Bruning was, moreover, accountable for the collapse of the Weimar Republic because he failed to keep the confidence of Hindenburg. Bruning’s proposal to employ 600,000 unemployed workers on junker estates in East Prussia. The landowners regarded the plan as ‘agrarian Bolshevism’ and it resulted in “Germany’s social elite turning against Bruning” (Layton). Thus sealing his political fate, henceforth proceding to Von Papen’s appointment and a movement towards more extreme right-wing politics, and ultimately the upheaval of Hitler.
Another blunder made by Bruning, elucidating his fault in the breakdown of the government, was his failure to persuade the Nazis and the DNVP to allow an extension of Hindenburg’s term as President, causing Hindenburg’s credence in Bruning to cascade, inducing a shift within Weimar towards the right, creating better relations between Hitler and the government. At 85 Hindenburg was forced to fight an election. Much to his dismay he failed to win an overall majority, thus having to enter a second ballot, in which he defeated his main rival, Hitler by a slim margin of 19 to 13 million. This caused the president much embarrassment, as well as increasing Hitler’s aura and support.
A separate argument demonstrating that it was actually Franz Von Papen who was responsible for the collapse of the Weimar Republic is that he attempted to woo the Nazi Party by appointing extreme right-wing ministers, thus imparting an increasing right-wing influence within the government. Papen also decided to gain the support of the by lifting the ban on the , thereby strengthening the Nazi’s assertion. This was followed by deposing the government in Prussia, Germany ceased to be a federal state of the kind envisaged in the 1919 constitution, thus indicating an end to any form of democracy in the Weimar Republic. Papen, moreover in July 1932 called elections, to give the Nazi’s an opportunity to fortify their electoral base. The Nazi’s made sweeping gains becoming the largest party within Germany. These plans went awry after the elections of July 1932; Hitler refused to serve under Von Papen and demanded the chancellorship for himself. Papen had not only failed control Hitler, but had enabled the Nazi’s to increase their dominance in the so-called German democracy as well as helping to end any remaining foundations of the original constitution. Papen’s reactionary policies upset who favoured a coalition of the centre. When Schleicher managed to persuade several government ministers to turn against Papen he resigned from office. Papen now began to plot with in an effort to oust Schleicher who was now chancellor of Germany.
A contrasting argument advocating blame for the downfall of the Weimar republic to is that it was actually Schleicher that was according to A. White the “most influential figure in German Politics”. Schleicher, after the fall of Muller’s ‘grand coalition’, as argued by White “saw the collapse of the parliamentary government as an opportunity to reconstruct the German political system on a non-democratic basis”. Schleicher was a military officer who wished for a return to the Bismarckian-style government, his aim was to put in place an “authoritarian political system” (White). When in March 1930, Bruning was appointed as Chancellor he was essentially Schleicher “nominee”, predominately because of his authoritarian political leanings and, not least, his military record. However when Schleicher was frustrated by Bruning’s inabilitity to solve unemployment and Hindenburg lost confidence in the Chancellor, Schleicher persuaded Hindenburg to appoint Franz Von Papen as the Chancellor. Schleicher saw ‘little Franz’ as a “political lightweight” who could be easily manipulated, and through Papen the Nazi’s could be ‘tamed’. Therefore the policies that Papen adopted to woo Hitler, was fundamentally Schleicher’s, such as the revoking the ban imposed upon the S.A. It is apparent that Schleicher is control of German politics, because when Papen began to assert his political independence, he was quick to pressure Hindenburg into dismissing von Papen. Schleicher’s short-lived spell as Chancellor between December 1932 and January 1933 was precarious from the outset and his resignation signalled the end of the Weimar Republic. I fell that Schleicher was the most important Chancellor in causing the downfall of the republic because it is clear that he was intrinsically in command of the course of German Politics during the 1930 to 1933 period.
The impact of The Great Depression is a further factor that caused the collapse of the Weimar Republic. During 1930-1933, the mood in Germany was grim. The worldwide economic depression had hit the country hard, and millions of people were out of work 6 million in 1933. Widespread economic misery, fear, and perception of worse times to come, as well as anger and impatience with the apparent failure of the government to manage the crisis, offered fertile ground for the rise of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party, Lee, states, “the Depression radicalised sections of the population that inflation had already rendered unstable…. destroyed any possibility of political consensus and, as we have seen, returned Germany to the practice of authoritarian government”. I feel that the Great Depression was one of the most significant factors in the downfall of the Weimar Republic, because it was an uncontrollable event that affected Germany “in a particularly savage way” (Layton). Overseas loans were recalled, at the same time, the price of food and raw materials were in decline as nation reduced their imports. Moreover other countries that had been affected by the depression could no longer afford to import German goods. German Industry could no longer pay its way, prices and wages fell and the number of bankruptcies increased, “in such a situation, it is not surprising that people lost faith in the Weimar Republic and saw salvation in the solutions offered by other parties, particularly those on the extreme right” (White).
