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A2 History Paper 4: Hitler’s Germany, 1929-41
1. Rise to power
i. End of Weimar
Evaluate the reasons why democracy came to an end in Germany by 1934. (21MJ43)
To what extent do economic factors explain the fall of the Weimar Republic? (21ON41)
● Weimar politics & culture → offended patriotic G – social
○ stab in the back by november criminals belief
○ reaction to cultural experimentation – public pressure 1926 law ‘protect youths from pulp
fiction & pornography’
○ ‘National Opposition’ against Young Plan gained 5.8m in referendum dec 1932
● fundamental problems of Weimar govt. structure → undermined prospects for democracy –
political
○ proportional representation w/ no threshold → fragmentation, instability, polarisation – 29
parties 1920 elections
○ article 48 dissolve reichstag & rule by presidential decree
○ chancellor cannot be removed by reichstag vote of no confidence only president able
● failure of Weimar Chancellors to maintain stable parliamentary govt → diminished respect
for democracy – political
○ muller – how to deal w/ deficit in insurance scheme SPD: 3-3.5% benefits, DVP: cut →
resigned
○ bruning – sep 1930 election extremist parties nsdap ↑ 15% kdp ↑ 2% → relied on art. 48
○ schleicher – trade union reforms failed to gain support of left + accused of agrarian socialism
by elites
● elite neglect & apathy to Weimar democracy – political
○ judiciary – 10 months cf. 5 years for hitler after putsch
○ army – refused to suppress kapp putsch despite ebert request
○ aristocracy – turned against bruning may 1932 after planned to turn bankrupt junker estates
→ 600k worker allotments
○ papen – july 1932 coup against SPD-Z led prussian coalition govt.
● insurmountable economic problems ∵ Great Depression → radicalised electorate – economic
○ discontent from industrialists – export value ↓ 55% 1929-32 → pressure on businesses
○ discontent from workers → mass unemployment – 1.6m-5.6m 1929-32
○ discontent from Mittelstand → 5 major banks collapsed 1931 → no loans – 50k businesses
bankrupt
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