How Stong Was the Weimar Republic by 1929?

This essay will begin with a brief description of the problems faced by the Weimar Republic prior to 1924.It will then outline and examine the arguments put forward by two historical schools of thought; hereafter referred to as the “optimists” and the “pessimists,” The Weimar Republic, established in 1919 under the Treaty of Versailles, came to power in a climate of social, political and economic disarray. From the outset the German people were deeply resentful and …

…government itself was divided and weak, thus failing to form a strong majority. Moreover, Germany’s economic recovery was built on unstable foundations. Problems persisted in the economy but were hidden by an increasing reliance on foreign capital. In this way the Germany economy was at the mercy of powerful external forces. Therefore any collapse in the world economy would inevitably have a detrimental effect on Germany. Infact, this was to be the case in 1929.