A Path to a Dead End: Weimar Republic

A path to a dead end: the Weimar Republic's inevitable failure and the rise of Hitler to power. There were various factors that contributed to the failure of the Weimar Republic of Germany and the ascent of Hitler's National Socialist German Workers Party into power on January 30, 1933. Various conflicting problems were concurrent with the eventuation of the Republic that, from the outset, its first governing body the socialist party (SPD) was forced to contend with. These included the aspect of German imperialism, the unresolved defeat of 1918, financial collapse and the forced struggle against the activities of the National party as well as inflation. Other factors which influenced the failure of Weimar were the structural weaknesses induced by the constitution and the basic lack of support for the Republic among the German people particularly amongst the elite. All in all, these aspects were the major causes which doomed the Weimar republic to ultimate failure and the eventual ascent of Hiller's nationalist party to power. The new socialist government of Weimar (SPD), whose constitution was adopted on July 30, 1919, entered a situation they by no means created. The period during which they were appointed to rule was associated with defeat and misery, and when disorder was nationwide. The situation then, was that of revolution. However, rather than to make a socialist revolution they co-operated with the liberals and with the catholic centre party to lead Germany in a reformed version of her old self. In June 1919, they voted to comply with the treaty of Versailles (the vindictive settlement imposed by the Paris peace conference). However, the signing of the Treaty served to promote protest and unrest amongst the soldiers, sailors and the German people generally, and democracy thus resulted in becoming an alien device. The imperial army, for instance, never got over the humiliation of surrender which they felt was a Ð''stab in the back' by their own countrymen. The sailors at Kiel mutinied in a last desperate effort on October 28 and On November 9, 1919, the streets were filled with crowds marching to demonstrate at the centre of Berlin. Similarly, even before the contingency of these incidents, the centre party, a liberal group who were the coalition government of the acting SPD formed by Phillip Scheidemann, resigned rather than sign the Treaty of Versailles. Besides, German patriotism was strong, in particular because the German people believed they had fought a defensive war and were told their soldiers were Ð''unconquered in the field.' Therefore, the humiliating Treaty came as a rude shock to the German people who, correspondingly, blamed the politicians for betraying the soldiers in signing the armistice and saw them as compounding their treason by accepting the peace settlement. They spoke of the Ð''November criminals' and protested "A nation of seventy million suffers, but does not die." These factors propagated in the promotion of anti republican feeling, the conclusions of which were clearly reflected in the results of the election of June 1920. To illustrate, the SPD lost nearly half its seats (many to the USDP) and the right wing parties (DVP and DNVP) increased their share at the expense of the democrats. "Defeated on the battlefield, defeated at the conference table, defeated at the polls, the republic embarked on its uncertain career." Furthermore, compliance with the Treaty of Versailles meant that Germany would have to make reparation payments it could scarcely afford. This fact placed a heavy strain on the already suffering economy of Germany which was bankrupted by four years of war thus ensuing in the ascend of inflation and the occasioning of the respite of payments by Germany in 1922. "In January the already traumatic climate in Germany was exacerbated by its evasiveness and reluctance to pay overdue reparations." The French reacted by occupying the Ruhr, a major industrial area of Germany, in January 1923. This was felt a grave humiliation by the German people and eventuated in widespread discontent. "The economic distress caused by the French occupation of the Ruhr and the German passive resistance was enormous." Consequently, workers in the Ruhr mines and factories resisted by striking. However, Germany's currency was already fragile, and in face of the occurring circumstances consequent to the Ruhr invasion and the overprinting of currency, the Mark fell to chronic levels, eventually reaching the value of four billion against the US dollar which therefore generated in massive hyperinflation. Furthermore, the economic instability, on top of the disillusionment and resent caused by the humiliating peace settlement, vast sections of German society came to feel alienated from the Republic. They responded by attacking the democracy and as a consequence it became impossible to control the hostility and discontent. "Urban hunger, peasant hoarding, the black market, pilfering and profiteering created social hostilities and individual despair." "In all 35,000 armed men converged on Munich." In addition, the deteriorating economic and social situation also managed to wreak havoc on the political atmosphere of the time and the Republic thus eventuated in having no positive friends and too many enemies. To illustrate, the Republic faced opposition from the extreme left by Spartacists who resorted to force in efforts to overturn the Republic. In March 1920, the Republic was also challenged from the right by the Freikorps who in Berlin launched a pro-Monarchist putsch in an attempt to install Wolfgang Kapp as Chancellor. During this incident troops both refused to defend the Republic or take action against Freikorps. Fortunately, however, the working classes then responded by organising a general strike in Berlin which had the effect of frustrating this putsch. The culminations were that the present regime was able to survive despite the numerous threats. Nonetheless, extremism remained to pollute the atmosphere, the evidence being represented in the alarming amount of political assassinations that continued occurring. In evidence, according to an estimate of the Minister of Justice, rightists committed 354 murders between 1919 and 1923. During this time, when the Republic was suffering most and was being threatened, practically from all sides, Hitler had been making affective attempts to capitalise on the resultant circumstances. He exploited the economic collapse by blaming it on all those he wished to portray as enemies. These were the same enemies he declared as the Ð''November criminals' who had brought about Germany's defeat in 1918- "those mythical bogeymen who, from inside Germany, had deliberately brought their own country to its knees." Hitler's plan was to seize power in Munich,