1. Weimar Golden Years Quiz (no peaking at books)
Identify at least 3 key signs that Weimar Democracy was in good health (1 point; 1 extra point for each item beyond the 3)
Identify at least 3 foreign policy successes orchestrated by Stresemann (1 point; 1 extra point for each item beyond the 3)
Identify 3 signs that Weimar economy was in good health (1 extra point for each item beyond the 3)
Identify at least 3 themes in Weimar Culture. (1 point for each; 1 extra point for each item beyond the 3?)
Identify at least 2 reasons why Weimar’s democracy was not as healthy as it looked on the surface. (1 point for each; 1 extra point for each item beyond the 2)
Identify 2 reasons why Stresemann’s foreign policy was only a qualified success (2)
Identify 4 weaknesses of the Weimar economy (4)
Explain why Weimar Culture helped the Nazis (2)

2. The Final Years of Weimar 1929-1933
Why did democracy fail?
Why did Hitler come to power?

3. Nazi Party in the Wilderness
Elections and decline
Draw a graph to show how the Nazis fared in elections,
Why did the Nazis do so badly, ?
What accounts for their success after 1929?

4.
1929 October 3 – Gustav Stresemann dies (after negotiating Young Plan)
October Wall Street Crash
- ‘National Opposition’ led by Hugenberg (DNVP) and by Hitler (NSDAP) demand referendum on Young Plan (gained million - required 21 million but increased exposure
and membership of the Nazi party to 130,000).
March resignation of Muller’s Government (SPD/DDP/Z/DVP/BVP
coalition)
- Zentrum leader Brüning appointed chancellor (Presidential
government with Z, DVP, BVP, DDP, DVP);
- Young Plan approved by the Reichstag
September – Reichstag election: Nazis emerge as second largest party
(18%)
December – Brüning’s economic measures imposed by imperial decree
July Hoover declares moratorium (suspension) on all debts,
including reparations.
Five leading German banks fail.
October National Opposition becomes Harzburg Front (NSDAP and
DNVP)

5.
1929 October 3 – Gustav Stresemann dies (after negotiating Young Plan)
October Wall Street Crash
- ‘National Opposition’ led by Hugenberg (DNVP) and by Hitler (NSDAP) demand referendum on Young Plan (gained million - required 21 million but increased exposure
and membership of the Nazi party to 130,000).
March resignation of Muller’s Government (SPD/DDP/Z/DVP/BVP
coalition)
- Zentrum leader Brüning appointed chancellor (Presidential
government with Z, DVP, BVP, DDP, DVP);
- Young Plan approved by the Reichstag
September – Reichstag election: Nazis emerge as second largest party
(18%)
December – Brüning’s economic measures imposed by imperial decree
July Hoover declares moratorium (suspension) on all debts,
including reparations.
Five leading German banks fail.
October National Opposition becomes Harzburg Front (NSDAP and
DNVP)

6. 1932-33 1932 January Unemployment peaks at 6.1 million
March Hindenburg fights for re-election as president against Hitler
April Hindenburg re-elected - but Hitler gains 37% of vote,
boosting Nazi profile yet further.
May Brüning resigns
von Papen is appointed chancellor
July Reichstag election: Nazis emerge as largest party (37%
230 seats)
September: Reichstag passes a massive vote of no confidence in
Papen’s government (512 votes to 42)
November Nazi vote drops to 33.1%, winning 196 seats
December Papen is dismissed as Chancellor and replaced by Schleicher
January 28 Schleicher dismissed
January 30 Hitler appointed as Chancellor (after von Papen persuades
Hindenburg that they can control and use Hitler).
February 27 Reichstag Fire: communists blamed
March Final Reichstag elections according to Weimar
Constitution
March The ‘Day of Potsdam’
March Enabling Law passed

7. The Great Depression and the Fear of Inflation
Unlike 1923, prices fell
Yet because the government feared inflation so much they refused to take steps to avoid the slump - I.e. spend its way out of recession (unlike Gordon Brown and Barack Obama in 2010); legal restrictions on the Reichsbank (Dawes and Young Plans) meant that more money could not be printed;
Government found it difficult to borrow;
Some historians suggest that Brüning (Chancellor ) deliberately allowed the economic crisis in order to end reparations payments and dismantle the welfare state.

8. The Political Background
Hermann Müller’s coalition, formed after the general election of May 1928 was assailed by the re-emergence of the Reparations issue.
Inter-Allied Reparations Commission suggested in June 1929 that Germany should pay until 1988 but reduced the final sum to a 1/4 of that demanded in 1921.
Stresemann persuaded the government to accept the Young Plan, but this was greatly opposed by the Right, who saw payment of reparations as based on the ‘lie’ of German War Guilt.

