Democracy and Nazism
1918 – 1933
Germany as a Nation
Germany was a new country in 1918, having only been formed from the Holy Roman Empire half a century earlier by
Kaiser Wilhelm I. He was the first leader of a united Germany and a staunch conservative, though was open to more
liberal ideas than his grandson, Wilhelm II. Germany was unique in Europe in that the borders were entirely created
by man: there were no natural breaks between Germany and France or Germany and Poland. England, for example,
is surrounded by a sea with no separate countries on the island for three hundred years. France and Spain have the
Pyrenees mountains between them.
Germany was also the most urbanised state and had the best education system in Europe. It was mostly working
class – between 60-70% in 1918. Austria was closely affiliated with the country; Austria had been the capital state
with Vienna as the capital city of the Holy Roman Empire for centuries. It had not been included in Germany by
Wilhelm as it was ruled by a rival house to his own – which was Hohenzollern.
Germany had abundant natural resources – coal in the Saar, Ruhr and Silesia and Iron ore in Alsace-Lorraine. All of
these were on the borders of the country: a fact which would prove unfortunate for Germany, Europe, and all the
world.
Germany in Context
A generally nationalist country, Germany was led by an Emperor – or Kaiser – and a Parliament – or Reichstag. The
Chancellor did most of the work, and they could be appointed and dismissed freely by the Kaiser. They proposed
new laws and bills to the Reichstag. The Kaiser could veto these or pass these without Parliamentary consent freely;
he was a King, after all.
From 1914-1918, Germany was devasted in the Great War. Germany had been blockaded by English ships and the
people were starving. They were being told that the war was almost won for Germany and that they had to put up
with these shortages in order to help the Fatherland. People had also invested in War Bonds where they had given
the government money to contribute to the war effort which would be paid back at massive profit to the person
who had bought the bond using the money pillaged from the allies. Germany was allied against most of the world as
a part of the Central Powers against the Entente: Germany was allied with Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and
Bulgaria. There were several other client states of this alliance which had been conquered or forced to join the war,
such as Poland, Finland and Lithuania – but they were crushed by the might of the Entente: Russia (until 1917), the
United States (from 1917), France, the British Empire, Japan and Italy.
The government spent the entire war telling their people that they were winning. There was no way for them to
know that they were, in fact, coming closer and closer to defeat by the moment come 1918 as letters were heavily
censored.
Democracy was a new concept – not just to Germany, but to Europe. Many nations were still ruled by monarchs, and
those that weren’t were only recently converted. Portugal’s monarchy, for example, ended only in 1910. Only men
had the right to vote – but in Germany there was, at least, universal Male Suffrage, so all men could vote regardless
of wealth.
Spanish Flu was spreading through Europe, claiming many lives. This was particularly bad in Germany as they did not
have any form of medicine available.
1
, Key Characters
Presidents
Friedrich Ebert 1919 – 1925
Paul von Hindenburg 1925 – 1934
Chancellors
Philipp Scheidemann 1919
Gustav Bauer 1919 – 1920
Hermann Mueller 1920, 1928 – 1930
Constantin Fehrenbach 1920 – 1921
Joseph Wirth 1921 – 1922
Wilhelm Cuno 1922 – 1923
Gustav Stresemann 1923
Wilhelm Marx 1923 – 1925, 1926 – 1928
Hans Luther 1925 – 1926
Heinrich Bruening 1930 – 1932
Franz von Papen 1932
Kurt von Schleicher 1932 – 1933
Adolf Hitler 1933 – 1945
Foreign Influences
Josef Stalin General Secretary of the Soviet Union 1922 – 1952
Lloyd George Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 1916 – 1922
2
,Weimar Germany
3
, Part 1
The Early Years
1918-1923
The flag of the German Empire, 1871 – 1918
4
1918 – 1933
Germany as a Nation
Germany was a new country in 1918, having only been formed from the Holy Roman Empire half a century earlier by
Kaiser Wilhelm I. He was the first leader of a united Germany and a staunch conservative, though was open to more
liberal ideas than his grandson, Wilhelm II. Germany was unique in Europe in that the borders were entirely created
by man: there were no natural breaks between Germany and France or Germany and Poland. England, for example,
is surrounded by a sea with no separate countries on the island for three hundred years. France and Spain have the
Pyrenees mountains between them.
Germany was also the most urbanised state and had the best education system in Europe. It was mostly working
class – between 60-70% in 1918. Austria was closely affiliated with the country; Austria had been the capital state
with Vienna as the capital city of the Holy Roman Empire for centuries. It had not been included in Germany by
Wilhelm as it was ruled by a rival house to his own – which was Hohenzollern.
Germany had abundant natural resources – coal in the Saar, Ruhr and Silesia and Iron ore in Alsace-Lorraine. All of
these were on the borders of the country: a fact which would prove unfortunate for Germany, Europe, and all the
world.
Germany in Context
A generally nationalist country, Germany was led by an Emperor – or Kaiser – and a Parliament – or Reichstag. The
Chancellor did most of the work, and they could be appointed and dismissed freely by the Kaiser. They proposed
new laws and bills to the Reichstag. The Kaiser could veto these or pass these without Parliamentary consent freely;
he was a King, after all.
From 1914-1918, Germany was devasted in the Great War. Germany had been blockaded by English ships and the
people were starving. They were being told that the war was almost won for Germany and that they had to put up
with these shortages in order to help the Fatherland. People had also invested in War Bonds where they had given
the government money to contribute to the war effort which would be paid back at massive profit to the person
who had bought the bond using the money pillaged from the allies. Germany was allied against most of the world as
a part of the Central Powers against the Entente: Germany was allied with Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and
Bulgaria. There were several other client states of this alliance which had been conquered or forced to join the war,
such as Poland, Finland and Lithuania – but they were crushed by the might of the Entente: Russia (until 1917), the
United States (from 1917), France, the British Empire, Japan and Italy.
The government spent the entire war telling their people that they were winning. There was no way for them to
know that they were, in fact, coming closer and closer to defeat by the moment come 1918 as letters were heavily
censored.
Democracy was a new concept – not just to Germany, but to Europe. Many nations were still ruled by monarchs, and
those that weren’t were only recently converted. Portugal’s monarchy, for example, ended only in 1910. Only men
had the right to vote – but in Germany there was, at least, universal Male Suffrage, so all men could vote regardless
of wealth.
Spanish Flu was spreading through Europe, claiming many lives. This was particularly bad in Germany as they did not
have any form of medicine available.
1
, Key Characters
Presidents
Friedrich Ebert 1919 – 1925
Paul von Hindenburg 1925 – 1934
Chancellors
Philipp Scheidemann 1919
Gustav Bauer 1919 – 1920
Hermann Mueller 1920, 1928 – 1930
Constantin Fehrenbach 1920 – 1921
Joseph Wirth 1921 – 1922
Wilhelm Cuno 1922 – 1923
Gustav Stresemann 1923
Wilhelm Marx 1923 – 1925, 1926 – 1928
Hans Luther 1925 – 1926
Heinrich Bruening 1930 – 1932
Franz von Papen 1932
Kurt von Schleicher 1932 – 1933
Adolf Hitler 1933 – 1945
Foreign Influences
Josef Stalin General Secretary of the Soviet Union 1922 – 1952
Lloyd George Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 1916 – 1922
2
,Weimar Germany
3
, Part 1
The Early Years
1918-1923
The flag of the German Empire, 1871 – 1918
4
