Why did the Weimar Republic Survive 1919

1
Why did the Weimar Republic Survive 1919 1923?

• Did the Weimar Government stand a chance?
• Which of the following posed the greatest threat
  to Democracy taking root in Germany
• Place them in an order of greatest threat to
  democracy
• Limited Nature of the 1918 German Revolution
• The Weimar Constitution
• The Treaty of Versailles
• Right Wing Extremism
• Left Wing Extremism
• The Economic Crisis
• Attitudes of the German elite
• Attitudes of ordinary Germans

2
Why did the Weimar Republic Survive 1919 1923?

• Limited Nature of German Revolution
• The Weimar Constitution
• The Treaty of Versailles
• Right Wing Extremism
• Left Wing Extremism
• The Economic Crisis
• Attitudes of the German elite
• Attitudes of ordinary Germans
• Compare your list to your neighbours
• Do you need to rewrite your list?
• Can you agree on a common list?

3
Why did the Weimar Republic Survive 1919 1923?

• Page 57 Hite and Hinton
• Read events 1 to 12
• With a partner decide whether you agree with a)
  or with b) or with neither!

4
1924 1929 The Golden Age of Weimar?

• What evidence can you find that life got better
  for the majority of Germans between these years?
• Culturally
• Economically
• Foreign Policy
• Stability

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A Golden Age? Culture
Pillars Of Society George Grosz

• A period of experimentation
• Liberal (anything goes)
• Live for today! (Hyperinflation)
• Dadaism
• Surrealism
• Bauhaus
• Democratising Art
• Making it accessible to the masses?
• Reflecting the Zeitgeist
• Backlash by Conservatives

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Examples of Artform Reasons to Like Reasons to Hate
Painting
Literature
Music/Opera
Theatre
Architecture
Film
Cabaret
Radio
Use pages 90 95 of Hite and Hinton to complete
8
The Golden Age of Weimar?Economics?

• Hyperinflation came under control
• Stresemann
• Rentenmark
• Dawes Plan - Repayments negotiated
• First 5 years fixed repayments
• From 1 billion marks up to 2.5 billion marks
• Then payments according to economic performance
  of German economy
• Allies to control Railways, Reichsbank and
  customs duties as collateral
• All Allies must agree on any further sanctions
• i.e. not France Alone

9
Did Stresemann usher in a period of prosperity
1924 1929?
Examples of improvements in the German Economy Examples of a decline in the German Economy

• Use pages 74 76 to find evidence for the above
  table.
• It may be useful to refer to the economic
  concepts on page 73

10
The Golden Age of Weimar?Foreign Policy?

• Stresemanns Fulfillment Strategy
• Restore German Power and Prosperity but realising
  that Germany was in no condition to challenge
  Allies militarily
• He would comply with the Treaty of Versailles,
  but would also try to negotiate to get it revised
• Revisions wanted
• Reparations to be greatly reduced
• Ruhr and Rhineland occupations to end
• Eastern Borders to be revised
• Military sanctions to be ended

11
The Golden Age of Weimar?Foreign Policy?

• How to achieve revisions
• Through negotiations
• no military stick to use
• Gaining confidence of Western powers
• Through compliance
• Ending German Diplomatic isolation
• Using economic power as bargaining chip
• Large market with a great potential
• Develop relations with USA
• To gain economic aid
• Satisfy to France that Germany poses no military
  danger
• So France will leave Ruhr and allow Rhineland to
  be remilitarised
• Develop relations with USSR
• A bargaining chip to frighten Western powers

12
The Golden Age of Weimar?Foreign Policy?
When was it? What was it? Advantages to Germany?
Dawes Plan
Locarno Pact
League of Nations
Treaty of Berlin
End of Allied Occupation
Kellogg-Briand Pact
Young Plan
13
How successful was Stresemanns Foreign Policy

