Reasons the Nazis gained power - Weaknesses of the weimar governments

Reasons the Nazis gained power - Weaknesses of the weimar governments

1. Reasons the Nazis gained power Weakness of the Weimar Governments

2. The Weimar government The new Weimar Republic included a constitution which described how the country would be run. Part 1 outlined the system of government ; part 2 described the rights of Germans. Reasons the Nazis gained power

3. German democracy Huge democratic changes were introduced under Weimar: All Germans age 20+ – male and female – could vote Reichstag (Parliament) was directly elected The President was elected by the people Reasons the Nazis gained power

4. German elections Reichstag elections used the Party list system ( proportional representation , meaning that a party with 15% of votes won around 15% of the seats). Many parties were elected (for instance, 14 in the 1924 election). Reasons the Nazis gained power

5. Arguments for importance The use of PR for elections also helped smaller parties like the Nazis get elected. The proportional representation system helped them get some people elected, letting them build support. Reasons the Nazis gained power

6. Arguments against importance Between 1924-1928, pro-Weimar parties gained most of the votes (around 75% of all votes), rather than small and extreme parties such as the Nazis. This suggests most Germans supported democracy. Reasons the Nazis gained power

7. Unstable politics The large number of political parties elected meant no single party ever won a Reichstag majority (up to 1933 ). This meant that Weimar governments were coalitions (more than one party). Reasons the Nazis gained power

8. Unstable politics Coalition governments regularly collapsed and couldn’t agree on actions. In 14 years of Weimar, there were 18 different governments . In 1932 alone, there were three separate German Chancellors. Reasons the Nazis gained power

9. Reasons the Nazis gained power Taken from Mr Budd History website

10. Arguments for importance PR elections meant that no single party ever won a majority, leading to coalitions (of up to five different parties) These coalitions often collapsed, leading to lack of confidence in the Weimar system. Reasons the Nazis gained power

11. Arguments against importance During the years of Weimar democracy, election turnout was always at least 75% . This high figure suggests that most Germans supported the democratic system. Reasons the Nazis gained power

12. Lack of popular support When the Weimar Republic was set up, many Germans were unhappy with this. Some of them wanted a Kaiser-style dictator , others believed in a Communist system . Reasons the Nazis gained power

13. Role of the army The army did not support Weimar, but they reached a deal with Friedrich Ebert , Germany’s new leader. Ebert agreed to not pursue full revolution in return for the army’s backing – and letting the army leadership keep their jobs. Reasons the Nazis gained power

14. The Spartacist revolt In 1919 , Communists tried to start a full revolution to let workers take control of Germany. They were defeated when Ebert persuaded the army to help, employing violent ex-soldiers called the Freikorps . Reasons the Nazis gained power

15. The Kapp Putsch In 1920 , a right-wing revolt led by Wolfgang Kapp forced Weimar’s government to leave Berlin. The army did not stop this because many involved in the revolt were former soldiers. Reasons the Nazis gained power

16. Arguments for importance The Weimar Government lacked strong support from the very start. This meant during any crises that more Germans were attracted to extreme parties. Reasons the Nazis gained power

17. Arguments against importance However the Kapp Putsch failed after Germans staged a g eneral strike . Also many of the country’s elite did not back Kapp. This suggests that many Germans did back the new system. Reasons the Nazis gained power