Political events in Germany soon made the reparations issue irrelevant, however, and Germany never made another payment. Hindenburg won, but Hitler got 37 percent of the vote. Continuing political turmoil resulted in yet another Reichstag election barely four months later.
The Nazis lost some seats in the Reichstag, but the Communist Party gained seats, which drove a wide range of parties to back Hitler. Finally, on January 30, , President Hindenburg reluctantly agreed to choose Hitler as the new chancellor. Hitler promised to observe the Weimar Constitution and form a broad coalition government to solve the economic crisis. The politicians advising Hindenburg told him they could control the upstart from Bavaria. Hitler, however, quickly outflanked the other politicians.
He persuaded Hindenburg to call another election while ruling by decree. One edict restricted political party activities and the press. During the election campaign, part of the Reichstag building mysteriously burned down. Hitler blamed the communists. In March , with close to 6 million Germans unemployed, the Nazi Party won 44 percent of the Reichstag seats.
With the support of smaller right-wing parties, Hitler commanded a majority to form a new government. The law also allowed Hitler to ignore any provision of the Weimar Constitution. When the Weimar Republic was formed in , there were hopeful signs that democracy would take root in Germany. The new democratic constitution with its expanded bill of rights was one of the most progressive in the world.
Many Germans belonged to the well-educated middle class made up of business owners, government workers, and professionals who normally flourish in a democracy. Political parties freely competed in elections. But democracy still failed in Germany. Some historians blame the failure of democracy on individuals.
The moderate chancellors were ineffective leaders who constantly rose and fell as party coalitions gained or lost strength in the Reichstag. President Hindenburg doubted democracy and dreamed of restoring the kaiser to power.
Extremists like Hitler hated democracy. Other historians point to flaws in the Weimar Constitution, such as the provision that allowed rule by decree and the suspension of constitutional rights in a national emergency.
Historians have also placed great emphasis on the economic conditions that ravaged the German people with hyperinflation and unemployment. The sudden replacement of the kaiser with the Weimar Republic never won the hearts of most Germans. The numerous political parties often appealed to narrow interests and fractured the nation.
In the end, the political movement most successful in uniting Germany was the Nazi Party. Democracy did not die forever in Germany.
What do you believe was the most important cause of the failure of democracy in the Weimar Republic? Use evidence from the article to support your answer. Why do you think Hitler and the Nazi Party gained increasing support from German voters? How did the victorious Allied Powers contribute to the failure of democracy in the Weimar Republic? Divide the class into two groups. Assign each group a pro or con position on the following thesis statement:. Using the article as a source, each student should write a position paper.
Then students should meet in pro and con teams and decide on the their best arguments. Finally, the class should hold a debate. Encarta: History of Germany. Wikipedia: History of Germany. Columbia Encyclopedia: Germany. Infoplease: German History. Virtual Library: German History. Map Collection of Germany Historical maps. Google Directory: History of Germany. Open Directory Project: History of Germany. Yahoo Directory: History of Germany. German History Sources Links to documents related to German history.
Encarta: Weimar Republic. Columbia Encyclopedia: Weimar Republic. GermanCulture: The Weimar Republic, — HistoryLearningSite: Weimar Republic. Spartacus Educational: The Weimar Republic. Economic and Political Problems of Weimar. Foreign Policy Problems of Weimar. Good Years of the Weimar Republic. Collapse of the Weimar Republic. Cultural Life in the Republic.
The Nazi Road to Power. Myerson, Department of Economics, University of Chicago. MacroHistory: Germany and Hitler in the Twenties. Google Directory: Weimar Republic. Open Directory Project: Weimar Republic.
Yahoo Directory: Weimar Republic. Weimar Constitution: Selected Articles. A Full Timeline of the Weimar Republic. A Research-oriented Timeline. View the list of all donors. Trending keywords:. Featured Content. Tags Find topics of interest and explore encyclopedia content related to those topics. Browse A-Z Find articles, photos, maps, films, and more listed alphabetically.
For Teachers Recommended resources and topics if you have limited time to teach about the Holocaust. Wise — International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg. About This Site. Glossary : Full Glossary. Article Introduction Immediately following the end of World War I , the Kaiser Germany's emperor fled, leaving Germany to be governed by what would become known as the Weimar Republic. The Weimar Constitution Faced with a defeated army, a shattered economy, and a power vacuum which encouraged political violence, the leadership of the Weimar Republic and the framers of its new Constitution found themselves in an incredibly difficult position.
First, it created the Reichstag, a legislative body elected by the people. This congress was based on proportional representation, meaning that its seats were divided based on the percentage of the popular vote that each party received. Second, the Chancellor was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the government, particularly in the executive branch. It was expected that the Chancellor would be elected from the ranks of the majority party or coalition in the Reichstag.
Third, the President held overall ceremonial and real political power. He was directly elected by popular vote and could dismiss the Chancellor.
He also controlled the military and could call for new Reichstag elections at will. The office of the President was intended by right-wing politicians to be a check on the powers of the legislature as the President could essentially create and destroy governments at will.
In the predominantly Black Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, racial tension reaches a breaking point after two white policemen scuffle with a Black motorist suspected of drunken driving. A crowd of spectators gathered near the corner of Avalon Boulevard and th Street to watch Prince Hussein is proclaimed the king of Jordan after his father, King Talal, is declared unfit to rule by the Jordanian Parliament on grounds of mental illness.
Hussein was formally crowned on November 14, , his 18th birthday. Hussein was the third constitutional king of The convicts—the first civilian prisoners to be housed in the new high-security On August 11, , German forces begin a six-day evacuation of the Italian island of Sicily, having been beaten back by the Allies, who invaded the island in July. The Germans had maintained a presence in Sicily since the earliest days of the war.
But with the arrival of Gen. The last U. The unit had been guarding the U. This left only 43, advisors, airmen, and support troops left in-country. This number did Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox.
0コメント