• Internationally
• Restored Diplomatic Relations
• Promise of removal of Allies from German soil
• Reparations renegotiations allowed German economy
  to recover
• But Eastern European relations/opportunities
  missed
• Domestically
• Foreign Policy successes not dramatic enough for
  electorate to appreciate
• To subtle, it seemed as if his fulfillment policy
  legitimised harsh Treaty of Versailles
• Even economic success depended on goodwill of USA
• Nationalists unconvinced

14
The Golden Age of Weimar?Political Stability?

• Look at graph on page 63
• How stable does the period 1924 1928 appear
• Descriptions of the party platforms can be found
  on page 66
• Look at source 3.1 on page 62
• How many governments were there between 1924 and
  1928?
• How many elections were there between 1924 and
  1928?
• Can you account for this discrepancy?
• Was this a good sign for democracy in Germany?
• Did the Weimar constitution make unstable
  government more or less likely? Why?

15
The Left loses to the RightThe Presidential
Election of 1925

• The Pro-Weimar Ebert died suddenly in 1925.
• Weimar constitution allowed for 2 rounds if
  no-one got over 50 in the 1st round
• Remarkably, new candidates could stand in the 2nd
  round
• The first round was indecisive
• Chart on page 69
• The left attempted to coalesce around the Zentrum
  Marx
• The right found a new champion in the form of
  Hindenburg
• The Communists refused to compromise with fatal
  consequences for the left
• Stalin referred to Socialists as Social Fascists
  and ordered KPD not to help SPD in any way.

16
26th April 1925
Votes Candidate Votes
14.7 Hindenburg DNVP 48
13.8 Marx Zentrum 45
1.9 Thaelmann KPD 6

• The new President had strong powers under the
  Weimar constitution
• Ability to appoint and dismiss Chancellors and
  Ministers
• Article 48
• This election would come back to haunt the left!

17
Conservative Forces

• The Weimar Republic never really won over the
  Conservative Germans or key opinion formers
• Eg Church leaders, Teachers, Newspaper editors,
  Industrialists, Judges, Police, etc
• Why not?
• Many appointed during Kaiser Wilhelms time
• Certainly educated during that period of
  Conservative rule
• Deep Conservative military tradition
• Prussian Junker tradition
• Large Catholic conservative population
• Treaty of Versailles fulfillment policy
• Decadent Art forms and cultural expression
• Freedom of speech given to all!
• Including reactionaries and anti-Weimar parties
• Costs involved in Socialist ideas of a Welfare
  State
• Page 70
• Assign speech bubble to appropriate conservative
  German

18
The Golden Years of 1924 1929 The Bottom Line

• They were a massive improvement over 1919 1923
• Improved economy
• More stable and Peaceful
• Improved diplomatic Status
• Culturally exciting

• But
• Only 5 goodish years
• Hyperinflation damage not entirely repaired
• People still angry at Treaty of Versailles
• Conservative forces frightened by new liberal,
  decadent culture
• Stability dependent on unstable and fickle
  coalition forces
• Economic success dependent on USA

19
The Coming of Fascist Germany
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Rise of Nazism Hitler

• How important is the individual in History?
• Borrowed ideas Mussolini, Darwin, Rousseau,
  Hegel, Nietzche
• His interpretation of them?
• Conventional or Unconventional early life?
• Hitler himself was very vague on his early life
• Why?
• Significance?
• Page 55 of Hite and Hinton

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Unusual Experiences His Skills/Strengths
His Beliefs His Weaknesses
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29
Post Munich1923 - 1929

• Trial
• Turned into blistering attack on Versailles,
  Weimar and Kahr/Lossow
• Nationwide coverage
• Sympathetic Right wing judges
• 5 Years sentence (eligible for parole after
  9months)
• Minimum for Treason
• 9 Months in Landsberg Prison
• Open prison
• Could receive visitors, presents, cards, etc
• Dictated Mein Kampf to Hess
• Temporarily resigned from Party
• Allowed Strasser, Ludendorff and others fight
  over what to do next
• Ride to the rescue on Release?

