After World War I, the emperor and military commander of Germany relinquished their political power, leading to its ultimate transfer to the hands of the German Social Democratic Party. This was a large groups of "moderate" Marxists that pushed for socialist reforms but not the great changes of property and wealth management that the Bolsheviks of Russia had worked towards. Under their almost complete control, the era of the Weimar Republic of Germany began in 1919. This was a parliamentary democracy that gave universal suffrage, even to women. However in just 14 short years, the Weimar Republic fell under the leadership of Adolf Hitler. The Weimar Republic had deep rooted issues since its beginnings and the near end of its time brought about new factors had tied everything together for its collapse. Although these issues are numerous and complex, they can be well summarized as World War I outcomes, political conflict, economic depression, and the rise of Hitler.
Although the Central Powers consisted of multiple nations, at the close of World War I, Germany was blamed for the entirety of the destruction the conflict had brought about. The Treaty of Versailles had separated large German territories from the mainland and the entire German people were unhappy with this. However, it caused political conflict between the Weimar Republic, whose leaders wished to diplomatically arrange for a reworking of the Treaty, and other groups, specifically the right-wing, whose representatives called for explicitly ignoring and not complying with the Treaty. This animosity towards the Weimar Republic worsened because, as the German people were largely unaware that the emperor and commander abdicated of their own choice, spread the conspiracy that the army was "stabbed in the back by socialists"; that they usurped power and betrayed the military in surrendering. The Weimar Republic felt the humiliation of defeat and the shame of surrendering from many.
