Challenges to the democratic constitution
1918-28
German political culture
In 1919 many Germans were profoundly conservative. And unsympathetic
with democracy. People were concerned with democracy as:
It gave uneducated people power
It gave poor people who didn’t, who wanted to take wealth away
from the rich, power
It was based on elections, so it was indecisive which made it weak
compared to other forms of government
Popular militarism
The military had a special place in German political culture. Respect for
the army came from the fact it was an extremely effective organisation
that could protect Germany’s advanced interests. The army had won war
against France in 1871 and captured parts of Poland between 1866-71.
People continued to hold undemocratic views into the 1920’s and 30’s. Ex-
soldiers were guaranteed government jobs, so the police force and civil
services etc were very hierarchal and undemocratic.
The ‘stab in the back’ myth emerged at the end f 1918. This was the idea
WW1 was lost due to socialists, communists and Jews when it was truly
lost by the army. This took root for several reasons:
German propaganda promised German victory
It was widely known Germany occupied French territory
Popular militarism meant people believed the army would never
surrender
The myth relied on the fact people believed the army was trustworthy,
nationalistic and strong. The ToV further strengthened the myth. Many
Germans blamed weak, ineffectual and unpatriotic politicians for
accepting the treaty.
Popular racism
Racism came in different forms but was mainly aimed at the notion white
Europeans were superior to people from Africa and Asia. This led to
widespread colonialism. Antisemitism was present in Germany and Jews
were blamed for many calamities, such as spreading plague and
corrupting German culture in the 1890’s. Racism was related to many
undemocratic ideas and social Darwinism was present in Germany.
1918-28
German political culture
In 1919 many Germans were profoundly conservative. And unsympathetic
with democracy. People were concerned with democracy as:
It gave uneducated people power
It gave poor people who didn’t, who wanted to take wealth away
from the rich, power
It was based on elections, so it was indecisive which made it weak
compared to other forms of government
Popular militarism
The military had a special place in German political culture. Respect for
the army came from the fact it was an extremely effective organisation
that could protect Germany’s advanced interests. The army had won war
against France in 1871 and captured parts of Poland between 1866-71.
People continued to hold undemocratic views into the 1920’s and 30’s. Ex-
soldiers were guaranteed government jobs, so the police force and civil
services etc were very hierarchal and undemocratic.
The ‘stab in the back’ myth emerged at the end f 1918. This was the idea
WW1 was lost due to socialists, communists and Jews when it was truly
lost by the army. This took root for several reasons:
German propaganda promised German victory
It was widely known Germany occupied French territory
Popular militarism meant people believed the army would never
surrender
The myth relied on the fact people believed the army was trustworthy,
nationalistic and strong. The ToV further strengthened the myth. Many
Germans blamed weak, ineffectual and unpatriotic politicians for
accepting the treaty.
Popular racism
Racism came in different forms but was mainly aimed at the notion white
Europeans were superior to people from Africa and Asia. This led to
widespread colonialism. Antisemitism was present in Germany and Jews
were blamed for many calamities, such as spreading plague and
corrupting German culture in the 1890’s. Racism was related to many
undemocratic ideas and social Darwinism was present in Germany.
