Credit: HistoryTodayĪfter six years of recovery and even some economic prosperity for Germany, the Great Depression of 1929 once again threw Weimar Germany in a desperate economic state, prompting many German voters to seek radical political options, including National Socialism. Representatives of the Nazi Party (first two left), German Centrist Party (middle), the Social Democratic Party (middle-right), and the Communist Party (far right) canvassing before the 1932 Elections, the last free elections before the rise of Nazi Germany. The coup was unsuccessful and was quickly crushed, prompting the Nazis’ leader, Adolf Hitler, to try and enter the Weimar political system through democratic means (with some caveats) before overthrowing the German state and bringing about their dictatorship. They first emerged on the German political scene in 1923 when they attempted the Beer Hall Putsch in Munich, a plot where they sought to take over the Weimar government by force. The defeat also significantly destabilized German society and politics, leading to a series of revolutions and attempted coups ( Putsches ) throughout the 1920s as various different radical groups ranging from communists to militarists sought to take over the Weimar government.Īmidst the disorder, a fringe group slowly rose to prominence: they were the National Socialists, or Nazis. The Entente powers imposed the harsh and deeply humiliating Treaty of Versailles that forced Germany to pay massive indemnities to the Entente powers, which left the country impoverished. However, the young German Republic was plagued by a series of significant problems stemming from Germany’s defeat in the Great War. The young Weimar Republic had a highly innovative constitution that, for the first time in German history, granted all Germans broad representation and the universal right to vote. In 1919, after the end of World War I, Germany was defeated, its monarchy ousted, and a republican democracy was formed in its place. Weimar Germany’s descent into Nazism is one of history’s most evocative examples of democratic collapse. The often unforeseen cost of electing these parties, however, is that they tend to destroy democratic principles once they enter power. In some situations, such as in the case a major economic collapse or a significant military defeat, voters may seek extreme options by choosing political parties which promise to single-handedly save the country from its economic or political woes, usually through authoritarian means. When the political arena no longer becomes about compromise, it becomes a matter of dominating by one group over the other. But sometimes, these political groups begin disagreeing with each other so much that they no longer believe that compromise with the other group is possible. In a healthy democracy, these groups agree to make compromises that will benefit their group of voters, or constituencies. Political Radicalization and Social Desperationĭemocracies are characterized by lively but peaceful debate between a variety of political parties and interest groups. Or, democracies can fall the other (more subtle) way, when elites first grab on to power via democratic means, before then stripping away democratic rights. When these elites feel that losing an election may mean forfeiting their power and influence over the country, they may seek to take over the country by force, turning it into a dictatorship. ![]() One way is the result of political polarization, where the competing political sides no longer want to cooperate with one another, allowing violent or extremist groups to take over politics instead.Ī democracy can also fall when a country’s elites feel that democracy no longer “works” for them. So how exactly does a democracy slide into a dictatorship? Ways Dictators Come to Power in a Democracyĭictators may rise to power in a democracy through several ways. Indeed, many countries such as Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Egypt have lost their democracy over the past century. However, despite democracy’s popularity around the globe, it is important to remember that democracies can easily fail without proper upkeep. These types of governments also tend to have strong safeguards to personal rights, such as freedom of speech. A modern democracy, as opposed to the pure, direct democracy of ancient Athens, is a form of government in which the general population has the right to vote and participate in politics by electing political representatives to act on their behalf. ![]() It has arguably become the dominant form of politics more than half of the countries on Earth are democracies. Over the last one hundred years, democracy has become the most common type of government across the world. By Alec Medine How do Dictators Come to Power in a Democracy?
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