The Collapse of the Weimer Republic

• From the start, the new Weimar government faced opposition from both left and right winged parties. During the early stages of the Weimer government, there were three major political parties – the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Catholic Center, and the smaller German Democratic Party (DDP). From 1920 to 1930, there were four major political parties throughout Germany – the Catholic Center, the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Communist Party (KPD), and the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP).

• The Treaty of Versailles was signed by the new government, and this treaty was causing great anguish. The people had no one to blame but the government, the majority of the country was angered, and it could be considered that with universal criticism, and perhaps some hatred, the new republic was doomed to fail.

• The Treaty of Versailles left Germany not only politically instable, but also economically. It was clearly evident that the weakened Germany would not be able to pay. (I would then talk about hyperinflation, and the growing hatred of the Weimer Republic.)

• The growth of the extremist Nazi group, the NSDAP, and Hitler’s rise to power both contributed to the fall of the Weimer Republic. Hitler’s rise to power was due to the Treaty of Versailles, The Munich Putsch, Hitler’s oratory, personality and leadership, The 1929 World Economic Depression, The decision by Von Papen and Hildenburg to appoint Hitler as Chancellor in 1933, and The Enabling Law.

From the very start, the Weimar republic faced opposition from both sides of the political spectrum. There was potential for the reintroduction of a monarch, or even a communist state, and several attempted revolutions occurred. The public blamed their problems on the Treaty of Versailles, and in turn, blamed the government that signed it. The new government had inherited a difficult situation. It was inevitable that the new government would have faced difficulties from the start, but to say doomed is unfair. The republic was beginning to overcome it's difficulties during the mid 1920's as economic, political, and cultural improvements were occurring, and if it hadn't been for circumstances, mainly the Wall Street Crash, the republic may have prospered for many years. These circumstances gave the extremists, the Nazi's, an opportunity for advancement as the people searched for a more radical solution to the depression. It was not evident that the republic was doomed from the start, but it was evident that the republic was doomed from 1930, when the country was splitting into two groups, left and right, who both wanted an end to the republic, and a change to another political system, communist or Nazi. There was no one factor that led to the collapse of the Weimer Republic. Instead, it was a combination of circumstances and events that forced the declination of Weimer Germany.