Problems Faced By Weimer Republic

... savage fighting before the rising was put down. The Freikorps rounded up all the leaders and brutally beat and murdered them, this included Luxemburg and Liebknecht. The way the SPD handled the Spartacist Uprising caused much resentment, even from people who has no Spartacist sympathies.

Right wing opposition posed much more of a threat to the Republic that left wing opposition, mainly due to the sheer numbers of right wing supporters. The main right wing parties were the DNVP and the NSDAP - they rejected the Republic and itīs principals, wanted to destroy the democratic constitution and was in support of a strict nationalist system. The army was very conservative and never really supported Weimar as they wished to remain neutral and there was also opposition from institutions. The Freikorps were becoming an increasing threat to society and the survival of the Republic - they secretly hid weapons for fighting Communists and to take part in liberation wars against France and Poland, they also were influencing the support of younger people who had not been old enough to participate in the war.

In 1920 the Treaty of Versailles directed the government, at this point under the leadership of Bower, to reduce the army from 600 000 to 100 000. This action resulted in a lot of unemployed soldiers and caused a great deal of resentment, especially with the officers. A group of the embittered officers decided to make plans to overthrow the government, Ludendorf supported them. Wolfgang Kapp, a member of the Reichstag, joined the conspiracy. The Kapp Putsch soon followed.

Several army troops defied Noskeīs order to disband and they marched to the center of Berlin to join the Kapp Putsch. The Freikorps occ ...