Political developments and the working of democracy, 1924-28. Flashcards
Why were the years 1924-28 much calmer than the immediate post-war years?
Political violence receded, extremist parties attracted less support in elections and the trauma of hyper-inflation had been successfully treated.
2 elections in 1924, what did they indicate?
A return of greater support for parties that supported the Weimar Republic, SPD, DDP, DVP and Centre.
What percent votes did pro-republican parties get in the 1924 elections?
Over 61% in May
67% in December
What % votes did Nazis get in the 1924 elections?
6.5% in May
3% in December
What happened in the 1928 election?
Support for extremist and anti-republican parties declined even further. Nazis vote went down lower than 1924; 2.6%, winning only 12 seats.
How many coalition cabinets were there between Nov 1923 and March 1930?
Seven
What was the issue of a coalition cabinet?
Inherently unstable, seemingly trivial issues could wreck a coalition cabinet.
What was the problem with establishing a stable coalition government in 1928?
Number of workable combinations of parties was limited. SPD and DNVP would not serve together and the moderate parties did not have enough seats to command a Reichstag majority.
Who led the Grand Coalition in 1928?
Hermann Muller of the SPD.
When did the Grand Coalition remain in office until?
March 1930.
What were there on going disputes over in the 1928 coalition? What the only reason the government survived?
Disputes over the budget and over foreign policy and the government only survived because of the strong working relationship between Muller and Stresemann, the Foreign Minister.
What factors meant pro-democratic parties failed to establish a stable democratic system supported by Germans?
-Deputies in the Reichstag did not represent a particular constituency, instead were chosen from party lists to collectively represent a large area, no direct connection between deputy and constituents.
-Party list systems gave party committees control over Reichstag deputies, Reichstag became a rather sterile debating chamber.
What weakened many parties that was the leaderships fault?
Factional rivalries. When leading party members became ministers in coalition cabinets, part committees would not allow them any flexibility to operate on their own initiative.
Why was the SPD more comfortable in opposition than in government/
They were inflexible on important issues and unwilling to make the kind of compromises that participation in coalition governments involved.
Why was the centre party established?
To defend the interests of the Roman Catholic Church in the German Empire and this remained its priority in the Weimar Republic.
Who was the centre party supported by?
Industrial workers and industrialists, farmers and their landlords, together with professional groups such as teachers.
Who did the DDP appeal to?
Mainly academics and professional groups and it gave the impression of being composed of worthy intellectuals who had limited political experience.
Who supported the DVP?
Support amongst academics but its main support came from industrialists.
When did the DVP start drifting right?
DVP provided leading politician from 1924 to 1929, Gustav Stresemann but after his death, the party drifted right.
Who supported the DNVP in the 1920s?
Landowners, industrialists, professional groups and industrial workers.
DNVP mains aims and beliefs:
Anti-democratic and nationalist, its main aims being restoration of the monarchy and dismantling of the Treaty of Versailles.
How did Hitler promote the NSDAP after he got out of prison and why was it hard?
The party and its stormtroopers were banned organisations. Until 1927 he was not allowed to speak in public. He used the time to assert his undisputed control over the Nazi party and reorganise it and re-orientate its campaigning.
Who did the Nazis try to appeal to in 1928 to grow support?
To capitalise off of the discontent of farmers, the Nazis began to concentrate their efforts in rural areas, especially in the mainly protestant north of Germany.
What were the Nazis achievements by October 1929?
Membership grew to 150,000 and they took control of its first town council.
Where did the KPD have support ?
Industrial and port areas such as the Ruhr, Saxony and Hamburg, and also in Berlin, and it had significant presence in the Reichstag.
Who was the KPD controlled by?
Soviet leadership.
When did Ebert, first president of the Weimar Republic die?
28th February 1925.
What were the terms of the constitution regarding the election of a president?
Unless a candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the first round, there had to be a second ballot and it was possible to nominate alternative candidates in this second ballot.
What happened in the first round of the 1925 election?
There were 7 candidates. Jarres for the right (DVP and DNVP) won the most votes, SPD in second but there was no outright winner.
What happened in the second round of the 1925 election?
Jarres withdrew in favour of Hindenburg. Number of candidates reduced to 3. On 26th April, Hindenburg won with 48.3% to Marx’s 45.3%.
Who was hostile to parliamentary democracy and held firm to the view that the Republic was born out of betrayal to the fatherland?
Old elites.
What strengthened the old elites’ hostility to the Republic?
Signing of the humiliating Versailles treaty and by the political and economic crises of the early years of the Republic.
Whose support was vital for moderate political parties if the Weimar R was to succeed in establishing solid foundations?
Middle-class
