Research On The Domestic And Foreign Policy Of The Bruning Administration In Germany (1930-1932)

Given the catastrophic impact after Nazi came into power, the introspection of the dissolution of the Weimar Republic has been an important issue in the research of German modern history. The policies and activities of Bruning administration is one of the breakthrough points, which ruled Germany from1930to1932. The text attempts to specifically discuss the economic, political and diplomatic environment at the end of the Weimar Republic, by analyzing the policies and activities of the Bru ning administration, in order to explore the effects and dilemma of the Bruning administration, and reveal the relationship between the Bruning administration and the fall of Weimar democracy.The text can be divided into four chapters. The first chapter discusses the background and the development of the "presidential cabinet", through introducing the deteriorating economic situation in Germany and the crisis of parliamentary democracy. In addition, on the basis of introducing Bruning’s life, thought and the understanding of presidential emergency powers, the text identifies Bruning as "a monarchist by sentiment but a republican from reason", which lays the basis to irreconcilable conflict between Bruning and the Conservatives.The second chapter explores respectively the economic policy of the Bruning administration from the two aspects. The first issue is the disputed deflation policy. The text depicts the German economic situation by a macroscopic perspective, which was under the double blow of economic depression and banking crisis, traces the process of the making of deflation policy, and investigates the maneuvering room in the economic policy. The second issue is the Easter Aid program. The text traces the Junker’s influence to the German politics, and describes the content of the Easter Aid program and the process which Bruning had been framed by the Right.The third chapter focuses on the political activity of the Bruning administration. First of all, the text depicts the parliament election of1930and the tolerance of the Social Democratic Party. The political mutations led to the cooperation between Bru ning and the Social Democratic Party, which provided the operation environment, for Bruning’s "semi-parliamentary government", and revealed Bruning’s insisting on the parliamentary democracy. Secondly, the text shows mainly the anti-government activities of the national opposition through the Harzburg Rally of October1931and the Presidential Election of1932, which displays the schisms in the camp of opposition. Finally, the text analyzes the political wrestle between the Bruning administration and president’s counselors. Bruning’s refusal to expand his coalition rightward and the difference of the policy towards the Nazi intensified the conflict, which directly led to the fall of the Bruning administration.The fourth chapter depicts the foreign policy of the Bruning administration. Bru ning was forced to change the line guiding foreign affairs by the squall of nationalism and the awkward political situation at home. The text introduces the development of the German-Austrian Customs Union to show the first failure of the Bruning administration’s diplomatic initiative. Moreover, on the basis of combing Bruning’s diplomatic activities about canceling the reparation, the text points out the diplomatic achievement of the Bruning administration, and reveals that the United States and France’s policy towards German was stiff.The conclusion discusses the downfall, influence and evaluation of the Bruning administration. On this basis, the text analyzes the balance of power between the parliament and German president, through which reveals the reason of the disintegration of the Weimar Republic.