How did Parliamentary government decline from 1929?
B aim – to track the rate of parliamentary decline in 1929 and 1930 and explain the
reasons for this
A/A* aim – to track the rate of parliamentary decline and analyse the reasons for this
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1. The Young Plan
What was it?
Who was likely to be unhappy?
What could they do?
In right wing circles, Stresemann’s diplomatic success was seen as a betrayal of Germany. Led
by Hugenberg and the DNVP the ‘National Opposition’ drafted a Law against the
Enslavement of the German People. The proposal achieved enough support to trigger a
national referndum and despite only getting 5.8 million votes (they needed 21 million) it
focused nationalist oposition on the failures of Weimar. For the Nazis it meant:
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an increase in the membership
•
Nazism gained a national standing
•
Hitler increased the number of political supporters
•
it opened up access to Hugenburg’s media empire
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How could this cause parliamentary government to decline?
How did Parliamentary government decline from 1929?
2. The collapse of Muller’s Grand Coalition
• Social insurance – what’s the problem?
• The split:
The SPD
The DVP
Hindenburg wanted to replace him and refused to use
article 48 to support his solution to social insurance.
What happened next?
How did Parliamentary government decline from 1929?
3. The appointment of Brüning
Appointed by:
1. An aging President Hindenburg
2. Otto Meissner (president’s State Secretary)
3. Oskar von Hindenburg (president’s son)
4. Major General Kurt von Schleicher (a leading
general)
Which part of society are these men from?
What are they likely to believe in?
Does the table tell us anything else?
How did Parliamentary government decline from 1929?
4. Brüning’s response to the economic crisis
• What’s the crisis?
• What do the elite want to do?
• Brüning’s response
• He proposed cuts in government spending to create a balanced
budget and avoid inflation. This was rejected by the Reichstag.
He ignores this and passes the budget by emergency decree.
This is challenged by the Reichstag on legal grounds. Deadlock.
Bruning had to ask Hindenburg to dissolve the Reichstag and call
an election. He hoped that the centre-right would get more
seats who would support him more.
How did Parliamentary government decline after 1930?
5. Nazi breakthrough
It is thought the votes
came from...
Lost votes from the DNVP,
DVP and DDP went to the
Nazis.
The rules had changed and
new younger voters could
now vote – who seem to
have voted for the Nazis.
How did the electoral results change
between 1928 and 1930?
Where did the extra votes for the Nazis
come from?
• Even though the centre-right had
decreased in votes, Bruning stayed as
the chancellor as he had the support of
Hindenburg. The SPD decided to
tolerate him. The SPD did refuse to join
the government. The SPD said ‘anything
but Hitler’.
2. Brüning: potential saviour or destroyer of Weimar democracy?
Issue
Brüning – a saviour
Brüning – a destroyer
Economy
Foreign policy
Political
Use the box ‘1930-1932 Bruning’s
government’ on p. 135 and ‘Bruning’s
economic policy and foreign policy’ pp. 136137 to complete this table.
1. How did Parliamentary government
decline after 1929?
Pick out 5 key events which track the decline of
parliamentary governance.
B – explain different reasons why this decline
occurred
A+ - explain which overall reason you think is most
important for the decline in parliamentary
governance
2. Brüning: potential saviour or destroyer of Weimar democracy?
E. Feuchtwanger
H. Mommsen
R. Henig
Fill in what these historians believe with any supporting evidence you can
think of from p. 137.
Who do you agree with?
Why?