Preview

Was The Weimar Republic A Sick Economy

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
889 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Was The Weimar Republic A Sick Economy
Essay:
Weimar was 'a sick economy' unable to carry out redistribution of wealth and resources. To what extent do you agree with this statement?
The Weimar Republic was a period in German history which occurred between 1919 and 1933 which was when the government was a democratic republic governed by a constitution. The end of the Weimar Republic occurred when Adolf Hitler took control. Under the Weimar constitution, Germany was divided into 19 different states. Many people had equal rights, because all citizens had the right to vote for members of the Reichstag of for the German Parliament and for their president. The president’s job was to appoint a chancellor. Many historians will agree that the Weimar Republic was a brilliant idea and on
…show more content…
Stresemann had temporarily made strong political and economic nations. But all of Stresemann’s political stability was bought at a price. The price was the subject of Germany to Western financiers and more especially to New York Stock Exchange buisnesses. Germany was humiliated by foreign creditors because it was under constant supervision and this resulted in financial slavery. Another problem that Germany encountered was that its fate depended on American prosperity. Germany’s ability to pay their reparations depended on its acquirement of foreign loans. So if Germany was to stop payment at any point, its international credit would collapse; and with it the whole political system which Stresemann had built up. On the 24th of October (called “Black Thursday”) there was panic selling on the New York stock exchange reacting to the business crisis that was taking place in America. Thus when the stock market collapsed on Wall Street on Tuesday 29 October 1929 (Black Tuesday) it resulted in disastrous effects for many financial markets. The German economy was especially vulnerable because its economy was built of mainly foreign capital which was generally loans from the United States of America and it was very dependent on foreign trade. When the USA asked for its loan repayments from Germany the world market for Germany exports ceased. As production levels fell, many German workers were let go from their jobs. There were approximately two and a half million people unemployed within Germany at this time. Along with this banks were unable to keep up with the money that they were losing and savings accounts were wiped out. Inflation followed which ruined the lives of many Germans and destroyed the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    The Weimar republic was introduced on the back of Germany’s defeat at WWI, the resignation of Kaiser Wilhelm II and the widely despised signature of the Treaty of Versailles. These conditions led to its collapse in 1933, and also the great rise in popularity for the Nazi party during this period. There is no doubt that a number of economic factors played a crucial role in the collapse of the Weimar republic and the rise of the Nazis, however, numerous other factors also played a part. Some historians consider a lack of effective opposition a major contributing in the expansion of the Nazis. It has also been argued that the appeal of the Nazi party won them many votes. Finally, the impact of other political factors cannot be ignored when considering this issue.…

    • 1662 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    During the years 1924 to 1929 the Weimar Republic appeared to recover from the disasters of 1923. The period of 1924 - 1929 is often seen as the high point of the Weimar Republic. This interpretation is also heightened by the fact that the period before it (1919-1923) was filled with the crisis and chaos of rebellions, political assassinations and hyperinflation. Also, the political and economic uncertainty that followed in 1929-1933 added to this description. Stresemann introduced a new currency called the Rentenmark, which ended hyperinflation! The introduction of the Rentenmark was highly significant, it allowed the currency to stabilise and supported by the Dawes Plan it stood a good chance of not succumbing to inflationary pressures as had previously happened. The new Rentenmark was valued at 1 Rentenmark to One Trillion old marks. Inflation stopped being a problem; the German people accepted the value of the new currency and businesses accepted it as being of worth. The new currency encouraged foreign investment in Germany’s…

    • 739 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A major flaw in the Weimar constitution was the proportional representation electoral system, which was an attempt to become more democratic. Democracy comes at the price of a strong government as it is usually difficult to form a stable government in a democracy. This can be manifested by the fact that in the mere period of 14 years, there were 21 different governments and 13 chancellors. This shows that the Weimar government lacked stability and strength which would make it almost impossible for the government to be effective and tackle the problems. How could the government solve the difficult troubles that Germany was facing, when they could not even manage to cooperate and unite? Since, proportional representation is one of the fairest electoral systems, it was impossible to form a strong single party government who had a good hold in the Reichstag and only weak coalitions which could not agree upon a decision was formed. Weak coalitions meant ineffective and incompetent governments. On the other hand, it could be said that the Weimar governments were not as unstable as it is claimed to be. The Weimar constitution has produced effective and stable governments such as the grand coalition which was seen as a strong government and it stood for the longest amount of time. Also, despite the numerous changes in government, the base parties of…

    • 999 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the years following World War I, Germany had suddenly became a democratic state. The Weimar Republic created a divided situation in Germany, one that led to its downfall. The weak leadership of those at the head of government, the apathy of the German population towards democracy and the outright rejection of democracy by the communists were all factors that led to the instability and downfall of the Weimar Republic.…

