To what extent did economic weaknesses contribute to the collapse of the Weimar Republic?
Economic weaknesses contributed to the collapse of the Weimar Republic to a great extent, as economic weakness gave rise to further political and social issues.
(It's great how your first sentence responds to the question with your own opinion. However, in either your first or second sentences, you need to provide the details about the time period.)Not only did the Republic face hyperinflation and the
great depression (capital letters!), the new leaders had to face political hardships such as the terms of the treaty of Versailles and faults within
it’s constitution
(this sounds like you are saying the faults within the Treaty's Constitution. I think you need to rephrase this to make sure it is clear that you are talking about the Republic's Constitution.). The n
ew government (Can you be more concise here? Who was the new government? What kind of government? Democratic? Republic? Monarchy? This is a key detail in this time period! had to face these matters without the
(Well, there was support, but only to a certain degree. So make sure you clarify that there wasn't overwhelming/majority support) support of the German public and the mass of political competition, particularly the rise of the of the Nazi party. Ultimately the impacts of economic weakness lead to the collapse of the Weimar Republic in 1933.
Economic weaknesses alone proved to be a significant contributor to the collapse of the Weimar Republic.
This is essentially your thesis. Instead, we want to see what will dictate this paragraph specifically, not what your whole introduction aims at. Your paragraph needs to show a direct link to what is yet to come in your body paragraph, in the first line of the para.By 1918 the German economy was severely impacted by their funding of the First World War
Can you get a figure here to show how much they spent? How much in debt they were?. The obstruction of
German imports and exports through the naval blockade, as well as the strict control of all European exports to Germany, through the 1917 Memorandum to the War Cabinet on the trade blockade, destroyed the trade industry in Germany. This significant decrease of income and increase of war expenditure, including the spending of all German gold reserves, amounted in German bankruptcy. The Treaty of Versailles aggravated the economic strain upon Germany, as Germany was; ordered to pay upwards of $30 billion USD and stripped of income generating industrial areas such as Silesia, including the occupation of the Ruhr. British economist John Keynes criticised the severe impact that the treaty of Versailles would have upon Germany “The policy of reducing Germany to servitude for a generation, of degrading the lives of millions of human beings, and depriving a nation of happiness should be abhorrent and detestable.”1 Before the Weimar Republic was even established, the economic challenges were too great to overcome. In order to combat unemployment, and generate income to pay back reparations, the Weimar implemented social spending and raised prices nationwide. This increased the demand for money and thus resulted in the increased printing of paper marks, sparking hyperinflation.
You've raised a lot of points in this paragraph. Unfortunately, it lacks direction. This comes down to the way you opened the paragraph, I wasn't given the direction you wanted to take.Hyperinflation swept through Germany in 1923, as a result of the imposition of the Treaty of Versailles and the economic circumstances of Germany Post-World War One.
Yas!!! This is what I'm talking about. Hyperinflation - key term - i know what to expect now!) The terms of the Treaty meant that capital was geared towards the payment of reparations, however passive resistance during the French occupation of the Ruhr reduced output significantly.
(give me the year details for this - just so you show the marker that you know that this happened early on). German industry was majorly diminished and trade was weak, but the government did not carry out economic reforms to spare the suffering of the German people. Meanwhile the Weimar Republic carried out heavy expenditure on welfare and nationalised industries such as the railroad and postal service. In October 1923 only 0.8% of government expenses were funded through tax revenue. Therefore more money was required to match the demand for wages, war pensions, industry and most importantly, reparations. The value of the German currency fell and hyperinflation quickly set in, at the peak of hyperinflation in November 1923 one US dollar was worth 4.2 quadrillion marks.
(this is a great specific stat - great work! Stresemann
(Explain a little about Stresemann and about when he came in.) introduced the new currency, the Rentenmark, backed by German land and industrial assets to stabilise the German economy. The legacy of this hyperinflation crisis worsened the impact of the Great Depression in 1929.
In this paragraph, you start and end with the focus on hyperinflation. There is a part in the middle where it isn't so clear. You can mention smaller facts like that restaurant's didn't print menus with prices because the prices went up before the food arrives - or that people were carrying around wheelbarrows of money because there was not a note with a large enough monetary quantity to buy even a loaf of bread. In October 1929 the New York stock market collapsed and the United States recalled their short-term loans to Germany, and in turn the German economy began to collapse. David Childs affirms, “There were fears about Germany’s political future which caused massive repatriation of short term credits.”
