How the fall of the Weimar Republic led to the Nazi Party gaining power by MUNDEAZY

Essay by nabhatiesHigh School, 12th gradeA+, December 2004

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The rise of the Nazi party in 1933 was mainly due to the failure and public resentment towards the Weimar republic. The Weimar republic was a very weak and flawed political system, the Nazi party was seen as a positive alternative. There were many factors for such little faith in the system, mainly weaknesses within the Republic itself, like the economic depression, and its troubled birth and weak image or party's inability to co-operate within.

The Weimar republic had a bad image from the public's perspective from the very beginning. German commander, General Ludendorff, came up with the idea of parliamentary democracy because the Germans were losing the war and needed to make peace and Ludendorff hoped that this new civilian Government would be able to make peace with the Allies. Ludendorff also had a second motive for his idea; He knew that the army's loss would have a deep moral impact on the German public, because they were very proud of their powerful army.

So Ludendorff hoped that the Weimar Republic would be the ones to make the peace proposition and they would be blamed for Germany's loss, covering up the actual responsibility of Generals like Ludendorff. This idea worked and the "stabbed in the back" myth came about, the idea that the formidable German army had been betrayed by weak and unpatriotic politicians. A combination of the Weimar's constitution and the Economic depression also led to a worsening image for the Republic. The Weimar's constitution was described as the most democratic in the world but ironically was also blamed for the downfall of German Democracy. The reason for this was that the parties within the constitution were unable to agree on a course of action in times of need. For example during the economic crisis the divisions...