Evaluate the reasons for the survival of the Weimar Republic in the period from 1918 to 1923.

In the period from 1918 to 1923, the Weimar Republic was left to deal with the repercussions of losing a war. The consequences were grave and so subsequently the republic faced a multitude of threats politically, socially and economically. However, in spite of the instability and chaotic environment which dawned over Germany, the republic was able to survive this turbulent period and even reach a point of temporary stability later in the decade. Weimar’s survival was an outcome of many factors but the main ones are the effective and dedicated leadership it had, the widespread support among the majority of the population (including the military) and the ineffectiveness and disorganization of the opposition.

It is undeniable that although the republic had 8 reichskanzler (the head of government) which is normally a sign of instability and uncertainty, the presence of Friedrich Ebert as president made sure that there was consistency in the political world of Weimar. Ebert being Germany’s first-ever democratically elected head of state was fully dedicated to see the survival of the republic and was obstinately committed to its success. Ebert used his influence given to him by article 48 to protect the republic in its critical times. For example, during the leftist revolt in 1919 Ebert ­was able to mobilize the army and the freikorps; crushing the Spartacist movement along with its leaders Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg.

Stresemann is another figure that incorporates decisive and dedicated leadership. During his time as chancellor he was able to solve the hyperinflation crisis of 1923. At the time in which one dollar was the equivalent to 4,210,500,000,000 German marks, the population was losing faith in the republic and the price for bread and eggs were in the billions, Stresemann was able to introduce the new Rentenmark and so cut twelve zeros from prices and establish a currency exchange of 4.2 Rentenmark to 1 dollar. Furthermore, while his decision to call off the Ruhr resistance and resume paying the reparations to the allies was incredibly unpopular at the time, Stresemann was one of the few politicians who was willing to make unpopular decisions in order to save the economy. The introduction of the Rentenmark and the consequent stabilization of the economy neutralized the financial threat to the republic.

And yet while the leaders of Germany played a significant role in the survival of Weimar “The masses [were] the decisive element”. In spite of opposition from both the left and the right, the republic did have widespread support among most people. Politically the party enjoyed 80.6% of the votes of 1919 and 52% in 1924, showing that during this period the majority of the people supported the government and wanted it to succeed. Likewise, the population’s support can clearly be understood from situations such as the Kapp Putsch, where supporters of the republic in the form of ordinary workers took to the streets and stopped Kapp by going on general strike. During this period of the Weimar Republic even most hard-conservatives which longed for a monarchic rule and a dominant military became Vernunftsrepublikaner, in other words they supported the republic out of political necessity rather than moral conviction. However, although the support of the general society was crucial to the survival of the Weimar Republic, the significantly smaller military was of even greater importance.

The support of the army which was cemented by the Ebert-Gröner pact was of utmost importance to the survival of the Weimar republic. Although the army cannot necessarily be considered loyal to the republic, their support was definite. Had it not been for the army crushing the Spartacist revolt and the beerhall putsch and its neutrality during the Kapp putsch the Weimar leadership would have had acute difficulty controlling the situation; and so while “the army cannot be seen as friends; they shall be seen as allies”.

But not only were the dedication of the leadership and the support of the society the determining factors; as A.J.P. Taylor himself puts it: “The disorganization and disorder [of the extreme political groups] meant that they were, at first, ineffective.” In retrospect, the organization and execution of hasty plans from the extreme groups lacked a realistic and clear vision from its leadership and the support of the society. For instance, during the early years of the republic the nation faced many revolts from the left; all unsuccessful. On the 6th of January 1919, the communists, under the leadership of Luxemburg and Liebknecht, took control of railways stations, newspaper offices and government buildings. Their attempt at creating a soviet style government (such as at the time in Russia), was short-winded by the lack of support from the society. At the time of this event the Spartacist movement only had 5,000 people in Berlin and so lacked the sufficient mass to carry out a successful revolution. The deaths of Liebknecht and Luxemburg as the aftermath of the revolt in January resulted in the left being completely crippled and so losing any chance of being a serious threat to the republic.

However, the left was not the only rebellious group that was causing trouble for the Republic. Although the right was divided into the monarchists such as the DNVP and the nationalists such as the NSDAP, they still had a wider-ranging support than the left. The division however ensured that during the initial years of the Republic they were never strong enough to overthrow the government or even cause a serious threat. The Kapp and Beerhall Putsches are clear examples of how disorganized and idealistic the right wing leaders were. During the Kapp Putsch of 1920, Wolfgang Kapp invaded Berlin with approximately 5,000 Freikorps soldiers. His strong idealism meant that the movement was unprepared for the defiance from the society’s support of the republic. The Beerhall Putsch on the 8thof November of 1923, was another example of how disorganized and divided the right wing opposition was. While Adolf Hitler was proclaiming a right wing revolution he was also pointing a gun at Lossow and Kahr, two right wing supporters themselves, and the two that would later ensure the failure of the Putsch. While the left and the right parties shared completely opposite ideas and disliked each other with a passion, their unsuccessfulness was due to the same reason; complete disorganization, overly idealistic leaders and most importantly the inability to unite for a cause.

While the period of 1918 to 1923 was one of acute chaos, the decisive leadership of the Weimar republic, the society’s support towards the thriving and the success of the Republic and the fragmentation of the extremist oppositions ensured its survival. However, a simple explanation to the survival of Weimar is that the only alternative to the moderate rule of the Republic was what Germany experienced starting in 1933; which resulted in the second world war.