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Modern World History Videos 86 videos

Modern World History 3.11 Unions: the People Who Brought You Weekends
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Modern World History 8.2 Democracy, or Something Like It 3 Views


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Description:

It's 1919, and it looks like Germany wants to build a democratic government. But don't count your democratic governments before they hatch.

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:02

When it became obvious toward the end of World War one that Germany was [Wood burning in the fire]

00:06

about to be put on a stick placed over a campfire and smored.. sailors in the

00:12

German Navy rose up in Revolt well this revolt known as the November revolution

00:17

of 1918 caused so much trouble in Germany that Kaiser Wilhelm II was

00:21

forced to abdicate his throne the only folks left standing after the German [Freidrich and Phillip standing in fire]

00:26

government had been burned to the ground were socialists, moderate socialists in

00:30

fact they were so moderate that the communists to the left thought they were

00:34

enemies of the worker and the political forces to the right thought they were

00:38

Bolsheviks well these guys just couldn't catch a break until they did the results

00:43

of the next national election put the Social Democrats in charge of Germany [German national election candidate votes]

00:47

the new government met in the city of Weimar in July 1919 and put together a

00:52

constitution that made Germany an officially democratic state the Allies

00:56

were not impressed however neither was a group of former army officers they

01:00

staged a revolt and tried to kick the Weimar Republic to the curb while their

01:05

plot didn't succeed well they were to be the first in a long line of malcontents [Hitler appears]

01:09

sout to destroy German democracy the Weimar Republic was an interesting place

01:15

it had universal suffrage, it had proportional representation,

01:20

it allowed recalls and referendums yeah the idea was that this was a government

01:25

that everyone could and should be involved in yet the new government left

01:29

a lot of the old Germany in place people who'd been in power in the past didn't

01:34

lose their land statues of long-dead aristocrats in the city squares [Statue of aristocrat]

01:38

continued to serve as toilets for pigeons but destiny just would not leave

01:42

Germany alone in 1929 a global Great Depression got its start in the United

01:48

States by 1932 six million Germans were unemployed the depression in combination [Employment percentages in 1932 Germany]

01:54

with the fallout from the war and the Treaty of Versailles made Germany a

01:58

really sad place to live it also made the country unstable the constitution

02:04

hammered out 1919 had a big honkin loophole in it called article 48

02:08

basically this article gave the president of the Weimar Republic the

02:11

power to take emergency measures without the legislative approval of the

02:15

Reichstag in certain situation well president Paul von Hindenburg who had [von Hindenburg appears]

02:19

been Germany's leader since 1925 decided to bust out article 48 in response to

02:25

the Great Depression he used his authority to try and pass a finance

02:29

reform bill that absolutely no one liked once Hindenburg had gotten a little

02:33

taste of unrestricted presidential power he just had to have another in 1933 the

02:38

building in Berlin where the Reichstag met burned down thanks to a Dutch [Reichstag building on fire]

02:42

Firebug who also happened to be a communist Hindenburg promptly wigged out

02:47

because the Communists were coming and issued the Reichstag fire decree it was

02:53

auf wiedersein, free press and free speech and hallow to a stronger Nazi Party after

02:59

that one year later Hindenburg was dead Hitler was in charge and the downhill [Hitler saluting to army]

03:04

slide to World War two had begun [Earth sliding down a hill]

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