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National Studies 1919 - 1939

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National Studies 1919 - 1939
Brief Summary Of The Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic, proclaimed on November 9, 1918, was born in the thrones of military defeat and social revolution. In January 1919, a National Assembly was elected to draft a constitution. The government, composed of members from the assembly, came to be called the Weimar coalition and included the SPD; the German Democratic Party, a descendant of the Progressive Party of the prewar period; and the Center Party. The percentage of the vote gained by this coalition of parties in favor of the republic 76.2 %, with 38 % for the SPD alone suggested broad popular support for the republic. The anti - republican, conservative German National People's Party and the German People's Party received a combined total of 10.3 % of the vote. The Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany, which had split from the SPD during the war, won 8 % of the vote. In February the assembly elected Friedrich Ebert as the republic's first president.

The German Army
The German army (The Reichswehr) was one of the strongest nationalistic institutions in the country and became imperative in the Weimar republic, providing essential defence against revolutionary communist forces in the early era of the democracy. The German army aided in preventing the success of numerous communist uprisings and aided the Weimar republic. Yet controversially, their strong nationalistic right wing tendencies prevented them from launching an attack on right wing assaults. The accession of Seeckt to Defence minister shifted the role of the Reichswehr from mainly strategic to mainly political.

The Reichswehr became an essential force against the uprisings from the left of Weimar politics. The troublesome beginnings of the Weimar Republic required extensive military support and establishment. As A.J. Nicholls writes “Bloodshed and disorder in various parts of the country in the first half of 1919 made the new Reichswehr indispensable to the government”. The pact
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