Political Stability

Question 1

President Hindenburg - election

Answer 1

Ebert died in 1925
first round of votes for new president was inconclusive
right-wing regroup and supported Hindenburg, a new candidate
Thaelman was put up by the KPD as their own candidate as opposed to siding with the other left-wing parties
Thaelman only got 6% of the vote
Hindenburg won by 3%

Question 2

Hindenburg - political views

Answer 2

• monarchist
• not a republican
• not committed to democracy
• attracted political groups who wanted an authoritarian system

Question 3

Hindenburg’s oath

Answer 3

Hindenburg took his oath to uphold the Constitution seriously, doing nothing unconstitutional
- he used article 48 but so had Ebert

Question 4

Hindenburg’s intervention

Answer 4

Hindenburg only intervened over the expropriation of princes’ land
- calls for a referendum on the issue were unconstitutional, and Chancellor Luther agreed

Question 5

All the elections from 1924 to 1933

Answer 5

May 1924, December 1924, May 1928, September 1930, July 1932, November 1932, March 1933
- 10 new coalition government in this time

Question 6

Support for the Weimar Republic

Answer 6

In the mid to late 1920s there was a growth of support for pro-Weimar Republic parties
- May 1928: 72.8% of votes for pro-Weimar parties
DNVP - became pro-Weimar in late 1920

Question 7

Political attitudes - elites

Answer 7

• continued to resent Weimar Republic
• costs of welfare state were disliked by industrialists
• Junkers especially lost influence
• army generals desired a more authoritarians government
• a lot of judges and civil servants wistfully recalled imperial Germany

Question 8

Political attitudes - opinion formers (e.g. teachers, clergy)

Answer 8

• lack of support for Weimar Republic amongst these people

Question 9

Political attitudes - middle class

Answer 9

• many middle class professionals, e.g. lawyers, doctors, and smaller industrialists and businessmen tended to be socially conservative
• middle class professionals didn’t benefit from rising real wages, as well as not benefitting from welfare state
• felt left behind the Weimar Republic

Question 10

Political attitudes - working class

Answer 10

working class made up 40% of the electorate, both urban proletariat and agricultural labourers

• urban proletariat often in trade unions that would fight for their interests, so commonly voted SPD or KPD
• agricultural labourers didn’t tend to vote KPD or SPD
• Some voters voted based on their faith, or for a narrow interest party

Question 11

Evidence for a more stable democracy

Answer 11

• significantly less violence and insurrections between 1924-29 in comparison to 1919-1923
• growing support for moderate parties - more votes for SPD
• decline in political extremism - shown by DNVP and other parties needing to change political strategy

Question 12

Evidence for a less stable democracy

Answer 12

• frequent coalitions since politicians were bargaining to stay in power, discrediting parliamentary government
• disconnect between voters and representatives in Reichstag, with voters voting for the party and the party choosing who their representative was
• growth of small, sectional, narrow interest parties
• only 60,000 votes needed for a political party to get a deputy into the Reichstag