9. The end of democracy
The Reichstag challenged the legality of Bruning’s budget and called for its withdrawal.
Deadlock was reached - and Brüning asked Hindenburg to dissolve the Reichstag and call an election for September 1930.
Brüning expected the election to support him;

10. Nazi Breakthrough The real beneficiary was Hitler and the Nazis
NSDAP became 2nd largest political party with 18.3% of vote (up from 2.6% in May 1928; from 810,000 to 6,409,600 votes)
DNVP vote was halved from 14.2 to 7%;
DDP and DVP lost 20 seats between them;
SPD declined from 29.8 to 24.5 (but still largest);
KPD increased from 10.8 to 13.1.
Zentrum only polled % less than in May 1928.

11. Explanations
Since 1928 Nazi leaders had deliberately directed propaganda at rural and middle-class/lower middle class votes - and Nazis made gains at expense of DNVP, DVP and DDP;
Nearly half of Nazi seats were won by the party attracting ‘new’ first time voters - electorate had grown by 1.8 million, and turn-out was high (82% up from 75.6%).

12. Presidential Government
July German Banks collapse starting with the Danat in June.
October the National Opposition was re-born as the Harzburg Front, demanding Brüning’s resignation;
Unemployment reached 5 million by end of 1931 and there were demonstrations in the streets.
But Brüning still enjoyed the support of Hindenburg and the SPD decided to ‘tolerate’ his cabinet as preferable to right wing alternatives.
Brüning ruled by use of Article 48 through Hindenburg.

13. Presidential Election
Spring Hindenburg’s 7 year term came to an end and elections were held
Hitler entered the race.
Hindenburg was re-elected on the second ballot, gaining 19.3 million votes, with Hitler gaining 13.4 million (36.8%).
Despite losing, Hitler doubled the Nazi vote and projected an even more powerful personal image.

14. Brüning replaced by von Papen
Despite the conservative character of his policies, Brüning’s attempt to turn some East Prussian Junker estates into 600,000 allotments for unemployed workers led to his removal.
May 1932 Hindenburg then appointed the Catholic aristocrat Franz von Papen who led a cabinet of ‘barons’ (seen as a combining nationalist and catholic centre interests).
It was a presidential government dominated by aristocratic landowners and industrialists - many not even members of the Reichstag.
In order to strengthen the government, they sought support from the popular Nazis.

15. Hitler’s agreement
Hitler agreed not to oppose the new government in return for two concessions:
The dissolution of the Reichstag and the calling of fresh elections;
The end of a government ban on the SA and SS introduced after the presidential campaign of Spring 1932.

16. July 1932 Election It was a completely unconstitutional act
The July 1932 election saw street violence in large cities - in July 86 died as a result of street fights.
Von Papen and Schleicher used the excuse to abolish the regional state government of Prussia on July 20th where a state of emergency was declared.
Papen declared himself Reich Commissioner of Prussia;
This was significant because:
It was a completely unconstitutional act
A parliamentary government was replaced by presidential government;
The SPD and Unions gave in without any real opposition.

17. Voting Behaviour in July 1932
The Nazis became the largest party in Germany (with 23 seats and 37.3% of the vote).
Only 39.5% voted for the main pro-democratic parties
The overall % of votes for NSDAP and KPD was 51.6% (I.e. the majority of voters were voting against democracy);
Middle-class democratic parties - the DDP and DVP collapsed to 2.2% of vote between them;
SPD vote declined to 21.6 whilst KPD rose to 14.3%.
DNVP declined to 5.9%
Turnout went up to 84%

18. Months of Crisis for Nazis
August - December Party morale declined because Hitler was not offered the chancellorship - had democratic tactics failed?
12 September 1932 the Reichstag passed a massive vote of no confidence in von Papen.
November 1932 elections - Nazi vote fell to 33.1% (giving them 196 seats) - still the largest share in the Reichstag.
Hitler refused any position in the Cabinet except that of Chancellor.
Hindenburg dismissed von Papen and Schliecher was appointed in his place.

19. Months of Crisis
Schleicher tried to persuade Gregor Strasser, the leader of the socialist wing of the Nazi party, to become vice-chancellor. The latter was forced to resign from the party and Schliecher headed a government with no popular support.
Schliecher’s attempt to revive Bruening’s policy of using bankrupt Junker estates to create allotments for the unemployed led to his forced resignation on January 28.
Meanwhile, von Papen began negotiations with Hitler in January for a cabinet that would make Hitler head of a Nazi- Nationalist coalition, with von Papen as vice-chancellor.
Oskar von Hindenburg and Otto Meisner persuaded President Hindenburg that this could work, believing that the Nationalists could control the Nazis.
30th January 1933 Hitler was appointed chancellor

20. Discuss…
‘It is inconceivable that Hitler could ever have come to power had not the Weimar Republic been subjected to the unprecedented strain of a world economic crisis’
Assess the accuracy of this view (of William Carr).