Democracy in Germany essays

Democracy in Germany essays Why did so many Germans vote for anti-democratic parties after 1929? Many Germans voted for anti-democratic parties after 1929 due to the effects of the Versailles Treaty, the development and implementation of the German Democratic Constitution, and the growing number of elites opposing the democracy government. The economic instability caused by the depression, and the increasing support for the NAZI party, also had detrimental effects on the democratic government. The effects of the Versailles Treaty on the German population, was a contributing factor which led to the collapse of the Weimar Republic. The Treaty of Versailles was signed on the 28 June 1919. The German government and people expected that the treaty would be established and based on the fourteen points written by President Wilson of the United States in January 1918. Yet when the terms were given to the German government, it was clear that the treaty was not a peace of reconciliation but one of German punishment. Clause 231, which was one of the many terms within the treaty, condemned Germany for causing the war. The German people rejected this, as they believed that they were fighting a defensive war. The treaty also forced Germany to reduce their army to 100 000 personnel. It was also prohibited from producing offensive weapons. Germany was no longer allowed to have an airforce or own any submarines. The navy was also forced to reduce its size to six small battleships an d six cruisers. The territorial losses due to the Versailles Treaty, was the most detrimental hardship Germany was forced to face. Germanys land was reduced by 13% and all of their colonies were confiscated. Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France and Sudetenland was given to the new state of Czechoslovakia. The German city of Danzig was placed under the control of the League of Nations, and because of French fears of another German attack, the Rhineland wa...