Major+Political+Parties+Of+The+Weimar+Republic

Below are listed the major Political parties at the start of the Weimar Republic in 1918.

Leader: Heinrich Held -This was a conservative party that was generally created in order to provide representation for Bavaria's interests.
 * **BVP**- Bavarian Peoples Party

Leader: Walther Rathenau and Hugo Preuss - This party was created from the old National Liberals party of the old Reichstag. it was mostly comprised of Businessmen and people of the middle class. Was very supportive of democracy and constitutional reform.
 * **DDP**- German Democratic Party

Leaders: Karl Helfferich and Alfred Hugenburg - A very conservative party that was comprised of members who tended to be racist and anti semitic. The party was in strong favor of a monarchy and did not support the new republic.
 * **DNVP**- German National People's Party

Leaders: Gustav Stresemann - Very supportive of the Weimar Government. Comprised mostly of MIddle and Upper middle class protestants.
 * **DVP**- German People's Party

Leaders: Ernst Thalmann - Created by Sparticists (Bolsheviks) this was a socialist party which believed in the violent overthrow of government. It was mostly comprised of lower class workers. Leaders: Adolf Hitler - A very extreme conservative party. Very anti-semitic and racist. This party was also known as the Nazi party and would eventually come into power in the early 1930's.
 * **KDP**- German Communist Party
 * **NSDAP**- National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi)

Leaders: Friedrich Ebert and Philipp Scheidemann - This was a moderate socialist party which supported the new government. It was comprised of peoples from the working class and trade unions.
 * **SPD**- German Social Democratic Party

Leaders: Karl Kautsky and Hugo Haase - This party was formed after it broke off from the SPD in 1917. It was a very radical socialist party, however its existence was short lived as most of its members eventually went back to the SPD or joined the KDP.
 * **USDP**- Independent German Social Democratic Party

Leaders: Matthias Erzberger and Heinrich Bruning - The party was originally created to help protect the interests of the catholic church. In turn, it had a very strong catholic influence. However as the years went on it became sympathetic to conservative parties.
 * **ZP**- Centre Party