Table of contentsIntroductionPolitical and social divideResentment towards the outcome of the First World WarMistakes made by the Weimar leaders ConclusionReferencesIntroductionAlthough the Great Depression played a role minor in the Nazis' rise to power, a variety of other factors had a greater impact. Political divisions within the army and German social division compromised governmental stability. The mistakes made by the Weimar leadership deteriorated the power of the government and provided Hitler with the means to rise to power. The loss of World War I and the subsequent Treaty of Versailles infuriated the Germans and was used by Hitler to gain support. Although the Great Depression further weakened the German economy and strengthened Nazi support, it was not the main factor in empowering the Nazis. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"?Get the original essayPolitical and social divisionPolitical division between left-wing and anti-socialist armed forces, and social division between radical left-wing Spartacists, majority socialists and pro-monarch loyalists barred the newly formed Weimar Republic from truly holding the government and played a vital role in the Nazi rise to power. This social divide made it difficult to hold a government for more than one election, causing, as George Truss put it, "no stability or substantial progress within Weimar Germany." Furthermore, as Rößner stated, "because the labor movement was divided, the young republic was not able to raise its own army." Political disagreements between the government and the armed forces worsened the situation, as the majority socialists were forced to rely on the support of the anti-communist Freikorps. Furthermore, after the dissolution of the Oberste Heeresleitung, the Reichswehr (Imperial Army) remained a right-wing "state within a state". As Rößner stated, this was "politically fatal for the republican system", because the armed forces were capable of "vehemently forming a military state", as the historian Kolb stated. Furthermore, Rößner cites "socialist dependence on rival forces [as] the cause of the Kapp Putsch in 1920 and [the] end [of the] Weimar Republic." The fragile state of the socialist government, distracted and distracted, allowed Hitler to gain unopposed military support, paving the way for the Nazi takeover of power. Resentment towards the outcome of the First World War. In 1919, the German government signed the Treaty of Versailles and accepted subsequent charges. of war guilt and war reparations, a very unpopular action in Germany. Massive protests against the treaty took place in front of the Reichstag and many nationalists believed that the government had sold out Germany to its enemies by ending the war too soon. Opponents of the government used this to claim that it had "stabbed Germany in the back" by ending the war. Furthermore, Truss attests that "the war guilt clause led to widespread feelings of humiliation and anger, [and] had serious repercussions on the Weimar government." In the years that followed, the November Criminals and the legend of the stab in the back were expressions used in many of Hitler's speeches, which described the Republic as "a quagmire of corruption, of degeneration, of national humiliation … [and] fourteen years of reign.by Jews, Marxists and “cultural Bolsheviks”. Truss attests that "the ideas that the Treaty was signed by unpatriotic left-wing politicians (the November Criminals) and that these same politicians were responsible for the 'stab in the back' of the army that led to the Military defeat in World War I discredited the Weimar Union. Government. » Mistakes Made by Weimar Leaders The failure of Germany's first true democracy and the resulting rise of the Nazi Party were primarily the result of choices made by Weimar leaders during their brief existence. While Germany's defeat in World War I, the Treaty of Versailles, inflation, and depression made the development and survival of democracy difficult, Bookbinder "did not condemn the Republic to a inevitable failure. The fate of the Weimar Republic was in the hands of its leaders.” One such mistake was Ebert's decision in 1919 to call on the anti-communist Freikorps to crush the radical left Spartacists. Rößner asserts that "Ebert's actions divided the left, making the Republic far more vulnerable to right-wing forces and, ultimately, a Nazi takeover." In fact, five years later, Ebert admitted in his diary that his "actions (roughly translated) had profound and irreversible consequences... endangering the future of the Republic." Additionally, in 1928 the executive committee of the German Nationalist People's Party appointed Hugenberg as party president. Hugenberg was anti-republic and controlled a media empire that included newspapers read by about 50 percent of Weimar Germans. Hugenberg wanted to become leader of Germany but his strategy called for an alliance with Hitler and the Nazis. This proved fatal for the Republic, as Hugenberg ultimately provided Hitler with positive media coverage and introduced him to industrialists and financiers who supported his political campaign. Bookbinder attests that "Hitler's alliance with Hugenberg was a necessary step on his path to power." This means that political mistakes were crucial in Hitler's rise to power, much more so than the Depression, because without the mistakes made by the Weimar leaders, Hitler would never have been able to rise to power. Despite this, the Depression was a contributing factor. to the disastrous economic conditions of Weimar Germany, which partly contributed to the rise of the Nazi Party. The Great Depression devastated economies around the world, and deteriorating economic conditions in Germany created an angry, frightened, and impoverished population open to more extreme political systems. This gave Hitler an audience for his anti-Semitic and anti-communist magniloquence, which portrayed Jews as the cause of the Depression. Additionally, fear and uncertainty about Germany's future also led many Germans to support the stability offered by Hitler. As Hollinger stated, "the depression and catastrophic economic circumstances provided Hitler with significant support for his cause." However, Hollinger also acknowledges that "the depression was not solely responsible for the economic situation in Weimar Germany." The deterioration of Weimar's economy can also be evidenced by the extensive reparations imposed by the Treaty of Versailles, the loss of industry during the occupation of the Ruhr, and the hyperinflation that followed, which Germany s was barely recovered. Furthermore, Kolb attests that "although the Great Depression helped create an environment in which he gained support, it (and German economic conditions