Chapter 7 - Political Developments And The Working Of Democracy Flashcards
What happened in the elections in 1924
In may 1924 over 61% voted for pro republican parties, the may 1924 election was the first contested by the Nazis when they won 6.5% of the vote. On the left the communist party also saw its fortunes fall. The political developments of 1924 showed that the democratic parties were struggling to provide stable governments that commanded widespread support
What happened in the 1928 elections
In the 1928 election support for extremist and anti republican parties declined even further. The Nazis made little impression on the national political scene in 28. Their share of the vote went down even lower than in 1924. With 2.6% of the vote and winning only 12 seats. The communist party however saw a revival of its electoral support in 1928.
What were the different coalition governments
There were 7 coalition cabinets between 1923-1930. Govs in the Weimar Republic’s so called golden age therefore were scarcely more stable than those in the years 1919-23 despite the fact that support for anti democratic parties was falling. Coalition govs throughout the short history of the Weimar Republic were inherently unstable. Only six of the 23 cabinets had majority support in the reichstag and many minority govs only survived as long as there was some semblance of unity between the parties that made up the coalitions. In this situation govs couldn’t plan for the long term.
Why did lots of coalition govs not work
In there situation governments couldn’t plan for the long term. Instead they tended to muddle along from issue to issue. Sometimes seemingly trivial issues could wreck a coalition cabinet. The problems of establishing and sustaining a stable coalition gov arose because the number of workable combinations of parties was limited. The SPD and DNVP for example wouldn’t work together.
Which coalition gov showed signs of working
The formation of the broadly based Grand coalition in 1928 led by Herman Muller of the SPD showed signs of being a stable government.
Why did the pro democracy parties fail to establish a stable democratic system
Deputies in the reichstag didn’t represent a particular constituency instead under proportional representation deputies were chosen from party lists to collectively represent a large area. Secondly, the party list system gave party committees control over Reichstag deputies. Deputies weren’t allowed to display any individuality but had to behave according to the dictates of their party bureaucracies
. The result was that the Reichstag became a rather sterile debating chamber.
How did the SPD develop
From 24-28 the SPD remained the largest party in the Reichstag. It had a vital interest in the success of democratic gov. Yet the SPD participated in only one of the 6 coalition govs that were established in these years. It’s hangover from the past tended to make the SPD rather inflexible on important issues and unwilling to make the kind of compromises that participation in the coalition gov involved. It therefore tended to be a party that was more comfortable in opposition than in gov. They had no support from young people and farmers but got support from trade unions and industrial workers.
How did the DDP develop
The liberal DDP a was in decline by the mid 1920s. It’s appeal was mainly to academics and professional groups. It was also increasingly riven by internal disputes and had great difficulty in conveying clearly and unequivocally what it stood for. It was nevertheless a party committed to the success of parliamentary democracy and participated in all of the coalition govs of this period
How did the DVP develop
The conservative DVP was committed to parliamentary democracy and also participated in all coalition cabinets of the period. It’s main support came from industrialists. The DVP provided Gustav Stresemann.
How did the DNVP develop
The conservative DNVP broadened its appeal in the 1920s beyond its traditional base amongst landowners in the east of Germany. By the 1920s it had attracted support from industrialists, professional groups and even some industrial workers. It was anti democratic and nationalist with its main aims being to restore the monarchy and disbanding the TOV. As an anti Weimar party the DNVP refused to join any coalitions most of the time. However there were growing divisions within the party with many of its new members willing to compromise with democratic parties. They joined some coalitions in 1926-27. In the reichstag election however the DNVP suffered a significant loss of support which encouraged the right in the party to return to their anti democratic ways.
How did the Nazi party develop
After the failure of the Munich putsch the Nazi party entered a period of decline but also reflection and recognition. Hitler took the opportunity to think about Nazi party tactics whilst in prison. He came to the conclusion that the route to power was not through an armed overthrow of the Weimar Republic but through winning mass support. Until 1927 Hitler wasn’t allowed to speak in public. He used the time to assert his undisputed control over the Nazi party. At the end of 1927 the Nazi party had only 75k members and 7 deputies in the Reichstag. In 1928 the Nazis began to concentrate their efforts in rural areas especially in the Protestant north of Germany. The Nazis did badly in the 1928 Reichstag election losing 100k votes. The party’s membership grew to 150k in 1929.
How did the KPD develop
The KPD was the largest communist party outside Russia but it never became a genuinely mass party. It had support in important industrial and port areas such as the Ruhr etc. It also had a significant presence in the Reichstag. It was dedicated to the overthrow of the Weimar Republic. They were dictated by the communist party of the Soviet Union.
How did Hindenburg get elected as president in 1925
Under the terms of the constitution unless a candidate received more than 50% of the vote, there also had to be a second ballot. In the first round there was 7 candidates and then in the second round it was reduced to 3 who were Hindenburg, Marx and Thalmann. Hindenburg ended up winning with 48.3% to Marxs 45.3%. Hindenburg was a symbol of the past who was revered by the right who regarded his election as the beginning of the restoration of the old order. Others saw it as a step away from parliamentary democracy. This wasn’t true in the sort term as Hindenburg appealed to parties in the reichstag to work with him in restoring national unity. By the early 1930s Hindenburg was becoming increasingly impatient with the party political manoeuvring at a time of serious economic crisis and he used his powers to rule by decree on a routine basis.
What were the attitudes to the republic from the elites and other social groups
The old elites, the civil service and the judiciary were hostile to parliamentary democracy and held firm to the view that the republic was born out of betrayal of the fatherland. This hostility was strengthened by the signing of the humiliating TOV. The election of Hindenburg went some way towards reconciling the elites to the existence of the republic but only because they believed that Hindenburg would steer Germany back towards a more authoritarian form of gov. At the other end of the spectrum there were many industrial workers who felt that the republic had not delivered on its promises of greater equality and social justice and that the crushing of revolts by the army and police was clear evidence that parliamentary democracy was failing. There were many among the middle class who continued to broadly support the Weimar Republic but there were many more especially in the lower middle class who had suffered a decline in their income as a result of hyperinflation and their resentment of the republic continued to fester.
