Political developments in the golden age

• What were the NSDAP results of the May 1924 election? 

  The NSDAP achieved 6.5% of the vote. 
• What declined during the 1928 elections and why? 

  Support for extremist and anti-republican parties. This is because people are less likely to turn towards extremism when the economy is thriving. 
• How many coalition governments were there during the Golden Age? 

  7
• Why were there so many coalitions? 

  They were weakly led and each coalition contained so many squabbling parties.  
• Which political party was involved in the most coalition governments? 

  The SPD. 
• Discuss the support and ideas of the KPD during Weimar Germany. Give 2 facts.  

  -The largest communist party outside Russia 

  -Had support in industrial areas such as the Ruhr and Berlin 

  -Dedicated to the overthrow of the Weimar Republic 
• Discuss the support and ideas of the SPD during Weimar Germany Give 2 facts. 

  -They remained the largest single party in the Reichstag 

  -The SPD had close links with trade unions and appealed mainly to industrial workers 

  -It had limited appeal to young people, agricultural workers and the Mittlestand 
• Discuss the support and ideas of the Catholic Centre Party during Weimar Germany. Give 2 facts. 

  -Established to defend the interests of the Roman Catholic Church. 

  -Supported by all classes as made up of Catholics in general 

  -No coalition government was formed without the participation of the Centre Party 
• Discuss the support and ideas of the DDP during Weimar Germany. Give 2 facts. 

  -Appealed to academics and professional groups 

  -Comprised of intellectuals with limited political experience 

  -Committed to the success of parliamentary democracy and participated in all the coalition governments of this period 
• Discuss the support and ideas of the DVP during Weimar Germany. Give 2 facts. 

  -Had support among the academics and the industrialists 

  -Provided the leading politician, Gustav Stresemann 

  -Drifted more to the right after Stresemann’s death in 1929 
• Discuss the support and ideas of the DNVP during Weimar Germany. Give 2 facts. 

  -Attracted support from industrialists, professional groups and industrial workers 

  -Anti-democratic and nationalistic, with aims including restoring the monarchy 

  -Refused to join coalitions most of the time. 

  -Hugenberg became party leader in 1928  

  -Later went into an alliance with the Nazi party 
• Discuss the support and ideas of the NSDAP during Weimar Germany. Give 2 facts. 

  -Leader, Adolf Hitler was banned from public speaking until 1927 and focuses on asserting control over the Nazi Party 

  -Rural areas in the North showed the most political support for the Nazis 

  -The Golden Age allowed Hitler to make a name for himself as a talented politician within the Reichstag 

  -Took a dip in votes during the Golden Age 
• How many members did the Nazi party have at the end of 1927? 

  Only 75,000 members. 
• What was the name of Hitler’s 1925 autobiography?  

  Mein Kampf, which translates to ‘my struggle’. 
• Who was voted to become the next President of the Weimar Republic in 1925? 

  Paul von Hindenburg. 
• Why did the German people vote in favour of Hindenburg? 

  Hindenburg was a symbol of the past, a war hero and had authoritarian views.