    • 1018 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The collapse of the Weimar Republic and the subsequent takeover by Adolf Hitler in 1933 was influenced by a wide range of factors. Although the revolution of 1918 resulted in a drastic shift within the German political system, the same could not be said for the social structure, culture and old institutes of Germany. Famously acknowledged as a “republic born with a hole in its heart” the overturn of the Hohenzollern monarchy in replacement for the Republic, was fraught with difficulties from its onset, including the failure of the conservative elites to support democracy, the perceived injustice of the Treaty of Versailles, economic and political instability, and the rise to power of the Nazis. A catalyst for the collapse was the Great Depression which unleashed economic, social and political chaos in Germany in the era between 1930 and 1933. With the appointment of Hitler as Chancellor in January 1933, the Weimar Republic ceased to exist.…

    • 2088 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    One could argue that the Weimar Republic was very much a prosperous and stable country from the years 1924-9. After all, these were called Germany’s “Golden Years”. Heavy industry was back to the same production levels as it was before the Great War, which attracted lots of foreign investment. However, One could also argue that the Weimar Republic wasn’t as stable and prosperous as it seemed. Germany was still incredibly reliant on US loans and unemployment never fell below 1.3 million.…

    • 874 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Imperial Germany was replaced by the Weimar Republic on the 9th of November 1918 opening the door for the democracy which subsequently lead to political instability and a contrastingly new liberal society. This new republic adopted the Weimar constitution which created the first parliamentary democracy in Germany. The change in society from a previously autocratic society is highlighted by a passage in the Constitution saying “The German Commonwealth is a Republic. Political authority is derived from the People”. Electors were now all men and women above the age of 20 compared to before where it was men only above the age of 25. It also guaranteed personal freedoms such as religious freedom and freedom of speech. This new highly liberal and democratic society highlighted a change in society from the previous autocratic one controlled by the Kaiser. However the Weimar constitution had flaws in it which were used ultimately in its fall such as Article 48 and proportional representation in the Reichstag. Historian Eric Weitz said “The flaws…were to do [more] with…the fact that German society was so fragmented” highlighting that although there were flaws, they could have worked under a society more committed to democratic…

    • 1649 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    A significant problem with the Weimar republic was the fact that it was constitutionally weak; the very nature of the PR system proves this, due to the failure to form a majority government. Parties only needed 2% of votes in order to gain seats. There were also a lot of elections, for example in 1932 there were…

    • 1145 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Miss

    • 961 Words
    • 3 Pages

    To what extent was the prosperity and stability experienced by the Weimar Republic in the mid 1920s superficial?…

    • 961 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Weimar Republic, a parliamentary democracy established in Germany after World War I, came to an end when the Nazi Socialists rose to power. Soon after Hitler became the…

    • 1253 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hitler's Economic Miracle

    • 1001 Words
    • 5 Pages

    After some rough years came a better time for Germany. The years 1924 to 1929 are now known as “The Golden Years”. It became peaceful and USA lent Germany a lot of money. The economy was then rebuilt and unemployment was reduced. People began to feel more secure. But that time didn’t last long. The collapse of the American economy after the Wall Street Crash during 1929 had huge consequences on a lot of countries in Europe. Unemployment and poverty was growing more and more between 1929 and 1933.…

    • 1001 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The terrible economic choices were down to the President, who was an old 84 year old man with, surprisingly, no economic experience. The Chancellor had fallen back on article 48 of th Weimar constitution, to try to save the government, which gave the president some advantages. However, as mentioned before, he had no economic experience.…

    • 265 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    ww2 vocab

    • 978 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Weimar Republic - the new government (or nation) of Germany established in 1919 out of anger toward the results of WWI. The republic came to an end in 1933.…

    • 978 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Essays

    • 495 Words
    • 2 Pages

    “…to the ordinary German, it [the hyperinflation of 1923] was the fault of a government that had accepted reparations payments….and appeared to have played no active part to prevent the crisis….deepening.” McGonigle…

    • 495 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Third Reich

    • 473 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Nazi rise to power brought an end to the Weimar Republic, a parliamentary democracy established in Germany after World War I. Following the appointment of Adolf Hitler as chancellor on January 30, 1933, the Nazi state (also referred to as the Third Reich) quickly became a regime in which Germans enjoyed no guaranteed basic rights. After a suspicious fire in the Reichstag (the German Parliament), on February 28, 1933, the government issued a decree which suspended constitutional civil rights and created a state of emergency in which official decrees could be enacted without parliamentary confirmation.…

    • 473 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays