# Political violence and unrest in the Weimar Republic **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 1, 2019, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-violence-and-unrest-in-the-weimar-republic/831859 "2019-04-01T14:35:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mislav](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mislav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mislav)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2019, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-violence-and-unrest-in-the-weimar-republic/831859/1 "2019-04-01T14:35:07Z")
So, I do know that the Weimar Republic (Germany from 1918 to 1933) was extremely politically unstable, and that most of the parties active there were pretty combative and gang-like. Some sources say that the political assassinations and riots were almost a daily occurrence back then. That instability eventually fueled the rise of Hitler and the Nazis. However, I can’t seem to find much information about particular incidents/instances of violence from that time period. I know about the failed Munich Beer Hall Putsch, but that’s about it. The Wikipedia article doesn’t seem to provide more information either. > **[Political violence in Germany (1918–1933)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_violence_in_Germany_(1918%E2%80%9333))** > >  Weimar Republic > Far-left > Far-right > Germany saw significant political violence from the fall of the Empire and the rise of the Republic through the German Revolution of 1918–1919, until the rise of the Nazi Party to power with 1933 elections and the proclamation of the Enabling Act of 1933 that fully broke down all opposition. The violence was characterised by assassinations by and confrontations between right-wing groups such as the Freikorps (sometimes in collusion with the state), and left-... Does anyone active here have any information about some particular political assassinations, riots and/or hate crimes that took place during the time of the Weimar Republic? At least the most historically significant/prolific ones? And does anyone have any information about the Weimar Republic’s overall crime rate? Thank you in advance. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2019, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-violence-and-unrest-in-the-weimar-republic/831859/2 "2019-04-01T15:03:22Z")
> [@](#): > > Shot in front of their children. Attacked with acid. Murdered while walking away. Germany’s Weimar Republic was a dangerous place for politicians and government officials—and for hundreds of them, it was deadly. > > Between 1918 and the mid 1920s, Germany was rocked by murder after murder. The victims all had a connection: they were killed for political reasons. And their deaths were made possible by right-wing extremist groups that played on racism, nationalism, and economic anxiety to stoke fear and hatred. By 1922, at least 354 government members and politicians had been murdered, setting the stage for the Nazi Party, World War II and the Holocaust. > **[After WWI, Hundreds of Politicians Were Murdered in Germany | HISTORY](https://www.history.com/news/political-assassinations-germany-weimar-republic)** > > Right-wing paramilitary groups killed political foes with no repercussions in Weimar Germany. ---
**Author:** ![Bayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bayaker/32/3454_2.png) [@Bayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2019, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-violence-and-unrest-in-the-weimar-republic/831859/3 "2019-04-01T15:24:33Z")
A pretty good synopsis can be found at: [Weimar Germany 1919-1933](http://www.historyhome.co.uk/europe/weimar.htm). The problems were complex and convoluted at times. If you google some of the names of individuals, political parties, and freikorps(right, center, and left wing) you can dig deeper than you probably want to go. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2019, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-violence-and-unrest-in-the-weimar-republic/831859/4 "2019-04-01T16:54:00Z")
Huh, I thought this was going to be a thread about [_Babylon Berlin_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylon_Berlin), which I’m currently re-watching on Netflix. Great show. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2019, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-violence-and-unrest-in-the-weimar-republic/831859/5 "2019-04-01T17:23:34Z")
Mislav, does your question focus mainly on German or on a society that’s breaking down? If you’re thinking of modern day parallels, Northern Ireland might be more relevant. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2019, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-violence-and-unrest-in-the-weimar-republic/831859/6 "2019-04-01T21:18:57Z")
[Moderating] This certainly isn’t Cafe Society material. Since there’s no one right answer, I think that IMHO is probably the best bet. Moving.