Essays on Weimar Republic

August 11, 1919 - January 30, 1933

The Weimar Republic was Germany’s government from the period after World War I until the rise of Nazi Germany. It is so called because of the town of Weimar where Germany’s new government was formed from February 6 to August 11, 1919. On February 11, the assembly elected Friedrich Ebert president of the Reich.

The Weimar Constitution was signed into law by President Ebert on August 11, 1919. The Constitution contained 181 articles and covered everything from the structure of the German state (Reich) to religious freedom.

The Weimar Republic faced hyperinflation, one of Germany’s greatest economic challenges. The German government was unable to pay its debts due to war debts and reparations. In late 1923, U.S. banker and Director of the Budget, Charles Dawes, submitted the "Dawes Plan" which outlined a plan for Germany to pay more reasonable reparations on a sliding scale, that helped stabilize the Weimar Republic and energize its economy in future.

After the crash on the New York Stock Exchange in October 1929 and the beginning of the Great Depression, in searching for new leadership and fearing a Communist takeover, many people turned to extremist parties such as the Nazi Party. The Depression was the indispensable condition for the Nazis’ rise to power. When Hitler was named Chancellor in January 1933, and establish his dictatorship very soon.