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
Why was the centre part more flexible than the SPD?
It had a wider support base:
-industrial workers
-farmers
-landlords
-professional groups such as teachers
(Remedied to cause devision over social and economic issues)
What is evidence for the centre party being crucial for the Weimar Republic’s survival?
No coalition government existed without them (up to 1928)
What happened to the centre party in 1928?
Shift to the right as Brüning was less committed to parliamentary democracy than his predecessor
Who was the support base of the DDP?
Academics and professional groups
Why was the DDP in decline?
Internal disputes and wasn’t clear what it stood for (still was involved in all coalition govs from 1924-1928 and was committed to parliamentary democracy)
Was the DVP committed to parliamentary democracy?(what was its support base)?
Yes and was in all coalition governments of this period, main support base was industrialists
What was the support base of the DNVP?
-industrialists
-professional groups
Destine the DNVP?
Anti democratic and nationalist. Main aims of restoring the monarchy and dismantling the treaty of Versailles
-refused to join coalitions until young people diversified it and they joined the Luther cabinet in 1926 and the Marx cabinet in 1937
What happened to the DNVP in the 1928 election
Significant loss of support and resulted in a shift to the right-DNVP retuned to stance against the Weimar Republic
What did Hitler change the NSDAP party tactics to after the failed Munich putsch?
Destroy the republic by winning mass support
How was hitler hindered from rebuilding his party after he was released from prison?(2 asp
-stormtroopers banned
-public speaking ban until 1927
What new tactics did the Nazi party adopt in 1928 to widen their appeal?
Focused on rural areas to capitalise on discontent of farmers(lost 100,000 votes in 1928 election but membership grew to 150,000 by October 1928 and they took their first town council that year)
What was the key thing that gave hitler publicity?
His campaign against the young plan
What was the KPD dedicated to?
Overthrowing the republic
Were the KPD subject to Moscow and where I’d the evidnce for this?
Yes 1923 ordered to cause a revolution which led to uprisings in saxony and Hamburg which were ruthlessly put down by the army
Who did the KPD focus on attacking
SPD calling them social-fascists rather than the true threat the nazis
When did Ebert die?
February 1925
What did a candidate need to not have a second ballot in the election?
Over 50%
Who pulled out after the getting the most votes in the first round in favour of Hindenburg?
Jarres
Who did the SPD favour?
Marx had a better chance of winning than against Braun
Why was Hindenburg a symbol of the past to voters?
Military uniform
War medals
Authoritarian views
Regarded election as beginning or restoration of the old order
What was Hindenburg referred to and what does it mean?
Ersatzkaiser(substitute emperor)
Was was Hindenburgs election seen as?
A major step away from parliamentary democracy
What was surprising about Hindenburg once he became president?
He followed the constitution and did not abuse his power
He also got the DNVP to be more constructive in the workings of the Weimar Republic
Why did Hindenburg start to abuse his power by the 1930s?
Becoming increasingly impatient with this political manoeuvring at time of political crisis
What did president Hindenburg get the DNVP to do?
Play a more constructive role in parliamentary democracy
Why were the old elites hostile to the republic and why was this hostility strengthened?
The republic was born out of betrayal of the fatherland
Strengthened by the treaty of Versailles and the political and economic crisis of the early years of the Weimar Republic (Hindenburg reduced this hostility somewhat)
Why were the industrial workers against the republic?
Felt it has not delivered on its promises of greater equality and social justice and that the crushing of revolts by the army and police was evidence that the parliamentary democracy was failing
What is the class group that suffered the most as a result of the hyperinflation crisis through losing their savings?
The lower-middle class-mittelstand
What can be used as evidence that political conservatives were beginning to adapt and accommodate to the new reality of the Weimar Republic?
The election of president Hindenburg in 1925
