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The Main Threat to the Stability of the Weimar Republic in the Period 1919-1923 Came from the Political Violence of the Extreme Right

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The Main Threat to the Stability of the Weimar Republic in the Period 1919-1923 Came from the Political Violence of the Extreme Right
The main threat to the stability of the Weimar republic in the period 1919-1923 came from the political violence of the extreme right

There were many threats posing Germany in 1919, the political system formed on the back of failure produced resentment towards Weimar from both the extreme left and the right. Other factors linked to economic issues caused by war, such as hyperinflation and the war guilt clause which `led to much suffering for the German people through loss of savings and jobs and The constitution further hindered the stability of the government as it was fundamentally flawed. However the main threat to the political system was from the right and influence of the elites, although the breakdown of extreme right putsches showed weakness in the right, the elite allowed the extreme right to become more of a powerful force by providing them with lenient sentence which for example, allowed Hitler to reassess his strategy and lead to the emergence of the Nazis.

The extreme right, although not seen as much as a threat in context as the communist left, can be seen as a growing threat to the Weimar regime. The nature of the friekorps demonstrates the real threat they posed to Weimar. Flourishing in the post war environment the friekorps demonstrate the more violent element of German militarism, although used by Weimar to put down left wing uprising the friekorp were anti republican and committed to the restoration of authoritarian rule. The kapp putsch of 1930 not only showed to weakness of the Egbert coalition, but also revealed the army’s reluctance to support the republic. The decision of the army to put its own interests before its obligation to defend the government forced the latter to flee the capital. Furthermore, punishments towards those who participated in the kapp putsch were very lenient, making it clear that the judges were biased and their heart did not lie with the Weimar republic. For example, only 28 out of the 354 of the right wing

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