30
The Roller Coaster Ride
Date of Election Jan 1919 Jun 1920 May 1924 Dec 1924 May 1928 Sep 1930 Jul 1932 Nov 1932 Mar 1933
SPD Social Democrats 165 102 100 131 153 143 133 121 120
Communists KPD/USPD 22 88 62 45 54 77 89 101 81
Centre Party (Catholics) 91 64 65 69 62 68 75 70 74
DDP (Democrats) 75 39 28 32 25 20 4 2 5
Right-wing parties (BVP/ DVP/DNVP) 63 157 156 174 134 90 66 83 72
NSDAP (Nazis)     32 14 12 107 230 196 288
Others 7 9 29 29 51 72 11 12 7
Total Deputies 423 459 472 493 491 577 608 584 647
31
Biding his time before Rebuilding

• 1925 Presidential election
• Ludendorff got less than 1 standing on a Nazi
  ticket
• Hitler Refounded the party in 1925
• Lays foundations of FuhrerPrinzip
• Gave Hitler supreme power over policy and
  strategy
• 25 points still kept
• More formal rituals introduced
• Uniforms
• Brown shirts for SA
• Flags
• Red, Black and White flags with Swastikas
• Wind up Communists
• Same colours as Wilhelmine flag
• Saluting
• Heil Hitler (Hess the instigator)
• Propaganda
• Image building

32
Organisation of Nazis

• The more socialist minded Strasser and Goebbels
  had built up a reasonably strong party structure
  in Protestant and Trade Union dominated North
  Germany
• The Nazis would benefit but from this strategic
  shift
• However, Hitler personally now had a viable
  rivals for the movement
• Strasser and Goebbels
• Bamberg conference 1926
• Divide and rule principle
• Outmanoeuvred more socialist minded Strasser
• Promoted the very able Goebbels

33
Creating a Movement

• He set up a network of local parties.
• Gauleiter appointed directly by Hitler
• He worked with other right-wing parties when
  necessary.
• Eg Hugenbergs DNVP over anti-Young Plan campaign
  of 1929
• Hugenberg was the proprietor of a huge media
  empire
• He set up the Hitler Youth, to attract young
  people to the party.
• He created the SS
• As a rival to the less than 100 dependable SA
• He put Josef Goebbels in charge of propaganda
• Appeal to feelings rather than argument.
• using traditional and new media
• posters, leaflets, radio and film, and organised
  rallies.
• He cultivated the support of wealthy businessmen
• promising them that he would destroy Communism
  and the Trade Unions.
• This gave him the finance to run his campaigns.
• Built up the idea of Volksgemeinschaft

34
Hitlers financiers

• Hjalmar Schacht, Head of the Reichsbank,
  organised fund-raising parties for Hitler.
• Fritz von Thyssen, the German steel businessman
• Alfred Krupp, the owner of Krupp steel firm
• Emil Kirdorf, the coal businessman
• IG Farben, the German chemicals firm, gave half
  the funds for the 1933 elections
• The German car firm Opel (now a subsidiary of
  General Motors)
• Schroeder Bank on Jan. 3, 1933, Reinhard
  Schroeder met Hitler and asked him to form a
  government.  
• And even some foreign firms including
• Henry Ford of Ford Motors. Hitler borrowed
  passages from Ford's book The International Jew
  to use in Mein Kampf and had a picture of Ford on
  the wall of his office.
• Union Banking Corporation, New York (George
  Bushs great-grandfather was president of the
  Corporation)
• WA Harriman and Co., the American shipping and
  railway company (George Bushs grandfather was
  vice-president)
• Irenee du Pont, head of the American firm
  General Motors he advocated the creation of a
  super-race by spinal injections to enhance
  children of pure blood.

