Germany had been in Turmoil since the beginning of the great war, and in the
aftermath of the war things had not gotten much better. The German revolution
had led to a complete reordering of the political order, yet the consequences of
the war threatened to destroy the new Weimar Government, both from within
and without. The threat from the right wing was one of the most severe issues
faced by the early Weimar government yet it was not the only one. Economic
issues and the threat from the extreme left also threatened to tear down the new
republic. Many historians follow the idea that Weimar was lucky to survive the
economic crisis, making the argument that the economic crisis was the most
significant threat to the republic, such as louis Snyder who argued that
"hyperinflation was the wound that never healed". Others argue that the threat
from the right wing and their aims to counter the left wing revolution in Germany
was a greater threat, like Kurt Tucholsky who said "we have not had a revolution
in Germany, but we are certainly having a counter revolution" in reference to the
right. Overall the threat from the extreme right was a significant threat to Weimar
Democracy, however this threat was not as significant as the threat posed by
Hyperinflation and the economic crisis.
The Right wing held onto significant amounts of power that they had held under
the Kaiserreich thanks to the Ebert Groner pact keeping the military structure in
place and the decision made to not remove right wing civil servants and members
of the judiciary. This gave the right wing significant amounts of power as they
were able to pull the strings from behind the scenes. The war also radicalised
many ex soldiers, with the majority turning to the right wing and joining
paramilitary groups such as the Frikorps. This gave the right wing a large number
of experienced soldiers who were well armed and radicalised by the war. With the
right wing holding both civil and military power they were in a perfect position to
challenger Weimar democracy. This opportunity was seized during the Kapp
Putsch which was successful in forcing the government out of Berlin, with troops
not following orders to put down the Putsch, it only ended with a massive general
strike which led to the collapse of the Putsch. This defeat however was not as bad
as it seemed with only one person in the entire revolt, Kapp himself, being
punished for the revolt. This was not the only Putsch with the Munich Putsch by
the NSDAP and the Kustrin Putsch both attempting to seize power. However none
of these attempts to seize power were ever able to succeed, with historian A.
Bulloch stating "Hitler proved singularly ineffective. Nothing had been properly
planned and when Hitler was forced to recognise that Von Lossow and Von Kahr
aftermath of the war things had not gotten much better. The German revolution
had led to a complete reordering of the political order, yet the consequences of
the war threatened to destroy the new Weimar Government, both from within
and without. The threat from the right wing was one of the most severe issues
faced by the early Weimar government yet it was not the only one. Economic
issues and the threat from the extreme left also threatened to tear down the new
republic. Many historians follow the idea that Weimar was lucky to survive the
economic crisis, making the argument that the economic crisis was the most
significant threat to the republic, such as louis Snyder who argued that
"hyperinflation was the wound that never healed". Others argue that the threat
from the right wing and their aims to counter the left wing revolution in Germany
was a greater threat, like Kurt Tucholsky who said "we have not had a revolution
in Germany, but we are certainly having a counter revolution" in reference to the
right. Overall the threat from the extreme right was a significant threat to Weimar
Democracy, however this threat was not as significant as the threat posed by
Hyperinflation and the economic crisis.
The Right wing held onto significant amounts of power that they had held under
the Kaiserreich thanks to the Ebert Groner pact keeping the military structure in
place and the decision made to not remove right wing civil servants and members
of the judiciary. This gave the right wing significant amounts of power as they
were able to pull the strings from behind the scenes. The war also radicalised
many ex soldiers, with the majority turning to the right wing and joining
paramilitary groups such as the Frikorps. This gave the right wing a large number
of experienced soldiers who were well armed and radicalised by the war. With the
right wing holding both civil and military power they were in a perfect position to
challenger Weimar democracy. This opportunity was seized during the Kapp
Putsch which was successful in forcing the government out of Berlin, with troops
not following orders to put down the Putsch, it only ended with a massive general
strike which led to the collapse of the Putsch. This defeat however was not as bad
as it seemed with only one person in the entire revolt, Kapp himself, being
punished for the revolt. This was not the only Putsch with the Munich Putsch by
the NSDAP and the Kustrin Putsch both attempting to seize power. However none
of these attempts to seize power were ever able to succeed, with historian A.
Bulloch stating "Hitler proved singularly ineffective. Nothing had been properly
planned and when Hitler was forced to recognise that Von Lossow and Von Kahr
