-
Essay / Analysis of the political state of the Weimar Republic
In addition to its chaotic economic state, the Weimar Republic had many political problems; that is, problems within the government structure or in the political landscape of the people, which directly eliminated the opposition, or led to resentment of the German people towards the government, all of which contributed to the rise of Hitler. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay To begin with, the German parliament had many different parties involved. There were 7 main parties as well as other smaller parties. The number of parties meant that the Reichstag would not be able to make effective decisions, as the opinions of the different parties were numerous and contrasting. This resulted in the need for a grand coalition between party groups; however, this could not be achieved due to "disagreements on economic and social issues between the SPD and the liberal parties" as well as "foreign policy differences between the DNVP, the Center and the DVP" (Williamson, 160). As a result, this gave rise to the rise of special interest parties that claimed to create a united Germany, such as Hitler's party. Thus, aided by his propaganda demonstrating the flaws of democracy and by his strong patriotic values expounded in Mein Kampf and his speeches, he was able to encourage a united Germany in a time of division. Hitler was able to gain widespread support from those affected by the economic crisis, who felt that the current government was ineffective in solving economic problems. More specifically, the Weimar Republic had its own constitution called the Constitution of the German Reich. This document included many reforms that contributed to a welfare state, such as public education, as well as more rights for workers, such as the right to form unions and improve working conditions. Although this sounds positive, the Weimar Republic's new constitution “proved an increasingly costly burden on its finances” (Williamson, 160). In times of prosperity this may be viable; However, in the 1920s, Germany was unable to support such costly policies due to its economic burdens, such as inflation, reparations, and strikes, which caused the German government to lose revenue. The welfare state also posed problems for employers, particularly in the heavy industry of coal, steel, and iron. These employers were "eager to cut wages and weaken unions in an attempt to boost production" (Williamson, 178), which led to a desire to abolish the welfare state, which seemed impossible in a democratic system , which led to greater support for an authoritarian leader, like Hitler, whose propaganda claimed the current democratic government was ineffective. Second, the distribution of votes in Germany was becoming more and more radical due to economic problems, which led people to two ideologies, and socialism was an emerging and attractive notion; Workers' strikes were not uncommon in industrial areas like the Ruhr, where 20,000 people had demonstrated during the Ruhr Uprising of 1920. However, the left wing had small representation in the Reichstag, as the Democratic Socialist Party " was not prepared to enter government without the collaboration of its sister socialist party, the Independent Socialist Party.” Furthermore, the Independent Socialist Party refused to join a government that was not completely socialist. Then, in 1922, when the DSP, partyGerman socialist, dissolves, many of its voters turn to the NSDAP. Thus, even though socialism was a growing force among the people, it was unable to establish a government due to party conditions, thus eliminating Hitler's left-wing opposition. On the other side of the political spectrum, many people in the Weimar Republic, generally from the middle and upper classes, were terrified of the socialist revolution in Germany. The Bolshevik Revolution had an international effect of creating a fear of communism, which Hitler exploited in his policies. In Mein Kampf, Hitler associated communism and Bolshevism with Jewry, which had an “explosive political effect” (Nolte, 419), as it was an appeal to nationalists who feared a local communist revolution. Additionally, the Weimar government itself was not well received by the population. Alfred Hugenberg, who was a successful media owner and politician, controlled much of the media to express his hatred towards the Weimar government which had lost the war and surrendered to the Treaty of Versailles. In the 1920s, chancellors/key people were also hated for various reasons. In 1920-1921, the cabinet of Chancellor Constantin Fehrenbach was composed of 5 members from the center parties, 3 members from the nationalist parties, 2 others from the German Democratic Party and finally Goerner and Simons, both non-partisan (Davidson, 154). This government was weak and, due to conflicts of interest, ineffective and unstable, which fit the narrative that Hitler spread in his rallies and other forms of propaganda, causing resentment among many people who agreed with this view . Gustav Stresemann was arguably “one of the most impressive figures in German politics” (Davidson, 201). It was he who stopped the hyperinflation of the mark by creating a new currency, the Rentenmark. After becoming foreign minister, he also had a policy of complacency, the idea that Germany would never be freed from its reparations and general social, political and economic chaos, unless Germany was able to satisfy its allies and the rest of the world. . Stresemann executed the Dawes Plan in 1924 and the Young Plan in 1929. The Dawes Plan explained that the French and British occupation in the Ruhr was causing economic damage and that if reparations had to be paid, the Allied occupation had to end. The Young Plan called for a further reduction in the amount of reparations payable by 20% and divided the annual payments equally. The Allies accepted both plans, thus achieving Stresemann's goal of realization. While his actions greatly benefited the economic state of the Weimar Republic, the country's nationalists hated his compliance with the allies and the Treaty of Versailles, calling him a "traitor and chief enemy of his people" (Davidson, 274) . He was equally hated on both the far right and the left. On the right, Stresemann was hated because of his renunciation of "passive resistance in the Ruhr", and on the left, because of "the invasion of Saxony and for allowing Crown Prince Wilhelm to return from exile in Germany ". This is a demonstration of the historical concept of perspective, because in hindsight, Stresemann was a great help to the economic state of Germany, but he was considered an evil traitor by the people. Bruning, chancellor from 1930 to 1932, was nicknamed the "hunger chancellor" because his deflationary policies had led to widespread poverty. The need for a strong, confident leader who could rebuild Germany was illustrated in Hitler's rallies and propaganda, as.