Political Challenges

What early political challenges did the Weimar Republic face?

There were political challenges to the Weimar Republic from the left and the right in the early years.

When did the Weimar Republic face political challenges initially?

It faced political challenges between 1919 and 1923.

Why did the Weimar Republic face political challenges in the early years?

There were 4 key reasons why there were political challenges:

• ❖ Signing the Treaty of Versailles made the Weimar Republic unpopular.
• ❖ The belief that the Weimar politicians had 'stabbed Germany in the back' and were 'November criminals' for signing the armistice and the Treaty of Versailles became popular opinion.
• ❖ Extreme left-wing parties wanted a communist government in Germany. They wanted to end capitalism - this meant that they wanted to end private ownership of land, business and property. They wanted workers to have power.
• ❖ Extreme right-wing parties wanted a very strong government with a strong army. Some wanted the kaiser back. They hated the Weimar Republic because they saw it as weak.