The Doomed Weimar Republic

            The Weimar Republic was a democratic government that came into power after the First World War. It is clear that this democratic government was destined to fail from the onset for several reasons. The Dolchstosselegende, failure to bring about fundamental socio-economic-judicial change, Ebert Groener Pact, right wing violence, the split of the left wing, and Article 48 of the Weimar constitution. All displayed how the Weimar Republics' eventual failure was evident from the beginning. .
             The Dolchstosselegende was a political impact of the Versailles Treaty, was an indication the Weimar Republic was doomed from the start. The Dolchstosselegende or 'stab in the back' legend was a belief that the German army had not been defeated in the field but had been "stabbed in the back" at home by socialists, pacifists, Jews and democratic politicians who became recognised as the November Criminals. This idea provided fertile propaganda for the anti-democratic right wing political parties. Historian John Wheeler-Bennet suggests the democracy was undermined at the start because of the stab in the back legend. The Dolchstosselegende was a key reason for the doubtfulness in democracy and thus the failure of the Weimar Republic. .
             Another key reason for the eventual downfall of the democratic republic was its failure to bring about fundamental socio-economic-judicial change. The political structure of Germany changed from an autocratic, authoritarian system to a democratic one. However, there was still people in positions of power in which were fundamentally opposed to democracy called conservative elites. The conservative elites owned and controlled media, industry, judicial system, police, army, religion and basically most aspects of German life. Histotian Michael Burleigh displayed how conservative elites believed "their world had collapsed" due to the creation of the republic.