The rights were also divided into small volkisch groups that are constantly at competition with each other with no real clear strategy. The DNVP were suspicious of some rightist groups due to their leftist origins and was more drawn towards a change of regime. The far right though, did not obtain the luxury of having the support of the army leadership. The army was in a position of supporting of defying the Republic, to which at that time only a few of the Freikorps were violent and/or rebellious. The rights; demobilized army officers and volunteer vigilantes, summoned by the SD’s, crushed the Spartacist revolt and murdered Liebknecht and Luxemburg, further pulling away the SPD’s from the KPD’s.
Government actions that were decisive and effective to save the Weimar Republic played a large part when we assess how the Republic saved itself. After the election of the National Constituent Assembly and establishment of the Republic in July 1919 with the result of a more ‘centered’ Assembly of SD’s, Center party and liberal democrats, a rightist putsch led by Dr. Kapp emerged in 1920 with a group of disaffected army officers and another in 1923 in Munich led by Adolf Hitler. The Weimar Republic effectively put down these revolts by President Edbert’s proper utilization of Article 48 of the Constitution. This was also applied for other leftist movements that was crushed; the Spartacist, Ruhr and Saxon threats. Three examples of the effectiveness of Article 48 utilization is the extent of the use to which political power was transferred to regional military commanders under Berlin’s Ministry of Defense orders and when Prime Ministers of Saxony, Zeigner was removed from office when he refused to cooperate and the put down of Communist insurgency by the help of army detachments and the police.
Another significant way which the Weimar government saved itself is by Gustav Stresemann’s economic resolutions by appealing to the Allies and attaining the Dawes Plan in orders to keep reparations money flowing. Stresemann was a man who was willing to take the risks in order to pull Germany out of the economic crisis chasm. Not only was the position of Presidency was well utilized by Edbert, the German Chancellorship was also used effectively. Stresemann imposed the drastic cut down of government expenditures as to cut the deficit and introduced strict budget controls. Stresemann also introduced the Rentenmark, or a new German currency based on land values. This pretty much halted the hyper-inflation and stabilized the currency. From here Germany proved herself that she deserved international support in her path to a better, reformed Germany. From here the Dawes plan, created by the Americans, was made as a sign of sympathy towards the German Republic. Although it did not reduce the overall reparations bill, the first five years after the commencement was to have the payments suited to Germany’s economic capacity. The Dawes plan also allowed Germany to borrow money from abroad. Other than marking new and improved international relations, with the Dawes plan, reparations money flowing and thus kept the Allies satisfied and Germany was able to enjoy a bustling prosperity of new and more modern constructions in the country; factories, houses, roads, ocean liners.
The majority of the people decide the fate of the survival or fall of a regime. If there was unity in a cause to overthrow the Weimar Republic in the crisis years 1919-1923, the Republic would not stand a chance when action is taken from a consensus to remove the Republic. Situational factors that contribute to the preservation of the Republic in the form of restlessness of the German people was not strong enough to topple the Republic due to differences in views coming from different hues of the political spectrum, hence there were different objectives and priorities. Thus as we can see that the failure of revolt was inevitable due to lack of unity, direction and coordination to topple the Weimar Republic, the Republic stood strong in the crisis years. Internal factors that contribute to the survival of the Weimar Republic during the crisis years include the decisions made in order to control the chaotic, revolting situation in Germany by careful utilization of Presidency in using Article 48 and effective leading of Chancellor Gustav Stresemann who stabilized the currency and created a path for the Allies to view them as deserving enough for the Dawes plan that kept reparations money flowing and gave Germany a bustling prosperity in rebuilding a new and more modern Germany.
