The political impact

Political Strains of the Depression on the Weimar Republic

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Overview of Political Consequences

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What were the far-reaching political consequences of the Depression on the Weimar Republic?

It caused the collapse of the Grand Coalition, provided opportunities for extreme left and right parties to gain support, led to the gradual decline of democracy as Germany moved from parliamentary to presidential government and then dictatorship under Hitler, and led to an intensification of political violence

How did Chancellors during this period govern Germany?

Brüning, von Papen and Schleicher increasingly relied on presidential government and the use of Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution to sustain governments that were unable to get their legislation through the Reichstag

Article 48

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What is Article 48?

A clause in the Weimar Constitution that allowed the President to rule in an emergency

Why was Article 48 increasingly used during the Depression?

Because the Weimar Republic struggled to solve the problems of the Great Depression and proportional representation led to many political parties, making coalition governments difficult

Who had to rule Germany essentially through Article 48 after the September 1930 election?

Heinrich Brüning

Collapse of the Grand Coalition

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What was the Grand Coalition?

One of the most broadly based coalition governments of the Weimar period, representing five political parties from the SPD on the left to the moderate right wing DVP

What financial pressures caused the Grand Coalition to collapse?

After the Wall Street Crash in October 1929, unemployment soared and the rising cost of unemployment benefit placed a severe strain on state finances, with falling tax revenues leaving the state budget in serious deficit by the end of 1929

What political disagreement split the Grand Coalition?

On the right, the DVP wanted to reduce unemployment benefit, whilst on the left the SPD wanted to protect the level of benefits and raise taxes

What happened when the Grand Coalition became deadlocked?

The government was deadlocked and in March 1930 Müller resigned

Who succeeded Müller as Chancellor?

Heinrich Brüning, leader of the Centre Party, appointed by Hindenburg

Paul von Hindenburg (President)

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When was Hindenburg elected President and what was his condition by the time he was making key decisions?

Elected in 1925 and again in 1932 — by this time he was 84 years old, ill and frail but felt he could not retire

What were Hindenburg's political views?

He was representative of traditional conservative forces and the upper class, did not support the Weimar Republic and believed Germany was better under the Kaiser

What was Hindenburg's initial view of Hitler?

He deeply distrusted Hitler, viewing him as an upstart and an ill-mannered jumped-up corporal, and initially resisted appointing him as Chancellor for a long time

What ultimately happened regarding Hindenburg and Hitler?

Hindenburg underestimated Hitler and was persuaded to appoint him as Chancellor by Papen

Who influenced Hindenburg's decision to appoint Brüning?

Two key military figures — General Groener, Defence Minister since 1928, and General Kurt von Schleicher, Groener's political adviser

What did Groener and Schleicher see in the political crisis of March 1930?

An opportunity to begin to impose a more authoritarian style of government

What did Groener and Schleicher see in Hindenburg and Brüning?

In Hindenburg they had a leader who shared their contempt for democracy but respected the constitution, and in Brüning a Chancellor who also had authoritarian leanings

Heinrich Brüning (Chancellor 1930-1932)

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What did Brüning try to do to cope with the Great Depression?

He cut unemployment pay and raised taxes as leader of the Centre Party

How did Brüning's policies affect political support?

His policies angered both the left and right

Why did Brüning call the September 1930 election?

The SPD refused to support him and as the largest party their lack of support meant his government did not have enough support in the Reichstag to pass laws

What situation existed after March 1930 regarding Reichstag support?

No government had majority support in the Reichstag and governments had to rely on ruling by decree, passing the budget into law

Why did ruling by decree provoke a political crisis?

Article 48 was only supposed to be used in an emergency, not for the conduct of normal political business

What was the growing political movement during Brüning's chancellorship?

A growing move to change the Weimar system by reducing the power of parliament and establishing a more authoritarian government

What controversial measures did Brüning attempt that angered right-wing parties?

He tried to ban the SA and SS and proposed giving land to poorer peasants, which enraged right-wing parties and wealthy landowners including Hindenburg

What happened after the SPD won Reichstag support to withdraw the decree?

Brüning dissolved the Reichstag and called an election in September 1930

When was Brüning forced to resign?

On 30th May 1932, after losing Hindenburg's support

Results of the September 1930 Election

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What were the September 1930 election results for key parties?

KPD 77 seats, SPD 143 seats, DDP (renamed the State Party) 20 seats, Centre 68 seats, DVP 30 seats, DNVP 41 seats, NSDAP (Nazis) 107 seats

Which parties gained the most from the 1930 election?

The extremist parties of the left and right gained the most

What happened to Communist support in the 1930 election?

Communists gained over 1 million votes, mostly from the SPD, winning 77 seats in the Reichstag

How dramatically did Nazi support grow between 1928 and 1930?

In 1928 the Nazis had received a mere 810,000 votes with 12 seats, but in September 1930 they became the second largest party with nearly 6.5 million votes and 107 seats

What proportion of voters supported anti-democratic parties in the 1930 election?

2/5 of all voters gave their support to anti-democratic parties

How did the Nazis use their 107 Reichstag deputies to destabilise parliament?

They disrupted proceedings through chanting, shouting and interrupting — the Reichstag became unmanageable and did not meet at all between February and October 1931, with sessions becoming shorter and more infrequent

What shift in political power occurred as a result of the Reichstag becoming unmanageable?

Political power shifted from the Reichstag to the President and his circle of advisers, and also to the streets

Intensification of Political Violence

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What was the nature of political violence in the early years of the Weimar Republic?

Between 1919 and 1923 there had been frequent riots, political assassinations and political uprisings

What happened to political violence in the years 1924-29?

It subsided but did not completely disappear — the Nazis claimed 29 of their men had been killed in clashes with communists and communists said 92 of their supporters had been killed

What happened to political violence in the years 1930-33?

The level of political violence increased dramatically

How did Nazis and communists take their conflict onto the streets?

Nazis and communists, the latter with their Red-Front Fighters' League, took their political struggle onto the streets, attempting to break up each other's political meetings, with rival marches often turning into full-scale riots

When was political violence particularly severe?

At election times — by the end of 1931 the violence had become so intense that Brüning decided to act

What did Brüning do in December 1931 to tackle political violence?

He issued a decree banning the wearing of political uniforms, but this had little effect as Nazi Stormtroopers continued to march wearing white shirts

What happened in April 1932 regarding the SA?

Hindenburg was persuaded to sign a decree outlawing the SA

Did the ban on the SA successfully curb political violence?

No — the ban failed to curb the activities of the Stormtroopers, their membership continued to grow and political violence was not brought under control

How large had the SA grown by the end of 1932?

The SA was estimated to have 400,000 members