Saving the Republic

The German Republic’s fight for its life

“What was supposed to happen in Germany when parliamentary ran out of solutions?”

A book about the vulnerability of democracies

The government crisis, the Ruhrkampf, and Hitler’s putsch: opposing factions in 1923 threatened to topple the Weimar Republic

1923 was a year of crisis for Germany. Inner conflicts weighed upon the conquered nation. France occupied the Ruhr to force through its demands. The costs of passive resistance caused hyperinflation. The Great Coalition fell apart and the nationalist right wing tried to overthrow the government in Bavaria. But Hitler’s putsch did not succeed. Through great effort and luck, President Friedrich Ebert was able to save the Republic temporarily, but too few people were prepared to invest their trust in the government. 1923 came to symbolise the instability of Germany’s new democracy. These events, according to Peter Reichel, testify to the political parties’ inability at the time to resolve conflicts and come to agreements through compromise. He graphically illustrates how the handling of crises in 1923 already pointed to the outcome in 1933.