This page considers events in Weimar Germany under the leadership of three Chancellors: Heinrich Bruning, Franz von Papen and Kurt von Schleicher.

1. Bruning’s
Chancellorship to
Schleicher

2. Between 1929 to January
1933, four men held the
position of German Chancellor:
Hermann Muller
June 1928 – March 1930
Heinrich Bruning
March 1930 – May 1932
Franz von Papen
June 1932 – November 1932
Kurt von Schleicher
December 1932 – January 1933

3. Hermann Muller
Muller was a Social Democrat
(SPD) and led the government
for almost two years.
Muller faced huge difficulties,
largely caused by the economic
crisis. He oversaw the
implementation of the Young
Plan but faced Hindenburg
trying to replace him.

4. Muller struggled to get his
coalition to agree on actions,
including welfare spending. He
resigned after Hindenburg
refused to use Article 48
powers to support him.
Muller’s five party coalition
government was the last one to
have a working majority in
the Reichstag.

5. Heinrich Bruning
In March 1930, Bruning
replaced Muller as Germany’s
Chancellor.
Bruning came from the
German Centre Party and was
head of two separate minority
coalition governments (the first
with six parties, the second
with five).

6. Bruning’s government was
centre-right and included
most ministers from Muller’s
government, except the SPD.
He faced similar problems to
Muller – being unable to get his
finance bill agreed by the
Reichstag – and so persuaded
President Hindenburg to
enforce this using Article 48.

7. The use of Article 48 caused
outrage in the Reichstag, who
demanded this decision be
reversed.
Instead Bruning persuaded
Hindenburg to call new
elections, which the Chancellor
believed would result in
support for his policies, making
it easier to govern.

8. The September 1930 Reichstag
elections had the opposite effect
that Bruning intended.
The Nazis (in particular) and
the Communists both
increased their representation.
This made it impossible for
Bruning to govern without the
regular use of presidential
decrees (Article 48).

9. Bruning’s economic policy was
focused on reducing spending to
overcome Germany’s crisis.
Bruning cut government
spending, including civil
servants’ wages, and also
introduced tax rises. He
eventually started a programme
of public works after
reparations were suspended.

10. Bruning’s foreign policy was
more aggressive than
Stresemann’s.
He arranged for reparation
payments to be suspended due
to the Depression.
Bruning also demanded changes
to the disarmament section of
the Versailles treaty, although no
firm action happened.

11. Bruning refused to work with
the Nazis and in 1932 banned
the Nazi paramilitary group,
the SA.
Bruning’s plan to distribute
spare land to unemployed
workers was opposed by
Prussian Junkers. Hindenburg
refused to back Bruning and he
resigned in May 1932.

12. Some historians see Bruning as
the last defender of German
democracy, believing there was
no alternative to his policies
(Edgar Feuchtwanger).
Bruning’s own memoirs
(published in the 1970s) claim
he was trying to rebuild
Germany’s greatness and
restore the monarchy.

13. Others say he was Weimar
Germany’s ‘undertaker’.
Bruning used the economic
crisis to achieve his own goals
– ending reparations and
ending social welfare (Ruth
Henig). He also introduced the
concept of governing by decree
(Hans Mommsen). All of this
helped Hitler achieve power.

14. Historians’ views
• Evans and Jenkins: Bruning was anti-socialist, monarchist but
‘a democrat at heart’.
• Stephen Lee: Bruning ‘was well aware of the plans being made
to undermine the Republic’.
• Ian Kershaw: ‘the decision to dissolve the Reichstag was one of
breath-taking irresponsibility’.
• Richard J Evans: Brüning fatally underestimated the potential
of the Nazis; and the political reliability of Hindenburg.

15. Franz von Papen
Franz von Papen was an
inexperienced politician but
became German Chancellor in
June 1932.
During his chancellorship he
was originally a member of the
Centre Party but eventually
became an independent.

16. Papen was appointed due to
Kurt von Schleicher
persuading Hindenburg to do
so. Schleicher then played a
prominent role as Defence
Minister in Papen’s Cabinet.
His government did not
include any members of the
Reichstag, consisting of
members of Germany’s elite.

17. Papen’s actions in government
included gaining Nazi support.
He lifted the ban on the SA and
in July 1932 Papen launched a
coup against the centre-left
government of Prussia, using
Article 48 powers to take it
under federal control. This
caused Communist versus SA
riots in Berlin.

18. Ongoing divisions in the
Reichstag – and the demands of
Hitler – led Papen and then
Hindenburg to agree to hold
early federal elections.
In July 1932 the Nazis (37%)
and Communists gained more
than half of the seats in the
Reichstag. Hitler demanded to
be made Chancellor.

19. After the elections, Papen
struggled to run Germany.
In September 1932 the
Reichstag passed a vote of No
Confidence in Papen. The
Reichstag was dissolved and
Hindenburg considered not
having new elections but
eventually changed his mind,
fearing civil war.

20. The November 1932 elections
saw Nazi support fall slightly
(to 33%) and the Communists
gain more backing.
Several elite members of
Germany demanded that
Hindenburg make Hitler the
Chancellor. Hitler could not get
a Reichstag majority so the
President refused.

21. Papen proposed scrapping the
Reichstag and using the army
to control the country.
Hindenburg again feared this
would cause civil war.
In November 1932 Papen was
forced to resign as Chancellor,
with Schleicher persuading
President Hindenburg to not
support Papen.

22. Kurt von Schleicher
Kurt von Schleicher was an
army General and also served
as Defence Minister in Papen’s
government. He helped found
the Freikorps.
Schleicher was appointed
Chancellor by President
Hindenburg in December
1932.

23. Papen hoped that Hindenburg
would reappoint him. He was
also angry at Schleicher,
believing that he had been
betrayed.
Papen was involved in various
efforts to undermine
Schleicher’s time as Chancellor,
seeking revenge for his own
problems.

24. Schleicher believed that the
real danger facing Germany
was Communism. As such he
was supportive of the Nazis.
Schleicher aimed to gain
NSDAP backing, including
making the Nazi Gregor
Strasser vice-Chancellor. Hitler
ultimately undermined
Strasser within the Nazi Party.

25. As Chancellor, Schleicher
implemented numerous
policies, including continuing
Bruning’s land plans.
He also introduced a public
works programme that would
ultimately create around two
million jobs. However these did
not come to fruition until into
1933, so Hitler gained credit.

26. Schleicher had been close
friends with Oskar
Hindenburg, the President’s
son. This gave Schleicher good
access to the President.
The two men had a falling out –
said to be about a joke – and
this meant that Schleicher’s
access to and influence over the
President was lost.

27. Papen’s plans to hurt Schleicher
now began to take effect. Papen
began to push Hindenburg to
dismiss the Chancellor.
In order to stay in power,
Schleicher tried to get
Hindenburg’s backing for an
authoritarian government –
headed by Schleicher – ruling by
decree.

28. The military feared that an
authoritarian government
headed by Schleicher could not
succeed. They withdrew their
backing for him.
Rumours spread that Schleicher
planned a putsch against the
President. Hindenburg then
dismissed Schleicher and
appointed Hitler as Chancellor.

29. Historians’ views
• Eberhard Kolb: Schleicher and others did not struggle to deal
with their circumstances – their actions were designed to
change Germany’s constitution to favour the country’s elites
• Sir John Wheeler-Bennett: Schleicher believed that Germany
needed a strong leader and that it should be him. His actions
were designed to achieve this.
• Edgar Feuchtwanger: Schleicher played a role in undermining
the Bruning and Papen governments.