The Weimar Republic

Directive Term: More significant – similar to ‘to what extent’, requires for a thorough assessment of the evidence in presenting an argument. Explore alternative explanations where/if they exist.

Introduction:

Initially, it became a commonplace to adhere to the orthodox view that the political, social and economic plight of 1919 to 1929 laid in the hands of the peacemakers of 1918; a treaty in which would ultimately obstruct the legitimacy of the fledgling democracy. Recent historians however have tended to view the peacemakers in a more sympathetic light, as earlier German rhetoric of the treaty was no longer readily accepted as it once was. Whilst the Treaty led to the circulation of the dolchstosslegende myth, prospered through nationalistic

Carsten argued that due to the army’s independent position, the reichswehr weakened the democratic order which would be a contributing factor to its demise.

• "The Republic was incapable of incorporating the Reichswehr... It [The Republic] was unable to control it or to win its unqualified allegiance." - Louis L Snyder

Body Paragraph 3 – Proportional Representation Inherent flaws imbedded in the constitution played a pivotal role in the eventual downfall of the Weimar Republic, a way in which the Treaty of Versailles alone could not be responsible for.

• The inauguration of the proportional representation voting system, whilst debatably being the ‘advanced democracy in the world’, was a facilitator of social distrust due to the perception it generated of instability.

• Proportional representation allowed the emergence of splinter groups and numerous political parties, creating a complex process to form and sustain a stable government.

• The historical debate over the significant of the emerging constitutional and whether the inherent flaws of the democratic system were soon to be factor in the demise of

However, the notion that the treaty of Versailles was the foremost factor which hindered the creditability of the emerging Weimar Republic from the onset fails to hold legitimacy in its claims. As asserted by Mary Fulbrook, the conditions in which Weimar democracy were born were ‘certainly not such as to help it flourish; and as it unfolded, it was clearly saddled with a burden of problems, in a range of areas. ’ The failure of democracy in Germany from 1919 to 1934 was a product of its time; multifaceted and perhaps unavoidable given its calamitous circumstances. Whilst treaty of Versailles was not the consequence of the eventual collapse of the fledgling democracy; it was however the economic conditions in which Germany failed to effectively handle from 1914 onwards, coupled with the continuation of the structures of imperial and inherent flaws in the constitution that all played pivotal roles in impacting the legitimacy of the emerging Weimar