The Weimar Republic’s collapse was not just as a result of the failures of the Republic, but also the strength and appeal of the Nazi’s. Hitler was a powerful and spellbinding orator who, by tapping into the anger and helplessness felt by a large number of voters, attracted a wide following of Germans desperate for change, P.D Stachura has put it, the “NSDAP revealed itself to be perhaps the most tactically flexible… in the Republic”. Hitler, in his book Mein Kampf agued that, “the function of propaganda, is to attract supporters”, Hitler’s was one the best users of propaganda, Nazi electoral propaganda promised to pull Germany out of the Depression. The Nazis pledged to restore German cultural values, reverse the provisions of the , turn back the perceived threat of a Communist uprising, put the German people back to work, and restore Germany to its "rightful position" as a world power. Hitler and other Nazi were highly successful in directing the population's anger and fear against the Jews, establishing the ‘Jew Republic’; against the Marxists (Communists and Social Democrats); and against those the Nazis held responsible for signing both the armistice of November 1918 and the Versailles treaty, and for establishing the parliamentary republic. Hitler and the Nazis often referred to the latter as "November criminals", and often used the phrase ‘stab in the back’, thus building resentment against these minorities. Hitler and other Nazi speakers carefully tailored their speeches to each audience. For example, when speaking to businessmen, the Nazis downplayed antisemitism and instead emphasized anti-communism and the return of German colonies lost through the Treaty of Versailles. When addressed to soldiers, veterans, or other nationalist interest groups, Nazi propaganda emphasized military buildup and return of other territories lost after Versailles. These politically expert speeches fabricated support for Hitler and led to his eventual appointment as Chancellor. Hitler displayed great political nerve and self-belief; this is exemplified by his refusal to take the chancellorship, except “on his own terms” (White). Hitler obliged to manoeuvre for position, he showed himself to be an, according to White, “unscrupulous but skilled and resourceful political operator”.
In conclusion, as I have stated I feel that the Great Depression was one of the most significant factors in the downfall of the Weimar Republic, because it aws an uncontrollable event that affected Germany “in a particularly savage way” (Layton). Overseas loans were recalled, at the same time, the price of food and raw materials weer in decline as nation reduced their imports. Moreover other countriesv that had been affected by the depression could no longer afford to import German goods. German Industry could no longer pay its way, prices and wages fell and the number of bankruptcies increased, “in such a situation, it is not suprising that people l;ost faitrh in the Weimar Republic and saw salvation in the solutions offered by other parties, particularly those on the extreme right”. However this is not the only important factor in the collapse, Bruning’s chancellorship was a dismal failure. Presidential rule allowed the old elites to influence government and made the German people used to rule by decree. As suggested by Layton, “democracy was undermined and the way was cleared for more extreme political parties to assume power”. Moreover I fell that the actions of Schleicher cannot be overlooked, he was actually the main influence over Hindenburg and it could be argued that he in Hindenburgs closet entourage was almost an ‘acting President’. Schleicher appointed and removed Chancellors and he was essentially acting as Chancellor through Von Papen . Schleicher wanted to establish the “more overtly authoraritarian system” (White), and it was he who believed the Nazis could be ‘tamed’ within such a system. Threfore it was he who might be blamed for the the destruction of the Republic and the rise of the Nazis. One might view Von Papen as an innocent by-stander in the collapse of the Republic, however it is he that “came forward with plans to make himself Germany’s dictator” (White) to Hindenburg, and after he had been dismissed he began to plot with in an effort to oust Schleicher who was now chancellor of Germany. The rise of National Socialism is another main factor, with Hitler’s skill and the Nazi ideology gaining support, at a time when the world economic crisis struck the already weak and unstable Weimar Republic, as stated by Layton, as it [National Socialism] flourished, so the Republic’s chances of survival diminished”. Also it can be argued that from the start, the Qwemar Republic was faced by the hostility of the Germany’s established elites and Weimar democracy never enjoyed widespread support, according to Layton, “On the eve of the world economic crisis it seem that Weimar’s long-term chances of survival were already far from good”. In my opinion all of these factors contributed to the collapse of the Weimar Republic, Bruning’s, Von Papen’s and Schleicher gravitation towards an increasingly authorititarian government, ended any chance of the Republic’s survival, and played into Hitler’s ‘skilful’ hands, who was helped by a economic crisis spiralling out of control.
