German history is seen as a 'painful issue for thousands of Germans and other Europeans' . However it has interested many historians over the years into inquiring how and why Hitler came to power and how much of this was to do with the failure of parliamentary democracy in Germany. To fully ascertain to what extent these events have in common and what reasons led to the fall of democracy and rise of the Nazis, each have to be looked at individually. Also it seems beneficial, to be able evaluate these in the relevant context, to look at the situation in Germany was in prior to 1920.

In 1919, the treaty of Versailles was signed marking the end of World War One. Soon after, the Weimar republic was established. It was hoped that this democratic constitution would mark a turning point for Germany. Turning the people of Germany away from the authoritarian style of government they were used to, towards a more stable democracy. Since the German nation was used to being ruled, rather than ruling itself, it was a hard transition to accomplish. Democracy was a new concept within Germany and many people

The Weimar Republic did not start on a good footing, since the first president was not democratically elected; instead Friedrich Ebert took the first oath of constitution on Prince Max's command.

were willing to look to the left and right wings for political leadership. Also World War One had created an unsettling influence on the people of Germany and the establishment of Weimar, with its wish for freedom and democracy hoped to settle this. In essence Weimar faced many problems from the outset; it had to cope with not only political challenges, but economic problems, structural weaknesses and the legacy of World War One. Weimar had also inherited the ruins of a conquered autocracy, a ruined economy and two ruthlessly anti-democratic political extremes

Article 48 was in fact the proof that Germany was unable to accept a full democracy. Article 48, was intended to be used only in times when security and public order were seriously disrupted or imperilled gave the President far reaching powers verging on 'dictatorial powers' . This undermined the basic principle of democracy and moved more towards an authoritarian regime. This also helped Hitler come to power. The politicians also exploited this clause in the constitution in the Republic. This was because they didn't want to be held responsible for any mistakes that would occur. In 1924 this decree was used 42 times and in 1932 it had been used to create 60 laws.

Some believe that the structure of Weimar was the main reason for its failure. There were many flaws in the constitution, which prohibited it from becoming a western style of democracy. The first thing to look at is how the constitution was established. After World War One, the German people were divided, those to the left believed that they had been lied to and deceived into fighting a war for the upper class. The Right believed that the revolution of the German people, was the reason why Germany had surrendered. Either way the Weimar republic satisfied neither parties since it didn't completely uproot the conservative elite's, instead the republic was seen to have merely compromised between the supposed two classes; 'run by business men for business men' . Nor did Weimar satisfy the questions of why Germany had surrender even though allied troops had never entered Germany.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Weimar Republic, World War, Communists Nazis, Treaty Versailles, Munich Hitler, Weimar Republic's, Mark German, Alfred Hugenberg, War German, Nazis KPD, nazi party, german people, world war, weimar republic, treaty versailles, article 48, hitler's rise power, people germany, rise power, majority reichstag, hitler's rise, weimar republic established, authoritarian style government, proportional representation produced, served world war,
Approximate Word count = 3078
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page double spaced)