Failed Republics: Weimar Germany— Democracy Undone By Crisis And Extremism

Failed Republics: Weimar Germany— Democracy Undone By Crisis And Extremism

Crushing reparations from the Treaty of Versailles, combined with political instability, fueled runaway hyperinflation in 1923 and Weimar Germany, still reeling from military defeat and rapid social change, was in a constant state of economic shock and social despair. The middle-class’ life savings evaporated overnight. By the early 1930s, the Great Depression hit Germany hard, pushing unemployment to nearly 30%. The economic despair was very fe…