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Topic 4- Political instability and extremism 1919-1924 - Coggle Diagram
Topic 4- Political instability and extremism 1919-1924
A. 1920 reichstag election:
govt were well short of a majority
relied on USPD to abstain to survive
By 1922 most USPD maps had resigned
SPD support dropped 40%
lost support due to Tov
Problems with the coalition:
all govt had to be coalition because of PR
not even the coalitions had majority on occasions
28 parties in the reichstag- only three committed to the republic
B. Political extremists, 1919-1923:
Communist Uprisings:
KPD never strong enough to seize power but kept trying in early years
Stood in every election from 1920 till AH banned them
became 3rd biggest party in 1930- 12-16% support
March 1919 they attempted a smaller putsch in Berlin and took control of Munich for a few weeks
both attempts brutally defeated by Friekorps and regular army
April 1919 backed strikes that swept industrial germany
1920 KPD formed 50,000 strong Red Army paramilitary and seized control of ruhr
attempted to take Saxony but defeated by Freikorps
Rising in 1921 Saxony, Hamburg and Ruhr
put down by armed police
1923, KPD organised strikes against hyperinflation
following orders from Stalin in Moscow
attempting to win power politically not violently
Challenge from the Right:
Kapp-Luttwitz Putsch, March 1920
defence minister Nose ordered the disbanding of the Freikorps near Berlin
General Luttwitz refused, and the govt ordered his arrest
He ordered his men to march on Berlin with support of the DNVP's Kapp
regular army refused to fire on the occupying Freikorps (showed gov did not have loyalty of the army)
Ebert and Bauer went on radio asking workers to go on strike to support republic
1000s answered the call, and the putsch fell in 4 days
those involved given incredibly sympathetic sentences by RW judges
Political Assassinations:
right stopped trying to seize power and focused on murdering politicians
biggest RW paramilitary= 'Organisation Consul'
Hugo Haase (leader of USPD) killed Oct 1919
Marthiase Erzberyer (Z) killed August 1921 (led German delegation at the armistice and ToV)
1919-1923: 367 political murders
354 by the right
22 by the left
several leftists were executed, zero rightists executed
RW extremists received less than 4 years on average
The Nazi Party:
Munich Putsch, Nov 1923
Von Kahr was plotting against Ebert's govt, wanting to seize power with a 'march on berlin'
this was supported by AH- who was barely known outside of Munich, yet was still able to recruit Ludendorff
increasingly frustrated by being led on by Von Kahr, AH burst into a 2000 strong meeting led by Von Kahr in a beer hall 8th Nov 1923
also attending was Otto Von Lossoll (head of Bavarian army
AH kept them hostage whilst the beer hall was surrounded by 600 SA
SA failed to take key buildings and barracks over night
AH insisted on leading a march through the streets- believed the people would support him
police opened fire killing 16 Nazis, 4 police killed in brief fight
AH fled, Ludendorff turned himself in
AH had created NSDAP out of the small DAP he joined in late 1919
became leader of party in 1921, and published 25-point programme
nazi party's stronghold was in Munich but was just one of a dozen violently racist groups
AH hoped to benefit from hyperinflation in Nov 1923