Was The Collapse Of The Weimar Republic Inevitable?
Was the collapse of the Weimar Republic inevitable?
The Weimar Republic was created after World War I with Germany in a state of near-anarchy. It was created in the aftermath of the war to govern a defeated Germany. The Social Democratic Party was the leading party in the creation of the Weimar Republic. It was the only party with sufficient credibility and acceptance by Wilson to negotiate an armistice agreement.
Although it was designed to make the state a liberal parliamentary democracy in constitution, it was, however, not in the mainstream of German politics since it primarily represented the working class. The new government lacked support from the majority of the German people, many of whom identified it with defeat and with the "Versailles Diktat”, it was also the government of the former enemy and therefore not accepted on an equal basis. The reparations demands and other features of the Versailles Treaty, as well as the fear of a revived Germany, prevented normal foreign relationships from developing. Several factors had undermined popular support for the new republic, while within the constitution itself, lay avenues for the seizure of absolute power. Hitler was appointed Chancellor in Janua