by Noah C

Created on: May 05, 2007   Last Updated: May 17, 2007

The Weimar Republic instituted a major shift in German politics, most notably the shift from an Empire, run by the military, to an attempted liberal democracy following Germanys defeat in World War I. The period is dotted with several attempts to restore not only Germany's national identity after the severe loss of lands and demand for war reparations, but also a country trying to establish a new political agenda, modernize and improve industry and economy.

The Treaty of Versailles left Germany with a massive war debt, and a shrunken state. Out of these conditions, an attempt was made to bring about representative government and to re-align Germany with her neighbors. In the formative years of the Weimar period, we see many political parties coming to the fore, each trying to stake their claim to reshape the nation. Unfortunately these parties had such differing views on the running of the state, and the people themselves were uncertain as to whether they preferred the democracy being offered by some political parties, communism, or indeed a return to imperial dictatorship as in the government of 1871. Violence was rife as competing political ideas often boiled over into open fighting.

It was in the infancy of the Weimar Republic that political infighting, the uprising of armies, and a particular putsch attempt by the aspiring Adolf Hitler, seemed to spell the doom of the Republic. In addition to these political woes were many strikes which led to hyperinflation and the re-adjustment of the national currency. For example the Rentenmark, one trillion times more valuable than the Papiermark, allowed Germany to resume war reparation payments, and have some of her occupied territories returned. With the introduction of Chancellor Stresemann in 1923 a golden period' was observed, indeed right up to his death in 1929. This period of relative stability was made possible by Stresemann's compliance with war repayment procedures, the admittance of Germany to the League of Nations, and the signing of treaties with Allied nations, as well as pacts with Russia. However, to say that Stresemann's government strengthened the Weimar Republic is in my opinion a misconception, as unemployment was still rife, and living standards as a whole had declined (perhaps in line with the worldwide depression) and commentators seem to agree that this rebound in fortunes of the Weimar Republic merely gave the impression of a stable democracy, however his policies were criticized by some because

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