35
Volksgemeinschaft

• The basis of National Socialism
• National Community
• Restore hope to all Germans
• Economic problems would be solved
• Traditional German values would be promoted
• The noble peasant and honest small businessmen
  would be protected
• Militarism and respect restored to its preeminent
  position in German society
• Germans would help themselves
• Split personality of National Socialism
• Equal opportunities for all Germans
• But only pure blood Germans
• Volksgemeinschaft not available to other lesser
  peoples
• Jews particularly excluded
• Notably, monarchists excluded privately (but not
  publicly)

36
But still little success pre 1930
Date of Election Jan 1919 Jun 1920 May 1924 Dec 1924 May 1928 Sep 1930 Jul 1932 Nov 1932 Mar 1933
SPD Social Democrats 165 102 100 131 153 143 133 121 120
Communists KPD/USPD 22 88 62 45 54 77 89 101 81
Centre Party (Catholics) 91 64 65 69 62 68 75 70 74
DDP (Democrats) 75 39 28 32 25 20 4 2 5
Right-wing parties (BVP/ DVP/DNVP) 63 157 156 174 134 90 66 83 72
NSDAP (Nazis)     32 14 12 107 230 196 288
Others 7 9 29 29 51 72 11 12 7
Total Deputies 423 459 472 493 491 577 608 584 647
37
The Young Plan 1929

• 1929 Renegotiation of Reparations repayments
• Actually significantly eased repayments
• Referendum called
• Nazis join with Hugenburgs Nationalist DNVP in
  denouncing the Young Plan
• If you supported the Young Plan you were in
  favour of the Treaty of Versailles
• Hugenburg owned a vast media empire
• Gave Nazis first significant nationwide exposure
• Also gave Nazis some nationalist credibility by
  being identified with Hugenburg and anti-Treaty
  campaign
• Only received 14 in referendum
• But
• Nazis identified as being a serious opponent to
  the Government

38
The Wall Street Crash

• America sneezes
• 1929 Sudden collapse in Wall Street Shares
• Widespread panic selling
• Urgent need for US investors to repatriate
  capital invested abroad
• Germany Catches a cold
• US short term loans had been invested in long
  term projects in Germany
• Severe difficulties for German companies in
  covering capital outflows
• Deflationary effect on economy
• Germans still worried about Hyperinflation
• Deficit financing frowned upon
• Classical economic model praised balanced budgets
• Massive layoffs and unemployment ensue

39
Despair

• Paramilitary units blossom
• Brownshirts offer food, clothing and
  accommodation for recruits
• Likewise
• Stahlhelm
• Communist Red Shirts
• SPDs Reichsbanner
• Bored, hungry, desperate recruits joined these
  paramilitary groups and fought proxy battles in
  the streets
• Violence bred violence
• Authorities losing control of large sectors of
  urban centres

40
Mass Unemployment

• Registered unemployed increased from
• 1.6 million in October 1929
• 6.12 million by February 1932
• In fact, it was probably nearer 8 million in
  total (33 of working population)
• Including dependants, 23 million people were
  directly effected by unemployment
• Germanys Insurance system stretched to breaking
  point and beyond
• Only designed with 800,000 in mind
• Increased governmental expenditures when
  government trying to balance books.

41
Fall of Müller Government, 1930

• Dispute over Unemployment benefit
• Right wing DVP wanted to cut back unemployment
  payments
• Balance books as per classical economic orthodoxy
• Left Wing (Trade Union sympathetic) SPD wanted to
  protect unemployment benefits
• Fundamental disagreement plus increasing
  lawlessness in Germany lead to resignation of
  Muller government
• March 1930

42
Brüning Government

• President Hindenburg appointed Centrist/liberal
  government under Brüning
• Imposed austerity budget
• i.e. cuts to balance budget
• Defeated by parliament but passed by Article 48
  (presidential decree)
• Parliament still protested so Hindenburg
  dissolved parliament and called for new elections

43
The Nazi Partys First Electoral Breakthrough

• Nazis win 107 seats
• Up from 12 in previous election
• Although Communists also do well
• Up to 77 seats
• Nazis not tainted by association with government
  policies
• Purely oppositional
• Seem to offer an alternative
• Soup kitchens, brown shirts, etc seem to offer
  some practical examples of their good intentions

