Why The Failure Of The Weimar Republic

Improved Essays
The German communist party was formed in late December 1918, led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, the Communists were unsupportive of the Weimar and didn’t want to associate with other parties who supported them. There were several economic difficulties that Weimar endured throughout their time; for example, the Wall Street Crash of 1928 and The Great Depression of 1930. American banks saw their losses mount and they started calling in their short term loans with which so much of German economy had been financing itself for the past five years. Amongst this chaos, the Communist party thrived. Crime and suicide rates rose, many people lost hope and abandoned the Weimar Republic and began to support either the Communists or the Nazis. …show more content…
This became known as the Kapp Putsch. The Kapp Putsch exposed the political divisions and the weakness of the Weimar Republic. They occupied the capital for several days, demanding the resignation of the government and the instalment of Wolfgang Kapp, a Prussian nationalist, as Reich president. The putsch was eventually stopped by public opposition, and lack of support from Reichswehr commanders. A lack of support ultimately caused Hitler’s 1923 Munich putsch to fail too. However, the Kapp Putsch highlighted how German militarism was far from dead. The German army (Reichswehr) remained an important and potentially influential political force. The government, in contrast, seemed weak and at risk of being easily …show more content…
Evidence suggests that the communist party were the most important factor that befell the Republic in 1923 and again in 1929. However, to neglect considerations like the Kapp Putsch, which could’ve potentially been a success if they had more recognisable support from Reichswehr commanders. It appears that the constitution of the Republic was too idealistic and lacking in practicality, causing structural weaknesses and did not attempt to approach all political parties. Moreover, several political and social issues arose with the creation of the Republic, one of which was the influence of Imperial Germany. The Republic were rather efficient with their punishment of the extremist groups that opposed their constitution, which allowed them to be seen as strong from one perspective. On the other hand, the Kapp Putsch revealed Weimar’s weakness and how they could be so easily overthrown with the right amount of

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The Holocaust was a tragic event that took the lives of 11 millions Jews, homosexuals, disabled people and gypsies. Although a majority of the Jews killed during the Holocaust came from Germany, a good portion also came from other European countries including Poland, France, Austria and the Netherlands. The appointment of Adolf Hitler as Chancellor of Germany in 1933 began the twelve-year period of torment for Jewish people who lived in Europe. There are many factors that led up to the Holocaust, with a big part stemming from Germany 's loss of World War I and the lack of leadership that followed. The combination of a very unstable government and citizens eager for a leader made it easy for Hitler to come in and take control over the country.…

    • 1868 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    There were three main revolts. The revolt on the left wing was caused by the Spartacists and was named the Spartacists Revolt, and the one from the right wing was named the Kapp Putsch, which was triggered by the Freikorps, and last was the Munich Putsch caused Hitler’s Nazis. The revolts were not the only problems; the other problem was the economy. Germany had to pay reparations for all the damage in war, and Treaty of Versailles said this. The republic got really desperate, and no one would lend money because Germany was distrusted.…

    • 728 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It is commonly agreed that the 1919 constitution had a number of fundamental weaknesses, which made the establishment of a dictatorship all too easy. Whether a different constitution could have prevented the Third Reich is debatable though; in any case, the 1949 West German constitution (the Grundgesetz which is the German law) acknowledged this criticism and can largely be seen as a strong response to these flaws. * The Reichstag could remove the Reichskanzler from office even when it was unable to agree on a successor.…

    • 832 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    It was 8:30 on a bitterly cold morning on a November day in the city of Munich. Hitler and his storm troops assemble to surround the beer hall. As Hitler sees the storm troopers gathering around the facility, he decides that this is the perfect time for his putsch or “national revolution”. He enters the beer hall and fires his weapon. “BAM!”…

    • 1441 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Adolf Hitler gave the party a visual identification by adopting its symbol, the Swastika and created banners. Adolf Hitler also exploited the alienation of many war veterans by representing them into the S.A. Sturm Abteilung the Storm Troopers or uniforms paramilitary branch of the party, which was prepared to use brutality and terrorize against communists and socialists. Adolf Hitler initiates an abortive attempt in 1923 to seize power forcibly for his party. Adolf Hitler’s insurrection was unsuccessful and he was sent to penitentiary where he wrote Mein Kampf (My Struggle), the political statement of his movement. Once he was liberated of his sentencing he was in search for political power.…

    • 1076 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Third Reich is a period of time in German history in which it was a dictatorship under the control of Adolf Hitler. Under Hitler’s control, Germany was transformed into a fascist totalitarian state that dominated all aspects of its citizens life. Hitler’s rise to power was die to his remarkable skills as a speaker. His powerful speaking attracted many germans seeking a change from their traditional politics. Hitler’s movement was called the Nationalist Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP) or more commonly known as the Nazi Party.…

