Political problems

• Nationalists:

  Believed the new style of government was not legitimate.
• Nationalists:

  Tended to associate the Weimar Republic with the politicians they believed were responsible for 'stabbing Germany in the back' at the end of WW1 by 'betraying' Germany by signing the TOV.
• Nationalists:

  Were prepared to vote for pro-Weimar parties and support the republic while there was a realistic threat of communist revolution
• Nationalists:

  After the 1920s, nationalists became less willing to support the new government.
• Nationalists:

  Their hatred for democracy was evident in 1925 when they celebrated Hindenburg's election as president with imperial flags rather than flags for the new republic.
• Nationalists:

  Distrust of democracy was evident in the programmes of the 2 main nationalist parties, the DNVP and the DVP
• The army and democracy:

  Army never fully supported German democracy. Groener's pragmatic pact with Ebert was extremely unpopular in the higher levels of the army.
• The army and democracy:


  The army refused to support the new gov during the Kapp Putsch - a r/w uprising supported by the Freikorps. During the putsch one senior general, Walther Reinhardt, demanded loyalty from the government's troops; however, he was removed by his superiors and replaced by a general who refused to support the government.
• Authoritarian politicians:

  Late 1920s - politicians and parties that had supported democracy become more authoritarian. Under the influence of Pope Pius XI, the Catholic ZP began to favour replacing democracy with dictatorship, in order to safeguard catholic values from socialism, atheism and communism.
• Authoritarian politicians - President Hindenburg:


  He favoured replacing democracy with authoritarian presidential rule during the economic crisis years of 1929-33. He appointed more authoritarian chancellors after the collapse of Mullers government in 1930. From 1930-32 governments began to rely on Article 48 more in order to rule. Democracy died in the early 1930s.
• Authoritarian politicians - The German elites:

  Conservative politicians, civil servants and military leaders saw the economic crisis as an opportunity to introduce a more authoritarian kind of rule. Each new chancellor used their power to undermine democracy.
• Role of chancellor Bruning:


  He was a catholic who shared many of Pope Pius XI's concerns about the problems of atheism, communism and socialism. He also shared the view that authoritarianism was the best way to guard Catholicism from these ungodly influences.
• Role of chancellor Bruning:



  He reduced the power of the democratically elected Reichstag. He could not rely on a majority of support in the Reichstag and partly due to his desire for a more authoritarian style of government.
• Role of chancellor Bruning:


  He used emergency powers to restrict civil liberties e.g. he introduced press censorship and in so doing attacked Communist newspapers.
• Role of chancellor Bruning:



  His economic policies worsened the depression e.g. his decision to reduce the amount Germany was spending on the welfare state