What problems faced the new Republic in Germany from 1918 to 1923 ? Why did it survive ?
The Weimar Republic faced a number of serious problems from it's birth in 1918 to 1923. These included a failed communist revolution, in the form of the spartacist risings, within months of the republic's inception, a number of right wing 'putsch's ( one of which was briefly successful ) and perhaps most seriously, certainly in the eyes of the ordinary, working class German, the inflationary crisis of 1923 which resulted in the German currency becoming virtually worthless, wiping out the spending power of the Weimar Republic as a country and also it's citizens. The Versailles Peace Treaty was, however, the main underlying catalyst for almost all of the Weimar Republic's most serious problems, with the possible exception of the attempted communist revolution of 1918-19.
The Weimar Republic, almost as soon as it was established, immediately faced the threat of a possible large scale communist revolution. Although this large scale threat never quite materialised for a number of reasons, there was an eventual communist rising by the spartacists in January of 1919. For a newly founded state, which was just beginning to establish it's infrastructure and policies, this, though not exactly a well supported, large scale revolution, was a serious problem due to the socialist government's rather uneasy relationship with the army, which may not have supported it, but, in the event, due to an admittedly somewhat reluctant alliance agreed between Ebert, the head of the socialist government, and General Groener, commander in chief of the army, did, assisting the government in quelling this spartacist rising.
The Weimar Republic also faced a rather more serious threat from the right-wing, which was immediately opposed to the republic, mainly due to the fact that it was socialist-led and that it signed the Treaty of Versailles, which was viewed by many Germans who had been part of the old order ( the old elites ) as an embarrassment of their previously proud and powerful country. Many right-wingers held the view that they, their country and the army had been 'stabbed in the back' by the new order of the Weimar Republic, believing instead that Germany should have rejected the treaty and restarted the war against the allies. These beliefs led to a number of attempts by the right wing to take over the Weimar Republic and attempt to restore Germany to her former glory. The most serious of these attempts was the briefly successful Kapp putsch of 1921, which succeeded in forcing the socialist government and President Ebert out of Berlin and out of office, until days later, mass strikes and protests by the people of Berlin against these actions forced the Freikorps elements and their leaders, Kapp and General von Luttwitz to back down, and allow President Ebert and his socialist government to return to Berlin and to office. The Weimar Republic was also threatened, though less seriously, by the Munich Putsch of 1923, led by Hitler and his Nazi party, the known as the German Workers Party. Although this putsch was quickly defeated by the police and the army, it further shows the massive internal problems faced by the Weimar Republic. I believe the threat of rebellion from the right wing was a massive problem for the Weimar Republic, and the seriousness of this problem is shown in the fact that the Kapp putsch actually succeeded in taking over government, albeit briefly, showing that in the face of a determined, well-led rising, which had the support of the Freikorps and the neutrality of the army, which, although it did not openly or actively support the putsch, nor did it support the government as desired by resisting the putsch, the Weimar Republic and it's democratically elected government was in real danger of simply crumbling.
The Weimar Republic faced a number of serious problems from it's birth in 1918 to 1923. These included a failed communist revolution, in the form of the spartacist risings, within months of the republic's inception, a number of right wing 'putsch's ( one of which was briefly successful ) and perhaps most seriously, certainly in the eyes of the ordinary, working class German, the inflationary crisis of 1923 which resulted in the German currency becoming virtually worthless, wiping out the spending power of the Weimar Republic as a country and also it's citizens. The Versailles Peace Treaty was, however, the main underlying catalyst for almost all of the Weimar Republic's most serious problems, with the possible exception of the attempted communist revolution of 1918-19.
The Weimar Republic, almost as soon as it was established, immediately faced the threat of a possible large scale communist revolution. Although this large scale threat never quite materialised for a number of reasons, there was an eventual communist rising by the spartacists in January of 1919. For a newly founded state, which was just beginning to establish it's infrastructure and policies, this, though not exactly a well supported, large scale revolution, was a serious problem due to the socialist government's rather uneasy relationship with the army, which may not have supported it, but, in the event, due to an admittedly somewhat reluctant alliance agreed between Ebert, the head of the socialist government, and General Groener, commander in chief of the army, did, assisting the government in quelling this spartacist rising.
The Weimar Republic also faced a rather more serious threat from the right-wing, which was immediately opposed to the republic, mainly due to the fact that it was socialist-led and that it signed the Treaty of Versailles, which was viewed by many Germans who had been part of the old order ( the old elites ) as an embarrassment of their previously proud and powerful country. Many right-wingers held the view that they, their country and the army had been 'stabbed in the back' by the new order of the Weimar Republic, believing instead that Germany should have rejected the treaty and restarted the war against the allies. These beliefs led to a number of attempts by the right wing to take over the Weimar Republic and attempt to restore Germany to her former glory. The most serious of these attempts was the briefly successful Kapp putsch of 1921, which succeeded in forcing the socialist government and President Ebert out of Berlin and out of office, until days later, mass strikes and protests by the people of Berlin against these actions forced the Freikorps elements and their leaders, Kapp and General von Luttwitz to back down, and allow President Ebert and his socialist government to return to Berlin and to office. The Weimar Republic was also threatened, though less seriously, by the Munich Putsch of 1923, led by Hitler and his Nazi party, the known as the German Workers Party. Although this putsch was quickly defeated by the police and the army, it further shows the massive internal problems faced by the Weimar Republic. I believe the threat of rebellion from the right wing was a massive problem for the Weimar Republic, and the seriousness of this problem is shown in the fact that the Kapp putsch actually succeeded in taking over government, albeit briefly, showing that in the face of a determined, well-led rising, which had the support of the Freikorps and the neutrality of the army, which, although it did not openly or actively support the putsch, nor did it support the government as desired by resisting the putsch, the Weimar Republic and it's democratically elected government was in real danger of simply crumbling.