    • 179 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Introduction The rise to power by the NSDAP party during the period of 1925-1933 can be attribute to many factors, which can be categorized into external and internal factors. The external factors that will be looked at are the circumstances many German’s found themselves in due to the Great Depression, these circumstances in turn led to an increase in support for the NSDAP. The Great depression also created another external factor that helped the NSDAP gain more power, and that factor was the inability of the other parties, such as the KDP (Communist Party) to work together and present a solution for the people of Germany, who were tired of being victims to poverty. These external factors resulted in a decrease in popularity for the parties…

    • 1059 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Enabling Act

    • 927 Words
    • 4 Pages

    INTRODUCTION: The consolidation of the Nazi power in 1933 to 1934 was a ramification of a plethora of dynamics and cannot be pinned to one singular event nor factor. Whilst it is alleged that through the ratification of the Enabling Act, the Nazi regime transformed the democratic republic into a monolithic administration, it is clear that Germany was already riding the wave to becoming a dictatorship prior to 1933, through the continuous abuse of Article 48. Although the Enabling Act was the stepping stone and ultimately sped up the process of Gleichschaltung and Nazi dictatorship, it was largely a trivial factor in allowing their consolidation when paralleled to other influences.…

    • 927 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Source A tells me that the Weimar Republic was stronger after Stresemann got into power. I can infer this because it says, “Led by Stresemann in the Reichstag, the different parties managed to work together". This shows that before 1924 Germany was suffering from hyperinflation and unemployment but once Stresemann got in power Germany had gotten it’s hopes back up because Stresemann was able to make things right such as money, jobs and parliamentary seats. One feature of the Kapp Putch in 1920 was that they attempted to get Kaiser back in power since they despised the current government, they were seen as the right wing revolt. It took place in the Weimar Government, Wolfgang Kapp was a right-wing journalist who believed Friedrich Ebert stood for especially after what he believed was the humiliation of the Treaty of Versailles.…

    • 507 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Third Reich was a period of history where the country of Germany was under the control of the National-Socialist German Workers’ Party, or the Nazi Party. The rise of the Reich followed Germany’s defeat in World War One and the country’s vulnerable state made it susceptible to the eventual takeover of both Nazi ideology and Adolf Hitler. Through excessive propaganda and manipulation, Nazis were able to unconditionally control Germany for 12 years. During this time, The Reich ignited World War Two and conducted the horrifying genocide known as The Holocaust.…

    • 630 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Weimar Republic

    • 468 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Weimar Republic was created out of the anger the German people had due to the Treaty of Versailles and most Germans felt that the Treaty treated Germany unfairly. So therefore, the creation of the Weimar Republic was the result of that treaty. It was a form of liberal democracy that was almost the same as to that of Great Britain. This did not last long and Germany was a real unstable for a long time after the Weimar Republic failed them. There were Communist cells in many cities and other dissidents as well.…

    • 468 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    To a certain extent it was the failure of Weimar Germany that allowed the rise of Hitler and Nazi Party. Although this is the case, the impact of a charismatic political genius promoting a fascist regime and taking advantage of a vulnerable environment, cannot be underestimated. The Weimar Governments inability to deal with the political and economic fall out from the Diktat, the loss of World War One, hyperinflation and the Great Depression, proved a tactical weapon Hitler used to effectively unite the people of Germany against the “November Criminals” and eventually seize power. The Weimar…

    • 1545 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It is in my interests and the interests of other well minded German citizens that the Nazi Party be voted in the upcoming elections of 1932. The Nazi party is the people's party, and it is my conviction that they will bring changes to the lives of the upper class, the middle class (Mittesland) and the have-nots; besides, it is more likely to bring law and order to the entirety of Germany (Nyomarkay, 35). With the policies of the party, Germany will be able to realize the reprisal of the Treaty of Versailles and will create a much stronger administration for the people. Large industrialists will not be able to treat workers unfairly the moment the Nazi Party comes into power with Adolf Hitler as the president.…

    • 540 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Weimar Republic

    • 1256 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Weimar Republic is considered to be one of the most democratic states of its time. However, following its rule, Germany became a totalitarian dictatorship under the total control of the Nazi party and the self proclaimed Fuhrer, Adolf Hitler. It has often been wondered how this abrupt and dramatic transition occurred in such a democratic society. However, it can be said that the foundation for this political change was ingrained in the political system of Weimar Germany in addition to the economic state of Germany at this time and the lack of legitimacy seen in the government system. As per Crisis Theory, the weakened economic state of Germany greatly influenced the political changes made in the rise of the Nazi party and the fall of the…

    • 1256 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Born Without a Chance of Survival: Why the Weimar Republic Failed Germany was in a difficult position at the end of World War I. They had lost the war, and as a result, they lost thirteen percent of their land, and they were forced to pay £6.6 billion in war reparations. Not only did they loose the war, but with the war their current empire came to an abrupt halt as their Kaiser left the country. Not only did Germany need to begin solving the problems caused by the war, but they needed to bring create a new government to deal with these problems. The Weimar Republic never really stood a chance of lasting and failed primarily because the sanctions towards Germany in the Treaty of Versailles were seeking to supply justice to the Allies rather than to come to peace terms.…

    • 1599 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays