Feldgrau.net

Hi Guys,
Does anyone have any speculation on what would have happened if the Weimar Republic had continued in place till 1938 or 1940?
Cheers,
John K

Hello John!

A somewhat late answer to an interesting what-if question...

Given the politically, economically and socially unstable (at best!) condition of Weimar Germany in the 20'ies and early 30'ies, I think that one path of political action that a Weimar era Goverment would never (dare) to go down is the official denouncement of the Versailles treaty and the subsequent official rearmament of Germany, enlistment, the Luftwaffe etc. The other thing they would not (dare) to do was the agressive political action (by Hitler) when it came to the Saar, the re-militarization of the Rhineland, the Anschluss of Austria and the annexation of the Sudetenland/occupation of Czeckoslovakia and the Memel area.

So, Weimar Germany of the summer of 1939 would not, could not from a military as well as a politically point of view start to wage war and thus provoke the major european powers into a reprise run of WWI... Military much weaker than Nazi Germany in 1939, politically weaker than Nazi Germany in 1939 (not a bad alternative per se), smaller land land area and population than Nazi Germany in 1939 and as such a smaller industrial capacity...


At least that's my two cents...


Regards,

Krollspell

Hi Dr. K,

The problem with the Weimar Republic is that the complexion of its governments is not predictable. For example, it is entirely possible that the Communist Party might have come to power by a similar pseudo-constitutional route to the Nazis. Then again the Weimar Republic might have been run by social democrats, or liberals or conservatives. Each would have had different policies more or less compatible with those of different of Germany's neighbours and rivals. One thing is for sure, if any of the latter came to power, Germany would have been easier to live with for its neighbours.

The economic side of Versailles was already unravelling before Hitler came to power, so it is possible, even probable, that other aspects of it might have ceased to be bones of contention by the late 1930s.

Cheers,

Sid

Papen was a dilettante and an imposter, 30/6/34 should have included this upstart

there seems to be a mindset with so called historians, locked in the past, Hitler freed the Vaterland from the chains of Versailles, historians please free youself from preconceived dogmas

raimund.h wrote:Hitler freed the Vaterland from the chains of Versailles,

And then sent millions of compatriots to death.

Gustav Knoske appears to be ignored by the {historians} afficionados of Weimar, WARUM BITTE ? This guy brought the Freikorp into being, and so preserved the Reich from the OST

it is well to remember that Hitler had no compatriots in WW11.though yes, perhaps Fuschl, in the trenches inWW,1