Political Parties

Major Political Parties in Weimar Germany

To summarise political alignments: left wing parties supported the Weimar Republic, right wing parties opposed the Weimar Republic, and the attitudes of centre parties varied.

Zentrum Party

The primary aim was to protect Catholic interests.
It’s regularly attracted about 40% of the Catholic vote, but also had a broad appeal across all classes, and both the centre-left and centre right of politics.
It supported the Weimar Republic, although there was a wide range of opinion within the party. It regularly achieved about 15% of the vote in national elections.
The Zentrum party was included in every coalition government from 1919 through to 1932. From 1928 it moved more to the right.

DDP (German Democratic Party)

The party was liberal, up pro-Weimar Republic and tended to attract a middle-class vote.
But the DDP did not attract the majority of the middle class which tended to be conservative.
It was most popular in the 1919 elections, when it attracted about 17.3% of the vote. After that, it took less than 10% of the vote in elections.
By the end of the Republic it was only attracting about 1%.

DVP (German People's Party)

Stresemann was a founding member of the DVP. He was a monarchist and a moderate conservative.
Under Stresemann, the party was committed to the Weimar democracy and moderate social reform.
Its main support was the liberal, Protestant upper-middle-class and industrialists who were pro free-trade. It was never a major force in Weimar politics.
After Stresemann died in 1929 the party moved to the right and became openly hostile to the Weimar Republic, losing its pro-democracy supporters.

KPD (Communist Party)

A revolutionary, Marxist party aiming for Soviet style revolution. The party was formed from the USPD and the Spartacists. The party was anti-Weimar Republic.
From May 1922 March 1923, the party regularly won between 10% and 15% of the votes in elections. The party's best performance was 16.9% in November 1932.
The KPD was increasingly dominated by the USSR and hostile to the SPD. This split permanently weakened left-wing politics in Germany.

DNVP (German National People's Party)

The main conservative party. Initially hostile to the Weimar Republic, it later joined coalition governments.
The party's best electoral performance was in the elections of 1924 when it won about 20% of the vote. In the 1920s otherwise, the party won between 10% and 15% of the vote.
From September 1930, its share of the vote dropped to between 6% and 9%.
The DNVP was the party that represented interests of industrialists and large landowners.
After major election losses in 1928, the party moved to the right.

The Nazi Party, otherwise known as the NSDAP (National Socialist German Workers Party) tried to appeal to as many people as possible. But its political views were deeply anti-Weimar Republic and anti-democracy.

Background to the Nazi Party

Founded in 1920 by Anton Drexler, in Munich.
It’s 25 point programme was devised in 1920 by Anton Drexler. This is also when the party changed its name to include the words nationalist and socialist.
Hitler was a great orator, very charismatic and excelled at propaganda. He became chairman and leader of the party in July 1921 after threatening to resign.
In August 1921 he set up the Nazi storm troopers (Sturmabteilung or SA).

25 Point Programme

Many of Hitler’s key ideas were based in nationalism and social Darwinism. He believed in the unity of all Germans as a master race (Pan Germanism).
Anti-Semitism, anti-Marxism, anti-democracy and anti-capitalism were key features.

Nationalist aims

Point One:
- Lebensraum: Germany must expand to take over more territory for its growing population.
Point Two:
- Abolition of the Versailles treaty was a top concern.
Point Four:
- ‘No Jew may be a member of the [German] nation.’
Point 25:
- A strong, centralised, authoritarian government was necessary to enforce the 25 point programme.

Socialist aims

Point Nine:
- All citizens have equal rights and duties. Citizenship was dependent on pure German blood.
Point 24:
- State provision would be made for education, health, mothers, children and old-age pensions. ‘Common good before personal gain’.

Nazi success between 1924-1929

The May 1924 election, after the trial for the Munich putsch, saw the party gain 6.5% of the vote and 12 Reichstag members.
By December this had fallen 2.3% and by May 1928 to 2.6%. The Nazi vote did pick up from the middle of May 1928, particularly in rural areas.
The Nazis were shunned by respectable voters in the 1920s who disliked it’s violent reputation. Collaborating with the DNVP in the early 30s helped this.

