2.7 Political Developments And The Working Of Democracy 1924-28 Flashcards
Why was 1924-1928 a lot quieter than the immediate post war years?(4 asp)
-political violence receded
-extremist parties attracted less support
-hyperinflation had been successfully treated
-Hindenburg elected in 1925
What % or people voted for pro republican parties in May 1924 and December 1924
May 1924: 67%
December 1924: 61%
(Return of great support for the pro republican parties)
What was the Nazi party’s share of the vote in May and December 1924?
May: 6.5%
December: 3%
What was the overall shift in the elections of May and December 1924
Away from extremist parties
(KPD and far right parties vote share decreased)
What happened to the nazi and KPD parties in the 1928 election
Nazi vote declines to 2.6%
KPD have a revival of support
How many coalitions were there between November 1923 and March 1930?(golden years)
7
Between 1919-1932 how many governments had majority support in the Reichstag?
6/22
What is the problem with frequent unstable coalition governments?
Cannot plan for the long term as they won’t be their to govern, long term problems are ignored and become progressively worse
Why did Luther’s cabinet collapse in 1926?
President Hindenburg ordered the old imperial flag to be flown along side the new flag-despite led to government collapse(shows how unstable the coalition governments were)
What was the key issue with sustaining a coalition government?
The number of workable combinations of parties were limited
E.g SPD and DNVP would not serve in the same cabinet and the moderate parties did not have enough seats to command a majority in the Reichstag
Who was the grand coalition of 1928 led by?
Herman müller of the SPD
What was the issues that hindered the grand coalition of 1928 and what kept it intact.
-took a long time for parties to agree polices and there was ongoing disputes about budget and and foreign policy
-only survived because of the working relationship of müller and stresemann(foreign minister)
What was Müller’s reputation as a politician?
Calm,hard-working but lacked charisma
Why did the pro-democratic parties fail to establish a stable democracy from 1924-1928?
- Reichstag deputies did not represent a constituency (no connection between constituents)
2.party list system gave parties control over Reichstag deputies
- No individuality within parties as they had to follow the dictates of their parties bureaucracies (Reichstag did not debate issues of voters)
- Leadership issues
Why was leadership issues a problem for the stability of Weimar governments?
Fractional rivalries weakened parties
Parties prioritised the party over Germany’s interest and this resulted in support for democratic parties suffering
Who was the biggest party in the Reichstag from 1924-1928?
SPD yet it only took part in 1/6 coalition cabinets
Why did the SPD only get involved in 1/6 coalition governments in 1924-28 bespite being the biggest party?
Inflexible on important issues and unwilling to make necessary compromises
Who supported the SPD?
-industrial workers due to links with the trade unions within Germany
Who was against the SPD?
-young people
-farmers and people involved in agriculture
What was the priority of the centre party?
Defend the interests of the Roman Catholic Church