“Stab in the Back” in The Collapse of the Weimar Republic

“Stab in the Back” in The Collapse of the Weimar Republic

Germany lost the war at the end of World War 1. Accordingly, the surrender of the army and the demolishing of the German Empire army contributed to the fall of Germany’s military at the time (Fulbrook, 2019). Consequently, Germany became a republic, which was called the Weiner Republic. Accordingly, the “stab in the back” theory stipulated that the German army was not defeated, but their failure resulted from being stabbed in the back by civilian traitors (Spielvogel and Redles, 1990). Accordingly, the leadership in the Weimer Republic was met with many challenges.

The first challenge associated with the Weimer Republic is the doubt created by signing and accepting the Treaty of Versailles in June 1919 for peace (Fulbrook, 2019). The leaders of the Weimer Republic were not involved in its creation and were forced to accept and implement it (Shirer, 2012). Some of the stipulations of the Treaty included Germans’ obligations to pay for all damages incurred during the war by their Allies and the reduction of the military size, including but not limited to reducing the men to 100000 (Shirer, 2012). Subsequently, this Treaty left Germany unprotected and susceptible to attacks. Moreover, the leaders of the army, Ludendorff and Hindenburg, did not charge their assigned responsibilities, leaving leadership in the hands of Social Democrats (SPD), the Catholic Center Party, and German Democrats (DDP) (Spielvogel and Redles, 1990). Accordingly, the current leaders of the Weimer Republic, especially the Social Democrats, were blamed for the surrender during the war, leading to the collapse of the German Empire military, the defeat of the German Empire, the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, and all challenges and shortcomings associated with the signed Treaty. These occurrences were the source of the “Stab in the back” theory that contributed to all of the Weimar Republic’s challenges and was also used by Hitler (Peukert, 1993).

The second challenge associated with the Weimar Republic was the socioeconomic status of Germany (Spielvogel and Redles, 1990). After Germany lost the war and was forced to pay for all damages incurred by the Allies during the war, their economic structure was damaged. Consequently, cartels arose, dominating the markets and overpowering small businesses; accordingly, capitalists gained power while the middle class was overpowered and oppressed (Shirer, 2012). Also, the working class gained power through the new reforms created by the leaders of the Republic, which included improvements in conditions for working, the creation of bodies that represented labor, and people restricted from working, such as women, were now allowed to work increasing sources of labor (Fulbrook, 2019). Accordingly, these reforms were intended to assist in the recovery of the German economy. The social challenges were associated with the “stab in the back” theory, which caused divisions in society. The German people felt angry and betrayed by the new government since they all believed in the stipulation of the theory by the army generals (Fulbrook, 2019). The majority of the Germans believed in this theory, influencing their perception of the new government. Despite the reality of losing the war and signing the peace treaty, the Germans believed their new leaders betrayed them. Subsequently, these sociocultural limitations influenced the prosperity of the Weimar Republic.

The third challenge associated with the Weimar Republic is political uncertainties (Spielvogel and Redles, 1990). As the Social Democrats took charge, they couldn’t replace previous organizations that already existed, such as the Catholic Center Party and the Army. Consequently, some of the already existing bodies spoke up against the governing and leadership of the Social Democrats. An excellent example is the Army Generals responsible for the “stab in the back” theory that contributed to the Weimar Republic collapse. Unfortunately, the leaders couldn’t act against these bodies, especially the army, which would be used in cases of a revolution, such as the Berlin uprising of 1919 (Peukert, 1993).

Additionally, the death of prominent leaders such as Friedrich Ebert contributed to the political uncertainties since these leaders were competent and efficient (Peukert, 1993). Accordingly, the election of leaders such as Hindenburg contributed to the political tensions since he identified himself under Volk. Also, political parties did not collaborate to ensure effective leadership; thus, the political divisions contributed to the political uncertainties. Moreover, the implementation of the Weimar Constitution contributed to a crisis that caused the loss of a majority of elections (Shirer, 2012). Consequently, the socialists were divided into radicles and moderates, contributing to the political uncertainties that eventually contributed to the demise of the Weimar Republic. The rise of communists who viewed Social Democrats as the traitors behind the “stabbed in the back” theory preferred the Nazis to the Social Democrats (Fulbrook, 2019). These communists’ preferences contributed to the political uncertainties that eventually contributed to the demise of the Weimar Republic.

All these factors contributed to the fall of the Weimar Republic. Accordingly, this fall was attributed to the demise of the Great Coalition and the 1929 fall of the American stock market, which affected the economy, leading to an increase in unemployment cases in 1930 (Peukert, 1993). Accordingly, the economic stability created was lost, leaving the Weimar Republic susceptible to demise. Therefore, all these factors, including financial setbacks, political uncertainties, and social and cultural divisions, allowed Hitler’s rise into power. As a result, Hitler led the Nazis, who provided the Germans with security at a time filled with uncertainties. Moreover, the elites attacked the Weimar Republic government with a desire to restore the former type of leadership (Shirer, 2012). Accordingly, these factors contributed to the fall of the Weimar Republic.

In conclusion, the “stab in the back” theory played a significant role in the demise of the Weimar Republic. Also, this theory was adopted by leaders such as Hitler, who led masses against the believed treacherous government of the Social Democrats. Subsequently, other additional factors weakened the Republic leaving it susceptible to collapse.

References

Fulbrook, M., 2019. A concise history of Germany. 3rd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Peukert, D., 1993. The Weimar Republic. New York: Hill and Wang.

Shirer, W., 2012. Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany: RosettaBooks.

Spielvogel, J. and Redles, D., 1990. Hitler and Nazi Germany. 8th ed.

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Stab in the Back

What does General Ludendorff’s notion of a “stab-in-the-back” refer to? Discuss the political implications of this theory for the newly founded Weimar Republic in 1919. You should take into account both the relationship between civil government and the military command and the public’s perception of the republic and the lost war. Possible sources. Evans, David, and Jane Jenkins. Years of the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich. London: Hodder Arnold, 1999.
Evans, Richard J. The Third Reich in Power, 1933–1939. New York: Penguin, 2006.
Peukert, Detlev J. K. The Weimar Republic. New York: Hill & Wang, 1993.
Shirer, William L. Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1990. Hitler and Nazi Germany: A History by Jackson J. Spielvogel, 7th Ed., pp. 30–69 and 107–112
A Concise History of Germany by Mary Fulbrook, pp. 155–187