As well as the Depression, the collapse of the Republic can be linked to a large number of factors, including the influence of the army, political instability and constitutional weaknesses. One of the most consequential outcomes of the Depression was the opportunity that it provided Hitler. A majority of the citizens lost faith and belief in the current Social Democratic government, turning instead to the confident and dynamic leader of Hitler. As Evans asserts, ‘citizens began to see in the youthful dynamism of the Nazi Party as a way out of the situation’. What Evans means by this is that the desperation of the people led them to polarising their votes and seeing radical leaders like Hitler as a solution to the mess that Germany had become.
Modern History Essay Question: Assess the extent that nationalism was a cause of the failure of democracy in Germany in the period of 1918 – 1933 Nationalism was an important and integral factor in the downfall of the Weimar Republic and in turn, the ensuing failure of democracy in Germany in the period of 1918 – 1934. Nationalism is the desire to have your own country. The sense of loyalty and devotion to one’s nation, which the German’s had felt in their militaristic past, was ultimately, devastated by World War 1 and its consequences. In Germany, from 1918 onwards, nationalism was one of the main driving forces for the German people to make Germany a dominant power again by ultimately destroying the Treaty of Versailles. Several attempts from both the left and right sides of government tried to imbue the nationalistic beliefs that were embodied in Germany before they were destroyed by their humiliating defeat in WW1.
Red can possibly be left out The Great Depression provided the opportunity for Hitler to take power in Germany and start the process of undoing the terms of the Treaty of Versailles by re-arming in defiance of the Treaty. Germany walked out of the Disarmament Conference and the League of Nations and began to seriously re-arm: a Luftwaffe was created, autobahns were built for easy troop movement and the army was brought into the open. In 1936 German troops re-occupied the demilitarised Rhineland
Therefore the beginnings of democracy in Germany came in times of civil and political unrest following Germany’s defeat in WWI. During the war Germany had essentially been a military dictatorship under Hindenburg and Ludendorff, this style of government being popular among the German people. Therefore when democracy was introduced it was viewed with contempt, primarily among the conservative elites. The defeat in the war also brought about changes in how political maters were handled in Germany. Richard Evans in “the Coming of the Third Reich” argues that WWI had sanctioned the use of violence for political gain, leading to the formation of paramilitary groups that further undermined the effectiveness of the democracy.
They were stripped of territory, arms and were required to make reparations (payments for war damages). The Treaty of Versailles, which was signed with Germany, punished Germany severely. The German government agreed to sign the treaty only after the victorious powers threatened to invade. Many Germans particularly resented the clause that forced Germany to accept responsibility for causing World War I. The next factor that seemed to emphasize the cause of the war was German's dictator, Adolph Hitler, who led the Germans with the ideas of fascists.
It can be argued that this was down to the popularity of Adolf Hitler and thus led to the failure of the Weimar Republic, as his popularity paved the way for his invitation into the chancellorship, from which he was able to manipulate his way to the presidency. Proof of Hitler’s popularity can be interpreted by the
In 1919, Hitler had written that systematic legitimate opposition can only be done through sensible anti Semitism (The Holocaust, n.d). He blamed Jews for the defeat in war and also asserted that Jews stabbed us in the back just to seize power and control German people. Hitler also declared that Jews wanted to undermine the Aryan Race through communism and capitalism. In his book Mein Kampf, (My Struggle) he further extended this hatred for Jews when he said that Jews are an evil race who wants to dominate the world. Nazi policy treated Jews as “parasitic vermin” who are only worthy of eradication.
Clemenceau casts a pale light on the German population, blaming the war on the aims of “the intolerable German Aristocracy.” (Clemenceau, p. 73) The entire argument for the French and nay, European view, was the perceived threat that Europeans felt of German arrogance. A relatively young nation when measured against the French and
At Roosevelt’s inaugural speech he assured Americans that all they had to fear was “fear itself.” On the other hand, Hitler aggravated his follower’s fears and prejudices. While Franklin Delano Roosevelt did his work by stirring compassion; Adolf Hitler did his own by stirring up hatred. They both were known for their charisma, ability to arouse emotion, and rose to power during a national crisis. Both were leaders by symbolic and appeal. Franklin Delano Roosevelt used freedom symbols such as the bald eagle and used kind words such as "friend" or "my fellow..." to get people to support his ideas.
This led to demise of the German democracy, and the dictatorship of Hitler, and the total control of the Nazi party. When the Nazi party gained full control the total accost on the Nazi party began with an attack of propaganda focused on slandering the Jewish people. Soon this propaganda furthered itself. The next step the Nazi regime took to push the Jews down was the institution of the Nuremburg laws. These laws were the most infamous of the anti-Jewish legislation, and were