History of Weimar Republic - Essay Example

After Adolf Hitler was appointed as the chancellor the Weimar Republic came to an end and often the end of the Weimar Republic has been associated with Hitler’s rise to power. His rise to power is a very debatable topic however many people propose that the Weimar republic showed signs of decline from the beginning while others suggest that this was due to the poor decision making of the involved individuals particularly during the ending months of 1932-3 or on the great economic depression that was faced in 1929 (Fulbrook, 155). Whatever the reasons were, Hitler’s rise to power has always been a controversial subject that has to lead to hot arguments (Fulbrook, 156).

By the summers of 1918, it was clear that Germany had lost World War I. During the war, massive capitalization was taking place that monopolized industries thereby excluding small businesses to disappear from the business arena (Fulbrook, 156). However, at the same time, the working class was increasing in power as labor unions were considered as valid and improvements in the working conditions had been done. Due to the shortage of labor during the war, women and many young people were also recruited into the labor force. The wartime had resulted in many changes in the perceptions of people.

Domestic turmoil in Germany grew as World War I approached its end as the pressure from the people increased. The military was also reluctant to bring a civilian government in order to run away from its responsibility and accept defeat (Fulbrook, 157). Constitutional reforms were introduced in October 1918 (Fulbrook, 157) and towards the end of the month, the last attack was launched on the British to gain its honor back (Fulbrook, 158). Revolutionary unrest took place in November causing the government to resign while the emperor had already fled to Holland. While it seemed that a Marxist revolution would take place in Germany, a communist revolution took place in Russia in 1917 while compromises took place in Germany that was neither left-wing nor right-wing (Fulbrook, 158).

The Weimar Constitution officially materialized in August 1919 according to which the President was to hold enormous powers. When the Treaty of Versailles was signed in the summers of the same year, the harsh terms lead to the restriction of the army to only a hundred thousand men and resulted in the loss of several German colonies. The concept of “stab-in-the-back” had started in August 1918 when German loss at World War I was obvious. According to the notion, the military defeat of the German army had been a result of deceit from within the country mainly from Jews and Socialists (Fulbrook, 164). The “stab-in-the-back” concept was increasingly being used after the war to oppose the Weimar Republic. Also, strikes and attacks on the Republic continued and while the right wings were not severely punished, the left wings were sentenced to the death penalty spurring further unrest. It is also important to note that the left-wingers opposed the Republic on account of the economic depression (Fulbrook, 164).

The end of the Weimar Republic has also been a result of the changing perception of the public particularly after the economic recession seen after the New York stock market plunged in 1929. The declining economic activity in Germany left many of its people unemployed with only 2 people out of 3 being employed. Unemployment rates rose sharply as the country faced a financial crisis. An atmosphere of hopelessness and depression took place among the German population and while few people remained committed to the Social Democratic Party (SPD) despite the hardships, many turned towards the Communist Party KPD which was strictly opposed to the Weimar Republic (Spielvogel, 55).

Initially, the middle-class population was shocked however as more and more workers became radicalized they too became as such after experiencing the economic depression between 1930 and 1932 (Spielvogel, 55). However, unlike the workers, the middle class was more appealed to by the Nazi Party (NSDAP) which seemed to provide an answer to the economic downturn. According to the NSDAP, the Jews who wanted a Marxist government had been planning for a Communist revolution that would devastate the German beliefs. Also, the Weimar Republic, big businesses, and economic exploitation were blamed for having caused the economic crisis (Spielvogel, 55).