7- Political Developments and the Working of Democracy

Question 1

How many Reichstag elections were there in 1924 and what did they indicate?

Answer 1

2 elections that indicated a return of greater support for the parties of the Weimar Republic- SPD, DDP, ZP and DVP

Question 2

What were the dates of the 1924 elections?

Answer 2

May 1924

• Pro-republican parties: 61%votes
• NSDAP: First contested by Nazis, with 6.5%

December 1924

• Pro-republican parties: 67%
• NSDAP: 3%
• Votes also fell for the KPD

Question 3

What dot the 1924 elections show?

Answer 3

The years 1924-28 were much calmer than the post-war ones. Political violence decreased and extremist parties attracted less support in elections.

Although nationalist parties on the right began to accept the republic and work with it rather than against it, their electoral position weakened from Dec 1924

The DNVP (conservative right-wing) joined its first coalition in 1925.

Question 4

What was the position of dem parties in 1924?

Answer 4

They were struggling to provide stable govs that had widespread support- right-wing anti-republican parties were still in a position to do political damage to the Republic

Question 5

What happened in the 1928 election?

Answer 5

Extremist and anti-republican parties declined even further (NSDAP had 2.6% of the vote).

However, the KPD saw a revival of its electoral support.

Question 6

How many coalition cabinets were there between Nov 1923 and March 1930?

Answer 6

7

1. Aug 1923- Stresemann- DVP

2 & 3. Marx- Centre
4 & 5. Luther- No party
6 & 7. Marx- Centre
8. June 1928- Muller- SPD

Question 7

Were govs in the Golden Era stable?

Answer 7

No. There were 7 coalition cabinets between Nov 1923 and March 1930.

Govs were therefore scarcely more stable than those in the years 1919-23, despite the fact that support for extremist parties had fallen.

These coalition govs were inherently unstable- 6/23 cabinets between 1919 and 1932 had majority support in the Reichstag.

Question 8

What was the result of the instability of governments during the Golden Age?

Answer 8

• Govs couldn’t plan for the long term
• Seemingly trivial issues could wreck a coalition cabinet, as for example the collapse of Luther’s gov in 1926 after a dispute over flags (display of the imperial one).
• Problems with keeping a stable coalition arose bc the number of workable combinations of parties was limited:
  
  • SPD and DNVP wouldn’t serve in the same cabinet and the moderate parties didn’t have enough seats to reach a Reichstag maj.

Question 9

What offered the potential for a + stable gov in 1928?

Answer 9

The formation of the Grand Coalition led by Hermann Muller of the SPD.

• 1 of the longest lived coalitions of the Weimar era, until March 1930.
• This coalition was also divided:
  
  • Ongoing disputes over budget and foreign policy
  • Gov only survived bc of the strong working relationship between Muller and Stresemann, Foreign Minister.

Question 10

Why did pro-democracy parties fail to establish a stable democratic system supported by the maj during the Golden Age?

Answer 10

1. Deputies in the Reichstag didn’t represent constituencies, instead, due to proportional representation, deputies were chosen from party lists to collectively represent a large area.
   
   • NO DIRECT CONNECTION BETWEEN DEPUTY AND THEIR CONSTITUENTS.
2. Deputies weren’t allowed to display individuality, they had to act according to the dictates of their party.
   
   • REICHSTAG DEBATES WERE REMOTE FROM THE CONCERNS OF ORDINARY VOTERS.
3. Leadership of pro-democracy parties also at fault: factional rivalries weakened many parties.
   
   • PARTY LEADERS OFTEN GAVE HIGHER PRIORITY TO PROTECTING THR INTERESTS OF THEIR OWN PARTY THAN TO THE WIDER NATIONAL INTEREST.
   • support for democratic institutions suffered as a result.