History of Modern Germany

Introduction

Through numerous recollections presented by historians over time, these recollection have solely posed the question towards the many elements that contributed towards the fall of Weimar. The fall of Weimar Republic continues to be one of the mysteries that has been consistently debated on, for a possible solution. The only plausible response that satisfies the ambiguous nature of this debate, relies on the explanation that various influential factors were responsible for this. Although isolating the factors to assign weight towards certain types to be more influential than the other can be challenging. Since, during that time, Weimar being at the mercy of different elements and factors such as those that were short-term or structural, economic or political influences, and internal or external forces, was being affected by each in their respective manner. From the perspective of a simple observer, the downfall of Weimar democracy can be associated with Nazism and Adolf Hitler’s being the chief architects in its collapse.

Discussion

Fall of Weimar

Through an average observer’s perception, the chief architects of Weimar’s downfall are easily associated with the contribution of Nazism and Adolf Hitler, however, this would have required for the birth of proper economic conditions, prevalent before Nazism and Hitler’s ascension to power. From the viewpoint of some historians, the major contributors for the downfall arose due to post-war conditions, whereas a majority is of the belief that Germany as a nation lacked the essentials for running a democratic form of government (Berman 1997).

1. Treaty of Versailles

The post-war peace treaty which was signed in Versailles, France during the year 1919 bore heavy consequences for Germany. The treaty imposed conditions and criteria’s that resulted in oppressing Germany, paving way for numerous debates to arise and as a result gave political division initiated within the country. The political divide caused numerous groups to surface, voicing their opinion over the conditions of the treaty. A group with the majority within these groups was of NSDAP, a group of right-wing nationalist, presenting their unwavering stance against the terms of the treaty and demanding the immediate response to it (Caldwell 2017). Later on, under the reign of minister Gustav Stresemann, different efforts were undertaken to build up foreign relations, in attempts to renegotiate conditions of the Versailles treaty (Turner 2015).

1. The Reparation burden

Reparations were a major consideration for the financial debt Germany was put into. Being associated with the initial treaty, one of the conditions placed Germany into a financial debt, based on the role it plays during World War I. A thorough analysis into history represents a prominent factor of whether Germany was able to meet the obligation or not. Although a popular belief indicates that the reparable amount was quite excessive at the time. This factor played a significant part in further breaking down Germany’s economic condition, in the post-war time.

1. The significance of Conspiracy Theories

The political instability became favorable grounds for many conspiracies to extend their reaches further. Among these conspiracies, Dolchstsosselegende became one of the most prominent and influential ones. The theory targeted the defeat Germany suffered in 1918, being of the opinion that it was majorly because of it being a construct of liberal, Jews and socialists residing in Germany.

Personal Perception towards Weimar

Living at the time when the Versailles Treaty was signed, would have been one of the dominating indications, in my opinion. The treaty itself was designed to bring Germany on to its knees, subjected to various implications of conditions included in the treaty, as well as the reparable bill to be paid. The conspiracy theory can be the second sign towards the realization that conditions are being built up that will end in an evident downfall for the Weimar Democratic Republic.

In a proper analysis, the events that followed after signing the post-war peace treaty were in proper alignment towards bringing these efforts to a fruitful state. The reparation was the dominant factor in this situation, being the final nail, driven into the coffin. As a civilian, living in the post-war state of Germany, these signs would have presented a clear understanding towards the evident downfall of Weimar. Another significant factor appeared to be of the little or no support offered by the political parties, which undermined the system and demonstrated various attacks on it. The hostility demonstrated from these political parties had a prominent impact on the Weimar democracy, contributing greatly towards public distrust and weaker support for the government system.

Conclusions

The downfall of Weimar reflects on many elements, some of them self-driven while the rest imposed on the government. The treaty signed at Versailles being the initiator for this commotion while aiding many other elements to arise and affect the democratic government. The political instability became favorable grounds for many conspiracies, among which Dolchstsosselegende became one of the most prominent and influential ones. The theory targeted the defeat Germany suffered in 1918, being of the opinion that it was majorly because of it being a construct of liberal, Jews and socialists residing in Germany. The bill of reparations placed Germany into a financial debt, based on the role it plays during World War I. The reparable amount imposed on Germany was quite excessive at the time as well. Weimar being at the mercy of different elements and factors such as those that were short-term or structural, economic or political influences, and internal or external forces, was being affected by each in their respective manner.

Works Cited

Berman, Sheri. “Civil society and the collapse of the Weimar Republic.” World politics 49.3 (1997): 401-429.

Caldwell, Peter C. “The Collapse of the Weimar Republic: German Émigrés and the American Cold War.” Perspectives on Politics 15.2 (2017): 477-481.

Turner, Henry Ashby. Streseman and Politics of Weimar Republic. Princeton University Press, 2015.