SOCIAL SCIENCE ACTIVITY (HISTORY)

POLITICAL CRISIS
SO FIRST LETS TALK ABOUT WEIMAR, SO WHAT IS WEIMAR? AFTER GERMAN
EMPEROR GAVE UP HIS THRONE a constitution of this new government was formed
in Weimar, it was declared as Weimar Republic. The Spartacist League was a
revolutionary socialist group which was formed in Germany during the First World War.
THE TOPIC POLITICAL RADICALISM STARTS WITH TWO GROUPS MAINLY WEIMAR AND
SPARCIST.SO GERMANY WAS OPPOSED TO THIS GROUP AS THEY WERE THE GROUP
ON THE PATTERN OF BOLSHEVIK REVOLUTION IN RUSSIA.WEIMAR WANTED
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC BUT SPARTACIST DEMANDED A SOVIET STYLE
GOVERNANCE.SPARTACIST IS LATER FOUNDED AS COMMUNIST PARTY OF
GERMANY.THERE WAS ALWAYS CLASH BETWEEN SOCIALIST (FROM WEIMAR) AND
COMMUNIST.HITLER TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THIS SITUATION PREVAILING IN GERMANY.
The Weimar Republic crushed the uprising with the help of a war veteran’s organisation
called Free Corps.
ECONOMIC CRISIS

Germany had fought the war largely on loans and had to pay war reparations in gold. This depleted
gold reserves at a time were scarce.IN 1923 GERMANY REFUSED TO PAY AND THE FRENCH
OCCUPIED IT’S LEADING INDUSTRIAL AREA WHICH WAS RUHR TO CLAIM ALL THEIR COAL. TO DO A
COMEBACK US PRINTED PAPER CURRENCY RECKLESSLY. DUE TO IT US DOLLAR BY DECEMBER, THE
FIGURE HAD RUN INTO TRILLION.THIS ECONOMIC CRISIS CAME TO BE KNOWN AS HYPERINFLATION.

THE YEARS OF DEPRESSION

The years between 1924 and 1928 saw some stability. German investments and industrial recovery
were totally dependent on short-term loans, largely from the USA. THIS SUPPORT WAS WITHDRAWN
WHEN WALL STREET EXCHANGE CRASHED IN 1929. DUE TO FEAR IN FALL OF PRICES ON ONE SINGLE
DAY, 24 OCTOBER, 13 million shares were sold. This was the start of the Great Economic Depression.
BY THE NEXT THREE YEARS BETWEEN 1929 AND 1932 THE NATIONAL INCOME OF USA FELL BY
HALF.GERMANY WAS TOTALLY DEPENDENT ON USA FOR LOANS BUT AS THE WALL STREET
EXCHANGE CRASHED The German economy was the worst hit by the economic crisis.

INDUSTRIAL CONDITION IN GERMANY

By 1932, industrial production was reduced to 40 per cent WHICH WAS EQUAL TO INDUSTRIAL
PRODUCTION IN OF 1929. WORKERS LOST THEIR JOBS OR WERE PAID WAGES WERE REDUCED. THE
NO. OF UNEMPLOYMENT REACHED 6 MILLION. TO FILL THEIR’S OR THEIR CHILDERNS STOMACH
PEOPLE QUEUED IN LINE FOR THE WORK. AS PEOPLE SAW NO JOBS AVAILABLE, PEOPLE STARTED
COMING IN CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES. THOSE WHO HAD SAVING IN BANK SAW IT GETTING DEMINISH AS
THE CURRENCY LOST its VALUE. MANY SMALL BUSINESS, SELF EMPLOYED AND RETAILERS
BUSSINESS GOT RUINED. These sections of society were filled with the fear of proletarianisation, an
anxiety of being reduced to the ranks of the working class, or worse still, the unemployed. ONLY
ONE’S WHO GOT WAGES WERE ABLE TO KEEP THEIR HEADS ABOVE THE MATTER. The large mass of
peasantry was affected by a sharp fall in agricultural prices and women, unable to fill their children’s
stomachs.

POLITICALLY WEIMAR WAS FRAGILE WHICH MADE IT VULNERABLE TO DICTATORSHIP

1) PROPOTIONAL REPRESENTATION: MAINLY COALATION GOVERNMENT IS FORMED WHICH MADE

GETTING A PARTY MAJORITY LIKE AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK.
 SOCIAL SCIENCE ACTIVITY (HISTORY)

2) ARTICLE 48: IT gave the President the powers to impose emergency, suspend civil rights and rule
by decree.

3) PEOPLE LOST IT’S CONFIDENCE: Within its short life, the Weimar Republic saw twenty different
cabinets lasting on an average 239 days, and a liberal use of Article 48. Yet the crisis could not be
managed. People lost confidence in the democratic parliamentary system, which seemed to offer no
solutions.