperialistic form of government, but now the Weimar Republic took its place. This Weimar Republic accepted the Treat of Versailles, much to the German people dismay. The Treaty of Versailles was seen as a betrayal of the German people by their new elected government. Right-wing parties within Germany assassinated several politicians whom they considered responsible. The German people were not the only people who thought that the treaty was unjust, the United States Senate refused to ratify the treaty, and the U.S. government assumed no responsibilities for almost all of the Treaties provisions.…

    • 946 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Two main reasons for the collapse are: Economic problems and Institutional problems. Firstly, I will talk about economic problems. The Weimar Republic had some of the most serious economic problems ever experienced by a western democracy in history. Rampant hyperinflation,…

    • 832 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays

Related Topics