FROM WEIMAR TO HITLER Also by E. J. F euchtwanger AIR POWER IN TilE NEXT GENERATION (editor with R. A. Mason) DEMOCRACY AND EMPIRE: Britain, 1865-1914 DISRAELI, DEMOCRACY AND TilE TORY PARTY GLADSTONE PRUSSIA: Myth and Reality SOCIAL CHANGE AND POLffiCAL DEVELOPMENT IN WEIMAR GERMANY (editor with R. Bessel) SOVIET MILITARY POWER AND PERFORMANCE (editor with John Erickson) TilE SOVIET UNION AND TilE TiflRD WORLD (editor with Peter Nailor) UPHEAVAL AND CONTINUITY: A Century of German History (editor) From Weimar to Hitler Germany, 1918-33 E.J.FeuchDNanger former Reader in History University of Southampton Palgrave Macmillan ISBN 978-1-349-22950-5 ISBN 978-1-349-22948-2 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-22948-2 ©E. I. Feuchtwanger 1993 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1993 978-0-333-27466-8 All rights reserved. For information, write: Scholarly and Reference Division, St. Martin's Press, Inc., 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 First published in the United States of America in 1993 ISBN 978-0-312-09588-8 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Feuchtwanger, E. J. From Weimar to Hitler: Germany, 1918-33/ E. J. Feuchtwanger. p. em. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-312-09588-8 1. Germany-Politics and government-1918-1933. 2. National socialism. I. Title. DD240.F46 1993 943.085--dc20 92-44734 CIP Contents Preface viii Abbreviations ix 1 The Revolutioa 1 War, defeat and the collapse ofthe monarchy 1 The revolution in Berlin and the Council of People's Commissars 13 Confrontation with the left and Spartacist uprising 21 The parties and the elections to the constituent assembly 32 The drafting of the Weimar constitution 38 The treaty ofVersailles and the battle over its acceptance 45 Turmoil on the Eastern borders 54 Left-wing uprisings and the Bavarian soviet republics 57 The wave from the right; social and financial reforms 63 The Kapp Putsch 69 Elections: the Weimar coalition loses its majority; the problem of forming a government 80 2 The Tbne o£ Troubles 87 Germany and the international situation 87 The reparations problem and its impact on domestic politics 91 Rapallo and the beginning of hyperinflation 98 The realignment of the left: the reunification of the SPD and the rise of the KPD 102 The radical right and the rise of the Hitler movement in Bavaria 108 The murders of Erzberger and Rathenau 115 The occupation of the Ruhr 117 Stresemann's Hundred Days: the end of passive resistance and crisis in Bavaria and Saxony 126 Hitler's Beer Hall Putsch 132 Crisis resolved: the ending of inflation and the consequences 135 v vi Contents 3 The Golden Years 144 The stabilisation of the mark and the Dawes Plan 144 The economy and social policy: compulsory arbitration, housing, unemployment insurance 151 Organised capitalism: industry, agriculture, Mittelstand and revaluation 158 Parties, coalitions and the election of Hindenburg 163 Locarno and entry into the League ofNations 170 Domestic politics: referendum on dynastic property, the flag controversy, the fall of Seeckt 175 Cultural issues: anti-pornography law, Neue Sachlickkeit, denominational schools 182 The left: the SPD, the Reichsbanner and the KPD in a post-revolutionary situation 187 The right: The DNVP between government and opposition; Hitler re-establishes his party; Stahlhelm and Conservative Revolution 192 Liberal decline and the elections of 1928 200 4 Crisis, Collapse and the Co~ning of Hider 203 The Great Coalition 203 The Ruhr lockout and Young Plan 205 Radicalisation on the right and the left: the referendum on the Young Plan; the Stalinisation of the KPD 209 The Reich's finances and the fall of Muller 216 Bruning takes over 220 The September 1930 elections: the Nazi breakthrough 224 Bruning governs by decree 233 A more assertive foreign policy: disengagement from the Stresemann era; radicalisation at home: the rise of the storm troopers and of political violence 239 The banking crisis of 1931: from recession into slump; the political consequences 245 The Harzburg Front- Bruning's belt tightening 256 Hindenburg's re-election 263 The ban on the SA: Bruning's fall 269 The Papen Government: the Prussian coup of 20 July 1932 279 Contents vn Papen fails to find support: the second Reichstag dissolution 289 From Schleicher to Hitler: the Nazi takeover 299 5 Epilogue: Why did the Webnar Republic Fall? 316 Appendices 326 Notes and References 339 Note on the English-Language Literature 360 Index 362 Preface The history of the Weimar Republic is overshadowed by the catastrophic consequences of its collapse. No account of these years can avoid explanation and analysis of the failure of German democracy. In writing the present book I have, however, tried to prevent the question of ultimate failure from being too predomi nant. The problems of German society between the end of the First World War and Hitler's coming to power deserve to be discussed on their own terms and in the context in which they presented themselves to contemporaries. My choice of themes is designed to bring out the interconnections which seemed important at the time and which help towards an understanding of events and decisions. In history the illogical simultaneity or dissimultaneity of things is often significant. There are many aspects I have had to neglect or to explore merely in passing: for example the cultural scene, which has been dealt with in easily accessible books more fully than is possible here. There is a huge literature on the Weimar Republic, especially in German, to which the end-notes in this volume offer a selective introduction. A separate note gives hints on further reading in English. E.J. FEUCHTWANGER viii Abbreviations ADGB Allgemeiner Deutscher Gewerkschaftshund (Association of Free Trade Unions). MA Allgemeiner freier Angestelltenhund (Association of White Collar Employees, affiliated to ADGB). BVP Bayerische Volkspartei (Bavarian People's Party, the Bavarian counterpart of the Catholic Centre Party). DDP Deutsche Demokratische Partei (German Democratic Party, the left-wing liberal party). DNVP Deutscknationale Volkspartei (German National People's Party, the conservative party). DVP Deutsche Volkspartei (German People's Party, the right wing liberal party). Gedo.g Gesamtverhand Deutscher Angestelltengewerkschaften (Gen eral Association of White-collar Unions, more right wing than MA). IMCC (IMKO in German) Inter-Allied Military Control Commission. KPD Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands (the Communist Party). MICUM Mission Interalliee de Controle des Usines et des Mines. NSBO N ationalso<;ialistische Betriehs<:,ellenorganisation (National Socialist Factory Cells Organisation). NSDAP Nationalso<;ialistische Deutsche Arheiterpartei (National Socialist German Workers' Party, the Nazi Party). OHL Oherste Heeresleitung (Supreme Command). RDI Reicksverhand der Deutschen lndustrie (Association of German Industry). RGO Revolutioniire Gewerkschafts-Opposition (Communist trade union organisation). SPD So<:,ialdemokratiscke Partei Deutschlands (the Social Demo cratic Party, between 1917 and 1922 sometimes known as MSPD, Mehrkeits-SPD, majority SPD). USPD Unahhiingige So<:,ialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (In dependent Social Democratic Party, split from MSPD between 1917 and 1922). Vestag Vereinigte Slllklwerke A.G. (United Steelworks Ltd). ZAG .?,entralarheitsgemeinschaft. ix