extent of weimar political stability

death of friedrich ebert

28th february 1925

what did the death of friedrich ebert prematurely trigger?

• beginning of elections for new president → 1 year earlier than necessary

events of the february 1925 presidential elections

• first round candidates included ernst thälmann (KPD) and erich ludendorff (NSDAP)

• all 7 candidates failed to secure a majority vote

• jarres won the most votes with the spd in 2nd place

• jarres withdrew in favour of hindenburg for the 2nd round → both representing right wing parties, hindbenurg had apparently consulted ex-kaiser

• spd withdrew their candidate and advised their voters to vote for marx

• 2nd round → only 3 candidates remained hindenburg, marx and thälmann (left vote was split)

• hindenburg won with 48.3%

candidates of the first round of elections

• seven candidates

• karl jarres → DVP + DNVP

• otto braun → SPD

• wilhelm marx → centre / ZP

• ernst thälmann → KPD

• erich ludendorff → NSDAP

candidates in the second round of presidential elections

• hindenburg → DVP + DNVP

• marx → centre party and represented moderate SPD voters after their hope for tactical voting and withdraw of braun

• thälmann → KPD

final results of the presidential election

hindenburg → 48.3%

marx → 45.3%

thälmann → 6.4%

appeal of hindenburg

• symbol of germany’s past of militarism and authoritarianism

• war hero → revered by the right, regarded his election as the beginning of the restoration of the old order

• gave hope for a dramatic step away from ‘weak’ and unstable weimar parliamentary democracy

impacts of hindenburg in the short term

• worked hard to achieve appropriate stability

  • appealed to parties in reichstag, willing to work with him in restoring national unity

• temporarily reconciled anti-democratic parties like DNVP, played a more constructive role to making parliamentary democracy function

• was loyal to weimar constitution and not abusing his powers for the first five years → used article 48 appropriately

• increased legitimacy f the republic in the eyes of right wing voters making it no longer a socialist republic

• less extremism and greater stability

german term used to refer to the appointment of hindenburg as chancellor

ersatzkaiser (substitute emperor)

counter argument to hindenburg providing stability in reichstag

• political parties continue to put party interest above national unity

• failed to reach compromises and make decisions → parties continued to be self serving, had no history of cooperation with each other, had no trust or respect

• as a result, coalitions were short lived

• hindenburg became impatient with indecision

  • increasingly used article 48 in the interests of army and nationalist elites

name given to hindenburg from continual abuse of article 48 → explain

“the gravedigger and the undertaker”

• went against democracy, providing the doorway to dictatorship making the republic vulnerable to revolution

• eventually ended up with hitler being appointed as chancellor

different governments between november 1923 and 1928

6 different governments → displays persistent instability

average length of a coalition government

9 months → display of lack of continuity for republic and instability

minority government

a coalition government that maintains less than 50% of seats in the reichstag

• increasingly difficult to enact laws and policy due to lack of mutual agreement or compromise

minority governments between november 1923 and 1928

5 minority governments

• no party received an outright majority

after 1923 (end of ruhr crisis and resolution of hyperinflation crisis) what general evidence is there for political stability by 1928?

• no attempted coups from left of right

• no major political assassinations

• extremist parties did not gain mass support

after 1923 (end of ruhr crisis and resolution of hyperinflation crisis) what general evidence is there for political instability by 1928?

• extremist parties made a drastic impact on the streets despite not gaining mass support

  • frequently street fights between the SA (the brownshirts) and the KPD’s Red Front Fighters League

  • their respective paramilitary groups

• the army, civil service, societal elites remained vastly right wing and attempted to secretly rearm and prepare for another war

sign of political stability following may 1928

müller’s grand coalition - lasts nearly 2 years while maintaining a majority in the reichstag

most popular party in 1919

1919 - SPD

• had 37.9% of the vote, taken from initial election at the very beginning of the republic

• largest percentage votes for a party throughout the republic

• represents widespread public desire for a supportive democratic government

most popular reichstag party december 1924

december 1924 - SPD

• won 26% vote

• following failure of cuno’s government and appointment of stresemann’s as chancellor

most popular reichstag party 1928

1928 - SPD

• won 29.8%

votes for pro weimar parties 1928 → represents?

• by 1928 72.8% of people voted for pro-weimar parties

• following stabilisation of the economy in 1924, thanks to stresemann’s vastly successful 3 step policy

• represents a high degree of support and reinstated faith in the weimar democracy despite a rise in the following of extremist parties

• reflects high degree of stability in society (respectively more than before)

how did political parties hinder the success of coalition governments, resulting in them being short lived and ineffective?

• prioritised the principles and narrow interests of their own parties over making compromises in the best interest of their nation that would be necessary to ensure success

• constant bargaining and manoeuvring for power discredited parliamentary democracy, hindered conclusive decisionmaking

• germans only able to vote for a party list rather than individual politicians → not a close tie between voters in an area and their elected deputy

• developed narrow sectional interest parties that proliferated the reichstag and diluted the vote

how did hindenburg fulfil the german ideals of leadership?

• believed to have lacked a charismatic, inspirational leader → a position that hitler would later embody and fulfil through his cult of personality spread widely through propaganda

• growing number of germans attracted to the idea of a stronger leader with more authority → had been comfortable in security and tradition it provided

• hindenburg helped to fulfil expectations → presents the idea of a democratic autocracy and gives an impression of security

political impact on right wing sympathising organisations

• judiciary, civil service, army were not reformed (from ebert-groener pact etc)

• organisations were still controlled by conservative elites

• influential opinion formers in key positions were lukewarm to democracy but becoming increasingly hostile

• involved in many minor issues that prevented unification of republic

  • e.g. changing the national flag

• industrialists resented growing burdens of the welfare state → progressive taxes that had to be paid in high amounts increasing gradually

• junkers resented their loss of influence

key evidence of political stability

• hindenburg in position of president stabilising polarisation of politics

• müller’s grand coalition lasting nearly 2 years instead of average of 9 months

• pro-democratic parties received 72.8% vote in 1928

• reduction in major political violence → no notable putsches or assassinations

• reduction in support for extremist parties

key evidence of political instability

• army, civil service, judiciary “lukewarm to democracy” and disillusionment of industrialists

• lack of compromise between narrow interested political parties

• proliferation of minority coalitions preventing reichstag unity

• continuation of street violence between left and right wing paramilitaries

statistics for exponential change in votes for NSDAP

may 1928 - 2.6% vote

july 1932 - 37.4% vote, overtaking the spd, 2nd largest percentage of votes for a party ever in the reichstag

shows rapidly accelerating popularity