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Weimar Germany 1924 – 1929.‘How far were successive Weimar Governments able to bring stability to Germany’s foreign relations, economic and political positions in the period 1924 to 1929?”
rose yet again.
Agriculture was then an economic ‘black spot’ and lower to middle class workers felt they were losing out to the working class. The middle class had bound on hyperinflation in 1923 but now they felt they could be losing income AND status.
Tension grew and complaints formed that Weimar Germany was a trade union state. Throughout the golden years, tension was still acute.
Culture
- Literature
Achievements – Thomas Mann, Nobel Prize winner in 1929.
- Franz Kafka author of “the trail” 1925.
- Erich Maria Remarque, author of an anti-war novel in 1927, “all quiet on the western front”.
- Drama
Achievements – Erwin Piscator, Ernst Toller, Bertolt Brecht.
- Visual Arts
Achievements – left wing dramatist was George Grosz, John Heartfield, Otto Dix, Max Ernst, Kathe Kollwitz.
- Music
Achievements – Richard Strauss, Paul Hindermith, Kurt Weilli, Alban Berg.
- Cinema
Achievements – classic pioneer horror films. Fitz Langs ‘Metrapolis’ in 1927, Joseph Von Stemberg’s ‘Blue Angel’ 1930 staring Marlene Dietrich.
- Design
Achievements – Walter Gropius founded the Bauhaus renowned for designs which are simple, functional, and elegant.
Gordon Craig’s view was in the richness and variety of its cultural completion, the period is second to none in German History.
However, this began support for the republic. Attacks were made on the Nazi’s and the republicans too. Weimar culture provided the extreme right with another reason the beat the republic.
In the late 1920’s they campaigned against the ‘tide of filth’ and ‘rubbish’ which was sweeping across the country.
Politics
a) Continued Political Instability; the governments were no more durable after 1924 than they had been before. In the 5 years between February 1919 and November 1923, nine separate governments held office. Their average lifespan was 6 and half months. In the 4 and a half years between November 1923 and June 1928 there were 6 governments which on average survived for just over nine months.
The principal obstacles in the way of the stable government remained the same throughout the Weimar period. Parties like the KDP, NSDAP and the DNVP (sometimes) refused to take parts in the work of running the country and the working class SDP was reluctant to join the Weimar parties in government. These circumstances led to the burden of the government falling on the DVP, the democrats and the centre party which between them came nowhere near commanding a majority of the Reichstag.
Pro-Weimar elements were able in the later 1920’s to take some comfort from electoral trends if political instability stayed a problem. In the two elections of 1924, held the aftermath of the Ruhr occupation, the right wing parties here made predictable gains. However, in 1928, both the DNVP and the Nazi vote declined.
Here, prosperity diminished the appeal of extremism.
b) The Presidency; the election of Hindenburg was a potential blow to supporters of the Republic. At first, Hindenburg’s accession to the presidency was [next page]