3.1 How did political conditions in Germany after 1918
contribute to the emergence of a Nazi state?
Before the First World War, Germany had been ruled by the authoritarian
Kaiser Wilhelm II. Although the German constitution of 1871 had made
provision for a Reichstag, this had never been allowed to develop effectively,
causing a good deal of political tension. The Kaiser had pursued an ambitious
foreign policy to deflect attention away from political troubles, and this led to
the First World War in 1914. The war destroyed the imperial regime.
In 1918, the Kaiser tried to install a more liberal government. However, the
country descended into chaos with strikes and mutinies. The Kaiser abdicated
on 9 Nov. 1918 and a republic was declared.
A new socialist government under Friedrich Ebert signed an armistice to end
the war in Nov. 1918 and in Jan. 1919 a new democratic constitution was
drawn up in the town of Weimar.
The Treaty of Versailles in June 1919 caused further anger:
I. Germany lost 13% of its territory in Europe + all of its colonies.
II. It was left with severely restricted armed forces and a demilitarized
Rhineland in the west.
III. The Germans were forced to accept war guilt and pay reparations
(fixed at £6.6 billion).
IV. Although self-determination was applied to other parts of Europe,
Germany was left with many ethnic Germans living outside its
borders, and Anschluss (union) with Austria was expressly forbidden.
The new constitution contained some significant weaknesses. The voting
system was based on proportional representation. This produced coalition
governments and allowed small parties to gain representation in the
Reichstag. Constant governmental changes Proportional representation: Under this
(with 14 coalitions: 1919-1928) helped to system of elections, electors vote for a party
weaken what support there had been for rather than a candidate. Parties then can
democratic government. choose deputies according to the no. of
The constitution also gave considerable votes it received. So the no. of deputies
power to the president. The president would therefore correspond proportionately
to the number of votes that party received in
appointed the chancellor (who ran the
the country as a whole.
government) and, under article 48 of the
Weimar Constitution, had the power to rule
by decree in an emergency. This power was used responsibly by the first
president, Ebert, but the second, Paul von Hindenburg, allowed article 48 to
be used to pass measures for which these chancellors could not get Reichstag
approval.
, The political weaknesses of Weimar Republic left it exposed to continual
political threats. The Spartacus League (Spartakusbund), an extreme left-
wing socialist movement, attempted to overthrow the Republic in Jan. 1919.
Similarly, the right-wing conservative élite was lukewarm, if not hostile,
towards the Republic. German conservatism and nationalism remained
strong. The continuation of nationalist values favoured the development of
right-wing extremism, of which Nazism was to be one example.
German nationalists showed their contempt for the Republic in the military
Kapp Putsch of March 1920 and the ‘White Terror’ of 1920-22, when 400 Freikorps:
Putsch: An
attempt to political murders occurred, many committed by the Freikorps. Demobilised
overthrow the Hitler’s Beer Hall Putsch of Nov. 1923, the first attempt of the Nazi Party to soldiers who
state. show its strength, although a failure reinforced the picture of the Weimar continued to
Republic as a struggling parliamentary democracy. fight for right-
The Republic enjoyed a more stable period between 1924 and 1929, known wing values.
as the ‘golden years’. From 1928 to 1930, a ‘Grand Coalition’ commanded
over 60% of the seats in the Reichstag. However, political problems had been
submerged rather than going away.
From 1929, as economic problems worsened, the parties of the Reichstag
became so divided that in 1930 the Grand Coalition collapsed, opening the
way for the total breakdown of the democracy.
contribute to the emergence of a Nazi state?
Before the First World War, Germany had been ruled by the authoritarian
Kaiser Wilhelm II. Although the German constitution of 1871 had made
provision for a Reichstag, this had never been allowed to develop effectively,
causing a good deal of political tension. The Kaiser had pursued an ambitious
foreign policy to deflect attention away from political troubles, and this led to
the First World War in 1914. The war destroyed the imperial regime.
In 1918, the Kaiser tried to install a more liberal government. However, the
country descended into chaos with strikes and mutinies. The Kaiser abdicated
on 9 Nov. 1918 and a republic was declared.
A new socialist government under Friedrich Ebert signed an armistice to end
the war in Nov. 1918 and in Jan. 1919 a new democratic constitution was
drawn up in the town of Weimar.
The Treaty of Versailles in June 1919 caused further anger:
I. Germany lost 13% of its territory in Europe + all of its colonies.
II. It was left with severely restricted armed forces and a demilitarized
Rhineland in the west.
III. The Germans were forced to accept war guilt and pay reparations
(fixed at £6.6 billion).
IV. Although self-determination was applied to other parts of Europe,
Germany was left with many ethnic Germans living outside its
borders, and Anschluss (union) with Austria was expressly forbidden.
The new constitution contained some significant weaknesses. The voting
system was based on proportional representation. This produced coalition
governments and allowed small parties to gain representation in the
Reichstag. Constant governmental changes Proportional representation: Under this
(with 14 coalitions: 1919-1928) helped to system of elections, electors vote for a party
weaken what support there had been for rather than a candidate. Parties then can
democratic government. choose deputies according to the no. of
The constitution also gave considerable votes it received. So the no. of deputies
power to the president. The president would therefore correspond proportionately
to the number of votes that party received in
appointed the chancellor (who ran the
the country as a whole.
government) and, under article 48 of the
Weimar Constitution, had the power to rule
by decree in an emergency. This power was used responsibly by the first
president, Ebert, but the second, Paul von Hindenburg, allowed article 48 to
be used to pass measures for which these chancellors could not get Reichstag
approval.
, The political weaknesses of Weimar Republic left it exposed to continual
political threats. The Spartacus League (Spartakusbund), an extreme left-
wing socialist movement, attempted to overthrow the Republic in Jan. 1919.
Similarly, the right-wing conservative élite was lukewarm, if not hostile,
towards the Republic. German conservatism and nationalism remained
strong. The continuation of nationalist values favoured the development of
right-wing extremism, of which Nazism was to be one example.
German nationalists showed their contempt for the Republic in the military
Kapp Putsch of March 1920 and the ‘White Terror’ of 1920-22, when 400 Freikorps:
Putsch: An
attempt to political murders occurred, many committed by the Freikorps. Demobilised
overthrow the Hitler’s Beer Hall Putsch of Nov. 1923, the first attempt of the Nazi Party to soldiers who
state. show its strength, although a failure reinforced the picture of the Weimar continued to
Republic as a struggling parliamentary democracy. fight for right-
The Republic enjoyed a more stable period between 1924 and 1929, known wing values.
as the ‘golden years’. From 1928 to 1930, a ‘Grand Coalition’ commanded
over 60% of the seats in the Reichstag. However, political problems had been
submerged rather than going away.
From 1929, as economic problems worsened, the parties of the Reichstag
became so divided that in 1930 the Grand Coalition collapsed, opening the
way for the total breakdown of the democracy.
