This strengthened the autocratic government and endangered the involvement the people had in their own country. With the German citizens losing their voice and representation in their government, the grasp of democracy was gradually being loosened by the undeniable presence of autocracy. As Germany continued to expand its power to other countries and therefore forming alliances, the spread of their autocracy and the threat of their alliance against the United States was a given
This indicated that if a democratic government ruled Germany the Nazis would not possess the same power. However, as a product of the dire economic situation in Germany, The Nazi party found its way to power. Following WWI, throughout Europe, authoritarian and fascist governments came to power in suffering nations as a direct result of their
At first, Reich evokes a feeling of hopelessness and disappointment in the reader by explaining how there is no longer democracy in the US. This can be seen when Reich states that, "political parties stopped representing the views of most constituents," (Reich, 2) and that, "we entered a vicious cycle in which political power became more concentrated in monied interests that used the power to their advantage," (Reich, 2). By including this, Reich is showing the reader the true severity of the situation in which the people no longer have a say in public policy because money and power has become the main focus. However, as the blog continues, Reich begins to generate a more positive emotion in the reader. Reich states that "the only way back towards democracy...for the majority is for us to get politically active once again...," (Reich, 3) and that "the rest of us need to do what we can do best -- use out voices, our vigor, and our votes."
Berman argues that the central problem of Germany that accommodated the actions of the Nazi Party involved the weak political institutions of the state such as political parties (402). Without strong political parties to respond to the demands of German citizens as whole, the German society in both the Wilhelmine and Weimar eras lacked trust and common interests. Berman argues that associationism can only benefit democratic societies when the state has adequate political institutions that are able to channel the demands of the various groups (427). Therefore, although Berman is not necessarily against civil society, she argues that strong and legitimate political institutions must serve as preconditions in order for democracy to
As illustrated in Document L, Germany depicted Jews as the root of their problems. The multiple failures of democratic governments angered citizens into a revolt for new change in political aspects of the country. In essence, it allowed them to put the blame on others in an attempt to resolve the internal issues within Germany. Correspoinsidly in Document G, the rise of fascism directly influenced political parties in the German democracy as the number of Nazi members of the Reichstag began from twelve in 1928 and rose to 230 by 1933. Similarly, Russia needed a new way of life and leadership following the Russian Revolution in 1917.
From 1929 to 1939, black Tuesday brought financial despair and political uncertainty to the nation, triggering a domino effect of challenges to democratic systems in the United States. With a crippled economy, distrust of the government and civil unrest hanging over the nation, the American people were forced to confront the hard truth that their government, the idea of democracy and the carefully constructed society they lived in could not guarantee economic prosperity. The resulting desperation prompted the American people to scrutinize the motives, efficiency and freedoms of the nation's democratic governance. This essay will explore the extent to which the Great Depression caused and sustained challenges to democracy in the United
World War I, or also known as the War to End All Wars was a global war that began in July, 28th, 1914 and ended in November, 11, 1918. The war included 70 million military personnel, most of them were Europeans who fought in one of the most enormous wars in history. Around 7 million civilians and over 9 million soldiers were killed by the gruesome new technological and industrial advancements in weapons of destruction, including a new devastating type of strategy called Trench Warfare. Trench Warfare caused devastation in every front and in Europe, however it also caused destruction in the minds of soldiers. War in All quiet on the Western Front is shown as futile and dehumanizing to the soldiers however comradeship also flourishes in the war
The young Weimar Republic was wracked by armed street fighting waged mainly between Communists and Nazis. Foreclosures, bankruptcies, suicides and malnourished all skyrocketed. Six million Germans, 40 per cent of the working population, were unemployed; and thousands found themselves without a place to live….” (2) The Bruning government failed to respond to the German population
The Third Reich, referring to Hitler’s reign and Germany being under Nazi rule between the years 1933-1945, is often referred to as a totalitarian state. A totalitarian state is a system of government in which all power is centralized and does not allow any rival authorities, and the state controls every corner of individual lives with absolute power. Nazi Germany has been referred to as an excellent example of this type of government. This essay will analyse five aspects of Nazi Germany to determine whether it truly exhibited the totalitarian style of government.
OVERVIEW Foreign Policy As of 1933, our position in the world can hardly be worse. We are militarily impotent and diplomatically isolated. The whole world is revolted with so called “Nazi excesses” and is opposed to the establishment of the regime. This is clearly outlined in the apparent hostility by Germany’s neighbours, in particular Poland and France.
The weaknesses faced by the Weimar Republic was known which also enabled Hitler to exploit the weaknesses of the left and the moderates. Appearing to be the strong leader and withholding the communication skills needed to lead a country, he was able to gain the votes he needed (Orlow 'Modern Germany ' p.185). There were violent strikes in the streets, back and forth fighting, rioting. People were killed and the people of Germany, who feared Communism and despise chaos, sided with the “volkishe” parties, who promised to establish law and order. The people of Germany thought rather than having thousands die it would be better to have law and order and break a few heads than to live with that chaos.
In this source analysis, I will look into the speech given by German Social Democrat, Otto Wels on March 23, 1933. It should also be mentioned that Thomas Dunlap translated this speech into English, which will be the primary source for this essay. The speech given by Wells was in protest to Hitler’s Enabling act; a law that would help provide Hitler and his followers with a legal path towards a dictatorship. The vote for the enabling act and the speech given by Wells, were held in the Reichstag on the same day, but as history has shown, Hitler’s Nazi Party prevailed, and the democratic makeup of the Weimer Republic was washed away. The significance of this speech is quite prevalent today, in retrospect to the grisly past of the Third Reich,
Of all modern democracies, the United States, Great Britain, and France are among the most exemplary illustrations of liberal democracy. Although these three nations share the characteristics of liberal democracies, they differ greatly in multiple facets of their respective political cultures. Both the similarities and differences among these nations can be attributed to each country’s history, more specifically because of their revolutionary paths to liberation into modernity. The diversity of each country’s political practices, from political participation to governmental structure, while varying between them, still uphold the values of liberal democracy that allow these nations to succeed today. In this paper, I will be focusing on the divergence
However, without the socio-economic problems that Germany encountered and the weakness of their political situation, Hitler would not have had the opportunity to come into power and destory democracy in 1933. In 1918, a republic was announced with the socialist Frederich Ebert as chancellor. Ebert wanted to sign the armistice
The political party model then spread over many parts of Western Europe, including France and Germany, over the 19th century. Since then, they have become the most common political system in the world. In this essay, we will show how political parties are essential to ensuring democracy. We will also show that there are unavoidable negative consequences to the party system. One of the fundamental tenants of democracy is the
