Chances, Opportunities, and Limitations of the Weimar Republic I
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| A street scene in Berlin during the days of the revolution symbolizes the initial phase of the republic. It was characterized by new hopes, expressed in the campaign preceding elections to the national assembly, and by the threat to the republic, which manifested itself in the nationalist Kapp Putsch of 1920.
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Revolution.
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"The enemy is to the right!"
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| The Weimar Republic was not doomed from the start. The will to defend the republican order manifested itself in the demonstration against the murder of Walther Rathenau in 1922. Efforts at social reform, such as the democratic experiment of the children's republic of Seekamp, gained wide recognition. |
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Versailles and its consequences.
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Social reforms.
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| The men waiting in front of a Berlin shelter for the homeless epitomize the social challenges facing the new state. The social consequences of the Great Depression in Germany after 1929 provided fertile ground for the rise of National Socialism. |
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Social hardships. |
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Unemployment.
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| The uniforms of political paramilitary organizations became an increasingly common sight on city streets during the violent election campaigns. This was also apparent in the confrontation between the groups of the democratic Reichsbanner (Reich Banner) and the Stahlhelm (Steel Helmet), the federation of combat veterans. |
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Paramilitary organizations.
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Fighting in the streets.
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| After the violent confrontations on May 1, 1929, the forces loyal to the republic were in the minority. This was reflected not only in the self-confidence of the National Socialist tram workers in their march but also in the last demonstrations of the democratic Reichsbanner. |
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Bloody May.
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What is left of freedom.
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| The political parties were unable to form a democratic majority government in the final days of the republic. On January 30, 1933, Reich President Paul von Hindenburg entrusted Adolf Hitler with the task of forming a government. |
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Campaign inferno.
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State of emergency.
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Selection
© 1996 - 2009 Gedenkstätte Deutscher Widerstand