(Tell me who David Childs is? You need to specify these things in an exam - just so that your marker isn't suspicious that David Childs is the boy you sit next to in class). Globally, countries moved to protect their own domestic assets, placing high prices on trade and tariffs on foreign goods. This shattered the German economy as it majorly relied on international trade. As a solution to the crisis Chancellor Heinrich Brüning applied a policy of deflation – detailing the increase of taxation and the decrease of government expenditure – in order to balance the budget and restore confidence to stimulate investment. Despite being rejected in the Reichstag
, Brüning appealed to the
President and used Article 48
of?to implement the new budget and later dissolve the Reichstag. This display of absolute power marks a significant moment for the failure of democracy in Germany. The impact of the Great Depression was greatly social and political as much as it was economical. Vast unemployment plagued Germany causing significant dissatisfaction with the Weimar Republic to emerge as it did in 1923, “As Germany plunged deeper into the Depression, growing numbers of middle class citizens began to see in the youthful dynamism of the Nazi Party a possible way out of the situation.” 3 Therefore it can be seen that the economic crisis in Germany emphasised and gave rise to social and political issues.
Economic weakness also impacted the social and political circumstances of Germany. Unemployment was rife and the German people became deeply dissatisfied with democracy and the new politicians governing them. Although the Weimar Republic was able to overcome this instance
(when? How?), the German economy never fully recovered from the effects of hyperinflation. The introduction of the Dawes plan in 1924 implemented a German reliance on American loans. The prosperity of the Weimar Republic during 1924-1929 was reliant on these loans, while it allowed industry to be rebuilt, improved the standard of living and encouraged Germany’s cultural sphere to flourish - it also had devastating impacts on the middle class and agricultural sector. The middle class were reduced down to the same status as the working class, as “Middle-class savers experienced the trauma of seeing the value of their savings completely wiped out.”
(Quote from where?)Neither identifying with the working class nor cooperating with big business; this deep social class divide emphasised their dissatisfaction with the Weimar Republic . Farmers suffered greatly after hyperinflation, lack of profit led them further into debt and discouraged investment in new machinery. In reality this period is only known as the ‘Golden Years’ in stark comparison to the periods of suffering proceeding and following them. This dissatisfaction forced these groups to seek change from extremist parties like the Nazi party. This dissatisfaction occurred again on a greater scale during the Great Depression.
The Great depression had a significant social impact upon the German people. As the social and psychological state of the German people was already tainted by the impact of the Treaty of Versailles, the economic crises worsened the existing situation. AJP Taylor
(Tell us that AJP Taylor is a historian - don't assume we know that they aren't any old person on the street ) recognises that “the depression put the wind into Hitler’s sails”5, the working classes were subjected to poverty as many suffered eviction, children were forced to work and health levels significantly deteriorated. Middle class families became humiliated as they descended the ranks of the proletariat. This humiliation was a nationwide phenomenon, which snowballed from the establishment of the Republic and proved to be a major factor to its collapse. The Weimar Republic was responsible for signing the shameful Treaty of Versailles, accepting defeat and humiliation onto Germany, especially in clause 231 – the Guilt Clause. The stab in the back myth worked to concentrate hatred upon the new government and promote anti-Semitism in Germany, which Adolf Hitler later used to gather widespread support for the Nazi Party.
(We've moved from talking about the Great Depression at the start, to yalking about Hitler, the Treaty and Hyperinflation. Each paragraph must have a clear direction.) While this humiliation was evident surrounding the French occupation of the Ruhr and the Hyperinflation crisis in 1923, the wider populous had not yet turned to extreme options as the Nazi party only received 6.6% of seats in the Reichstag. However, in July 1932 the Nazi party received 38% of seats in the Reichstag, making it the majority party.6 This proves that the Great Depression had significant social impacts on the Weimar Republic which lead to the rise of the Nazi Party, and in turn its collapse. The Great Depression also sparked greater political challenges for the Republic.
Political competition and constitutional weakness also contributed to the collapse of the Weimar republic.
You haven't credited this in your introduction. Your argument/take on the question never argued this side of things. I suggest that you revisit your initial thesis and propose the idea that there were other factors that lead to the downfall other than economics. Most of these political issues are not a direct result of economic weakness as according to Ian Kershaw “some of the causes of Germany’s problems stemmed from the world economic setting, but many of them were endogenous (growing from within).”7AJP Taylor argues that the main contributors to the collapse of the Weimar republic were the faults in its constitution, “the economic crisis of 1929-33 did not give the deathblow to the republic, at most it drew attention to the fact that the republic was dead.”8. Proportional representation was seen as the most democratic system; nonetheless it created the political instability of the Weimar republic as it led to the growth of many small and often extremist parties. Conversely, Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution undermined any protection from an abuse of power that proportional representation, theoretically, guaranteed, “the Reich President may take the measures necessary to re-establish law and order, if necessary using armed force. In the pursuit of this aim he may suspend civil rights”9. Article 48 proved to be a significant contributor to the collapse of the Weimar Republic. From 1919 to 1923 President Ebert utilised Article 48 on 135 occasions, and President Von Hindenburg applied the emergency powers almost continuously until Hitler’s appointment as chancellor in 1933. The system of proportional representation contributed to the legitimacy and frequency of the Republic’s political opponents.
