“the Circumstances of Its Origins and Early History Meant That the Weimar Republic Was Bound to Fail.” How Far Do You Agree with This Statement?

In 1919 Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated, thus The Weimar Republic was created. One of the new government’s first duties was signing of the Versailles Treaty. For the many of the German public the Versailles treaty was a betrayal from the German government as consequences of the treaty were deemed severe on Germany. All blame was pointed towards the Weimar Republic, this gave Communists and the right the opportunity to challenge the republic and create the state they wanted. The new government was distrusted among many of the German public, especially the wealthy who feared their lifestyle which they enjoyed under the Kaiser would be threatened by the new government. Therefore it would appear that the republic was doomed from the start.
One problem that faced the Weimar Republic was threats from the left and the right. The abdication of the Kaiser gave the opportunity for Luxemburg and Liebknecht (who led the Left Wing Spartacist) to create a Russian Communist style political System. They attempted to do so in January 1919 where they revolted in Berlin, assisted by USPD, and proclaimed a new revolutionary government. However the revolution was suppressed by the military, which supported Ebert in the Ebert-Groener pact, this meant that the government began to associate with the right. The right however was the next to revolt in 1920 with Kapp Putch. They attacked building in Berlin which forced the government to flee to Stuttgart. The rebels eventually surrendered in March when unions declared a general strike. Although the attacks showed that Weimar was unpopular, the fact that it remained showed that it did hold some strength.
As a consequence of the Versailles Treaty meant Germany would suffer financial problems, which too contributed to the political instability of the country in 1921 the reparations were fixed at 132000000 gold marks. Germany would not be able to pay this as they were too weak; as a result the French seized the Ruhr. The citizens of the Ruhr... [continues]

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