To some extent the Weimar Republic was a failure, however there are other factors to consider when answering this question. Many factors such as political instability and the still recovering economy eventually led to the rise of extremists such as the Nazis, however, in other aspects such as culture and foreign relations the republic improved and recovered. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay To what extent was the Weimar Republic a failure? First, although the republic achieved relative political stability, the Great Depression of 1929 bred more extremism and contributed to the rise of the Nazis and their eventual seizure of power. During the Depression, people supported these parties because of their promise to give people what they wanted, such as jobs. Furthermore, parties like the SPD and the Center Party have dissolved their coalitions and in addition to that, due to the number of parties in parliament, both have led to parties not willing to work together and this has led to stale politics . The parties could not pass any laws because they were voted for by many other parties and this lack of cooperation also led to the revolt of extremists like Hitler because the people wanted a leader who could solve problems with brute force and without opposition. People thought this would allow the country to function better. In addition to this, the economy of the Weimar Republic was failing due to the large increase in unemployment due to the Depression and this put a large financial drain on the economy due to unemployment benefits and the workforce being reduced and therefore less being collected tax revenue. Additionally, Gustav Stresemann implemented a policy in 1924 called the Dawes plan which aimed to allow American investments and loans in Germany which provided a temporary boost to the economy, however due to the Depression many of those businesses were now requiring those loans and people were not . able to pay them and therefore this created an economic struggle from which the Republic would not emerge. Subsequently, under Stresemann and the Weimar Constitution there were cultural changes in the Republic and many people, many of whom were strictly conservative, did not appreciate these changes and protested them heavily. For example, the Constitution provided for freedom of speech and expression and many people did not like controversial topics, such as sex, being talked about, and this led to the relocation of the Bauhaus school of architecture. This further contributed to the rise of extremists like Hitler due to people wanting traditional values back. Furthermore, there were also problems with the constitution that contributed to its long-term downfall. For example, Article 48 of the Constitution allowed the president to suspend democracy and have “emergency powers,” which meant he could pass any law he wanted without the approval of the Reichstag. These powers would allow any president to overthrow his opposition and become a dictatorship. Furthermore, the Constitution does not define exactly what the term “emergency” is, so it can be interpreted differently. In fact, President Hindenburg handed these powers over to Hitler, who was chancellor in 1933 and this led him to pass the Enabling Act, giving him dictatorial powers. This allowed Hitler to become the Fuhrer of Germany and was the final nail in the coffin of the Weimar Republic. However, despite these points, the Republic saw some improvements. First, the foreign relations of the.
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