The fall of the Weimar Republic
challenges
How did it work?
Weeknesses
Germany inherited war debt, guilt and shame
The weimar republic was divided between the right political party and the left political party
LEFT: "Spartacist legue"
RIGHT: Monarchists and nationalists leders
Considered weakened but still strong, they were mad due to the treaty
The freikorps: Volunteer soldiers
1919:
1920
1923
Spartacist Uprasing:100 000 strong communists marched on Berlin trying to create a communist revolution
Freikoprs crashed rebels including Rosa Leximburg and Karl Liebknecht
Kapp putsch: March to reincorporate old kaiser. Government showed little power.
Hitler took control of nazi party
The population was divided and angry because the government accepted the harsh terms of the Treaty of versailles
stock market crash
Article 231: Blamed Germany for totally causing ww1
Allies claimed reparations from Germany
Germany had to pay 6.6 billion pounds to the allies annually
The lost all of its colonies over seas
German armed forces drastically reduced (only 100,000 soldiers)
The November criminals
Communists
Refused to accept defeat and wanted the government removed
Wanted a socialist revolution
Due to proportional representations, all people had the right to vote
All extremist groups voted
The parliament was full of lots of small parties and none of them could form a majority in the Reichstag
The clause in the Republic new Constitution
Article 48: The president could make laws without the save the Reichstag in case of an emergency
Hitler later used the article to turn the democratic election into a dictatorship
Historias comment: HANS MOMMSEN
The president
Elected every 7 years
The Chancellor
Selects
Houses of Parliament
Needs support from
Reichstag(lower house)
Reichsrat(upper house)
Member of the
The German public
Using proportional representation, voted for by the
Makes laws
Each German State sent representatives
Controls armed forces
There was no inner logic of any kind determining that German historical development should lead from Weimar to Auschwitz. But that this fall could take place in little more than two decades and drag the whole of Europe with it is a lesson to us never to become complacent about inner threats to freedom.” Hans Mommsen
He says they were full of ideas that germany was Exceptional
They repeatedly attacked the Weimar republic
Attributes failure to German conservatives
Everyone over the age of 20
Voted by the German public
Article 48: The president could make laws without the save the Reichstag in case of an emergency