It is finally understood why such a burdened population would look to Adolph Hitler and his Nazis to restore economic stability in the country. 2. Germany at the end of World War I

The German parliamentary republic, also known as the Weimar Republic, was established in 1919, shortly after the end of World War I, and officially brought the German Revolution to an end (Blanning, 2000, p. 159). This era was one of much political and social turbulence, as Germany was left in shambles after being defeated by the Allies in the Great War.

The stage for the conflict was set by the terms by which Germany was held accountable in the Treaty of Versailles. The Versailles Treaty of 1919 was an agreement that was signed by the Allied Powers and the German authorities during World War I, and it is this treaty that officially brought this particular war to an end. This treaty included several conditions that were imposed on Germany, which reduced the authority and, more significantly, the economic prowess of Germany (Michael Duffy, 2009).

Some of the worst punitive measures included the loss of colonies, mandatory payment of reparations to the victors, the seizure of territory and the reduction of its military to a maximum of only 100,000. The treaty also apportioned the larger blame of the war on Germany, and the consequent reparations contributed to the social and financial instability of the Weimer Republic. The terms and condition of this treaty are said to have been the precipitators of World War II.

To be fair to the Allies, the Versailles Treaty was not nearly as severe as the treaty that the Germans imposed upon the Russians at Brest-Litovsk...

However, to the German people, the Versailles Treaty was a national humiliation. After all, their troops were still in the field at the end of the war. Without an Allied invasion of Germany to settle the issue, as in Word War II, there was room for the Junker elite to circulate its negative, turncoat propaganda.
3. Politics and economics of the Weimar Republic

As the Great War would come to a resolution, the political and economic contexts in Germany would come to be met with more unrest. In the face of social pressures, as well as the sense of the hurt national pride -- due to both the loss of the war but also to the fact that it was being held accountable -- the German authorities strived to restore balance. The outcome was however far from the desired one.

Weimar was faced with numerous problems as soon as it was established in 1919. Germany had lost a war, and its central government could not exercise much power on international or domestic affairs. The Weimar Republic adopted a system of proportional voting, which promoted a creation of twenty-eight small, weak, and decentralized parties (Finer, 1946, p.555).

It was nearly impossible for one particular party to maintain power for a long period of time, and the Weimar Republic started to lose its credibility and support of the German people. Because the central legislative body of the Weimar Republic, or the Reichstag, was feeble and unpopular due to the constantly changing ruling party, the power of the German states grew, and they frequently ignored orders or directions of the central government. This instability would constitute a primary factor in the generation of the