Similarly, some social issues facing the Republic were also endogenous, including the lack of democratic tradition as well as the role of the army and judiciary. Long standing military tradition in Germany meant that the imposition of democracy upon the Republic was rushed and flawed from the outset.
(who? We need a title )Richard Evans maintains, “It (the Weimar Republic) was unloved and undefended by its servants in the army and the bureaucracy.”10 This lack of democratic tradition in Germany established the opposition to the Republic from traditional conservative institutions such as the Judiciary and the Army. The loyalty of the judiciary can be observed through the light sentencing of Adolf Hitler and others involved in the Munich Beerhall Putsch, as the conservative judges sympathised with this extreme right wing ideology. The role of the Army was a significant social factor in the collapse of the Weimar Republic.
These are good points, and these are the things you should be considering in your introduction! The Weimar Republic faced threat from both the Left and Right wing. While the terms of the Ebert-Groener pact effectively worked to quell the Spartacist Uprising in January 1919, the loyalty of the army lay in the Right. During the Kapp Putsch of 1920 the army did not protect the government, as “Reichswehr does not fire on Reichswehr.” 11 While the Kapp Putsch failed, it exposed the weaknesses of the government, as well as the power and loyalty of the army, for the first time. Carsten argues that “During the subsequent 13 years the two lived next to each other, but not with each other”12. The actions of Von Seeckt, in refusing to protect the government from the Freikorps, separated the army from the government, essentially creating an independent state, as the Weimar “recognised the Army’s position as a state within a state and subject only to itself.”13 Later uses of the army by von Schliecher would remove Chancellor von Papen from power and legitimise the Nazis claim to power.
Economic weakness of the Weimar Republic provided significant opportunity for the Nazi party, however there were political and social elements, which also contributed. Political weaknesses of the Weimar republic significantly contributed to the rise of the Nazi party. The circumstances under which the Weimar government was formed, shameful submission to the treaty of Versailles, established the social distrust and opposition to the Republic. The flaws in the constitution of the Weimar Republic ultimately proved to be arguably the most significant factor in Rise of the Nazi Party, as it allowed Hitler to gain power legally, and also in the collapse of the Weimar Republic. The social disposition of the army and the bureaucracy legitimised Hitler’s rise to power in 1933, the support of Chancellors von Schliecher and von Papen assisted in bringing Hitler into power, and the SA were powerful sources of intimidation and propaganda to bring the Nazi party to victory in the Reichstag. While social and political circumstances did impact the rise of the Nazi Party, economic weaknesses were the most significant contributor to the Nazi Party’s rise to power.
JW Hiden contends that the Great Depression was the key element to the growth of the Nazi Party “More than any other party the NSDAP depended on the crisis for its successful growth… in 1933…the SA… reached nearly 300 000 men.”14 Nazi support was strong in the lower-middle classes who were the most effected by the Great Depression. The Depression drastically impacted the voting patterns of the German people as they turned away from democratic parties like the DVP, DPP and DVNP towards more extreme alternatives like the NSDAP in hopes of dramatic reform “the NSDAP had grown from a radical splinter party into a mass movement. It had changed the framework of politics in Germany in a revolutionary way.”15 The Nazi Party utilised the social and political weaknesses to their advantage in order to gain power and support, however the most significant contributor to the rise of the Nazi Party was the vulnerability coming out of the economic weaknesses of the Weimar Republic. The Rise of the Nazi Party was a crucial element in the collapse of the Weimar Republic.
Economic weaknesses contributed to the collapse of the Weimar Republic to a great extent, as economic weakness gave rise to further political and social issues. Social and political weaknesses of the Weimar Republic, like the lack of democratic tradition and the weaknesses in the constitution, compromised the operation of the Republic from its outset. However the economic weaknesses faced by the Weimar Republic, like hyperinflation in 1923 and the great depression, created further political and social challenges as well as opportunity for an opponent to gain power.
The last three paragraphs weren't specifically commented on because the same critiques would have been repeated.
Essentially:
-Your thesis must incorporate the perspectives you will raise.
-Your introduction should briefly label a few points you will discuss, hyperinflation, for example.
-Each scholar must have their title identified.
-Provide as many dates as possible. If you don't know the date but you do know whether it was early on in the Republic or near its collapse - identify that!
-Ensure that each paragraph starts with a very specific direction and follows that path throughout - no tangents.
Your understanding of the era and the question is very thorough. You know a lot about the era and all different kinds of facts, and you can also look at it wholesomely and make an informed opinion. It is your clarity of expression that needs a bit of improvement so that it sits at the same level that your knwoledge does!
Also, this is very long. You will need to cut it down for an exam style situation! Try condensing your paragraphs into each other
Hopefully this makes sense. Structure is the issue here, not knowledge. So that is easily fixed!