Problems of the Weimar Government

• Article 48 of the consitution gave the President sole power in 'times of emergancy'
• Proportional voting led to 28 parties leading. This made establishing a majourity in the Reichstag impossible. People began to loose faith in the democratic system.
• The German states had too much power and often ignored the government.
• The Army, was not fully under the government's control. (failed to support during the Kapp Putsch or crisis of 1923
• Many government officials, especially judges, were right-wing and wanted to destroy the government.

The communist KPD hated the new government:

• In January1919, 50,00 spartacists rebelled in Berlin, led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Leibkenckt.
• In 1919, communist workers' consils seized power all over Germany, and a communist 'people's government' took power in Bavaria.
• In 1920, after the failue of the Kapp Putsch, a paramilitary group called the Red Army rebelled in the Ruhr.

Many right-wing groups hated the new goverment for signing he Versailes treaty (June 19190:

• The Kapp Putsch: in March 1920, a Freikops brigade rebelled againt the treat, led by Dr Wolfgang Kapp. It took over Berlin and tried to bring back the Kaiser.
• National terrorist groups murdered 365 politicians. In August 1921, Mathias Erzberger, the man who sugned the Armistice (a 'november criminal')was shot. In 1922, they assassinated Walter Rathenau, the SPD foreign minister because he made a treaty with Russia.

The cause of trouble was the Reparations- the gorvernment paid them by printing more money, causing inflation. In January Germany failed to make payment, and France invaded the Ruhr. Ordered a general strike, paid strikers with printed money causing hyperinflation.

On the 8-9 November 1923, Hitler's Nazis tried to take over Bavaria.