1The Weimar Republic 1918-1933

1.1Establishment Of The Weimar Republic 1918-1924

1.1.1Post WW1

1.1.2Weimar Constitution

1.1.3Peace Settlement

1.1.4End of Topic Test - Germany Post WW1

1.1.5Economic Issues

1.1.6Economic Issues 2

1.1.7Social Issues

1.1.8End of Topic Test - Economic & Social Issues

1.1.9Extremist Threats

1.1.10Extremist Threats 2

1.1.11End of Topic Test - Extremist Threats

1.1.12Political Instability & The Invasion of the Ruhr

1.1.13Weimar Government by 1924

1.1.14End of Topic Test - Weimar Government by 1924

1.1.15A-A* (AO3/4) - Germany Post WW1

1.2The 'Golden Age' Of The Weimar Republic 1924-1928

1.2.1Economic Developments

1.2.2Industry & Agriculture

1.2.3End of Topic Test - Economic Developments

1.2.4Social Developments

1.2.5Social Developments 2

1.2.6End of Topic Test - Social Developments

1.2.7Political Parties

1.2.8Political Stability

1.2.9End of Topic Test - Weimar Politics

1.2.10Germany's International Position

1.2.11Germany's International Position 2

1.2.12End of Topic Test - International Position

1.2.13A-A* (AO3/4) - The Weimar 'Golden Age'

1.3The Collapse of Democracy 1928-1933

1.3.1The Impact Of The Depression

1.3.2Politics After The Depression

1.3.3The Appeal Of Extremism

1.3.4End of Topic Test - The Depression & Politics

1.3.5'Backstairs Intrigue'

1.3.6'Backstairs Intrigue' 2

1.3.7End of Topic Test - Backstairs Intrigue

1.3.8Political Developments

1.3.9The State by March 1933

1.3.10End of Topic Test - Political Developments

1.3.11A-A* (AO3/4) - The Collapse of Democracy

2Nazi Germany 1933-1945

2.1The Nazi Dictatorship 1933-1939

2.1.1Hitler's Consolidation Of Power

2.1.2The Terror State

2.1.3End of Topic Test - Consolidation of Power

2.1.4Opposition

2.1.5Propaganda

2.1.6A-A* (AO3/4) - Terror State & Propaganda

2.1.7End of Topic Test - Propaganda

2.1.8Economic Policies

2.1.9Economic Policies 2

2.1.10Impact Of Economic Policies

2.1.11Impact Of Economic Policies 2

2.1.12End of Topic Test - Economic Policies

2.1.13Social Policies

2.1.14Social Policies 2

2.1.15Volksgemeinschaft

2.1.16End of Topic Test - Social Policies

2.1.17A-A* (AO3/4) - Economic & Social Policies

2.2The Racial State 1933-1941

2.2.1The Radicalisation Of The State

2.2.2Anti-Semitism

2.2.3Development Of Anti-Semitic Policies

2.2.4Development Of Anti-Semitic Policies 2

2.2.5End of Topic Test - Anti-Semitism

2.2.6Treatment of the Jews in the Early Years of War

2.2.7Deportation & Anti-Semitism Evaluation

2.2.8End of Topic Test - Early Treatment of the Jews

2.2.9A-A* (AO3/4) - The Racial State

2.3The Impact Of War 1939-1945

2.3.1Home Front

2.3.2Impact On Society

2.3.3Impact On Society 2

2.3.4End of Topic Test - Impact of the War

2.3.5War Economy

2.3.6War Economy 2

2.3.7Policies Towards The Jews & Untermenschen

2.3.8A-A* (AO3/4) - Impact of the War

2.3.9End of Topic Test - War Economy

2.3.10Opposition

2.3.11Opposition 2

2.3.12Nazi State by 1945

2.3.13End of Topic Test - Opposition

2.3.14A-A* (AO3/4) - Opposition & The State in 1945

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