44
Brüning Government hobbles along

• Pro-Republic parties do poorly in elections
• Brüning needs to have tacit support of SPD to
  avoid being voted down by anti-Republic parties
• i.e. Nazis and Communists.
• Whats in it for SPD?
• SPD hopes that it can restrain worst excesses of
  austerity measures
• SPD hoping to avoid Brüning having to turn to
  Nazis for support
• SPD needed support of Brünings Catholic party in
  order to continue running Prussia State
  legislature
• Costs to SPD
• SPD unable to offer opposition
• SPD will be associated with unpopular Austerity
  measures

45
Brüning Government hobbles along

• Nazis turned up in their brownshirts
• Nazis and Communists frequently shouted down
  speakers
• Fights often broke out in or around the
  parliament building
• Brüning had no clear majority
• Increasingly relied on using Hindenburgs Article
  48 to get laws passed
• Parliamentary sessions were cut back to avoid
  unnecessary confrontations
• 1930 it met for 94 days
• 1931 it met for 42 days
• 1932 it met for just 13 days!
• The precedent for an authoritarian government had
  accidentally been set.

46
The Fatal Split in the Left!

• SPD steadily lost support
• Blamed for coming up with Weimar benefit system
  in the first place
• Seen as being ineffective in standing up to
  austerity measures
• Unable to form a government by itself
• Losing support to more activist and oppositionist
  Communists and even to National Socialists
• KPD (communists)
• Under strict orders from Stalin not to help
  Social Fascists (SPD)
• Disorder in Germany seen as a good opportunity to
  launch full communist revolution

47
The Harzburg Front

• Meanwhile the right seemed to be unifying!
• Named after Bad Harzburg anti-republican rally
• Nationalists coalesce
• Press Baron Hugenburgs DNVP, Monarchists and
  Stahlhelm
• Again, gives Nazis some respectability to be seen
  with respectable nationalists.

48
Brünings increasing unpopularity

• Cuts
• General Government expenditure restrained
• Taxes increased
• Civil Servant salaries cut
• Wages frozen to 1927 levels
• Unemployment benefit harder to get

• Increases
• Law and Order
• Military
• Agricultural subsidies
• Particularly for Prussian estates!
• All in line with classical economics!
• Hoping to hold out until the general worldwide
  economy picked up.
• Particularly concerned with Hyperinflation!

49
1932 Presidential Election

• Brüning refused Hindenburgs request to be
  reelected by a simple unopposed plebiscite
• This strained Brunings relations with the
  President
• At the height of economic difficulties
• Hindenburg a stalwart of the nationalist right.
• However, he lost support in his traditional
  heartland east
• But, he gained new support from pro-republic
  parties in the West eg SPD and Catholics
• Hindenburg received 53 of votes
• Hitler received 37 of votes
• Once again, even though they lost, it showed that
  the Nazis were the only effective opposition

50
Brünings Downfall

• Scrapping Grain subsidies!
• It was difficult to continue subsidising
  aristocratic East Prussian landowners in a time
  of national crisis.
• This was anathema to Hindenburg who was
  determined to defend his aristocratic heritage
• Plus Backroom intrigue
• General Schleicher was negotiating with
  Hindenburg to see his old friend von Papen take
  over chancellor
• Papen was a centrist too (so would not overly
  alienate Brünings party.)
• The Cabinet of Barons would offer a more
  nationalist agenda for Germany and would protect
  aristocratic privilege.
• Schleicher promised new elections and a lifting
  of the ban on the SA if Nazis did not oppose the
  creation of new nationalist government

51
The Cabinet of Barons

• So called because of the quantity of barons,
  aristocrats and nationalists in the government.
• Ideologically confused government but generally
  pro-monarchy and pro-business
• Unemployment benefit cut yet further
• Increased payments to Eastern farmers
• Had to call for new elections in 1932

52
The Real Nazi Breakthrough

• 1932 July elections