1、 Introduction

The Weimar Republic was the first attempt at a democratic system in German history, and its constitution and political system were considered the most complete at the time. However, only 14 years later, the democratic system collapsed and the Nazi Party came to power through the democratic representative system, ultimately leading to the end of Weimar democracy. Existing research has focused more on the Nazi Party's process of gaining power, while neglecting the existence and influence of anti establishment parties during the Weimar period. Anti establishment political parties are numerous in the Weimar political party system, distributed on the left and right wings of the political spectrum, and have existed since the establishment of the republic. The rise of anti establishment parties foreshadowed that the rise of the Nazi Party was not accidental, but inevitable. Research suggests that the long-term economic crisis, anti democratic ideology, and proportional representation system in the Weimar Republic contributed to the development of anti establishment political parties. But these single explanatory variables cannot provide a complete explanatory model. Grant proposed that economic crises and the ideological depolarization of mainstream political parties would lead to an increase in support for anti establishment parties, but he cannot explain why anti establishment parties would become mainstream and overthrow the system in some countries. This article proposes that the crisis of legitimacy and parliamentary failure were key factors that led to Weimar anti establishment parties becoming mainstream political parties and ultimately resulting in the collapse of the democratic system.

2、 Weimar's anti establishment political party

During the Weimar period in Germany, the concept of anti establishment parties was closely related to Sartori's discourse on party systems, characterized by conflicts with the existing political order value system. Caposya and Zulianello respectively reconstructed and defined anti institutionalism from the perspectives of party system theory and empirical democracy theory. The multi-party system environment of the Weimar Republic provided the soil for the rise of anti establishment political parties, among which the Communist Party, Independent Social Democratic Party, Nazi Party, and National People's Party were regarded as the main anti establishment political parties. These political parties conflict ideologically with the democratic ideals of the Weimar Republic, lack cooperation with mainstream parties, and exhibit a clear anti institutional tendency in the process of institutional integration. The vote share of anti establishment parties remained high during the Weimar period, especially in the context of economic crises and parliamentary failures, where their support surpassed that of institutional supporters and became mainstream parties.

3、 The Root of Mainstream Anti System Political Parties - Legitimacy Crisis

An in-depth analysis was conducted on the political root of the mainstreaming of anti establishment political parties during the Weimar period in Germany, namely the crisis of legitimacy. Legitimacy crisis refers to the inability of the political system to maintain its value norms and public loyalty, resulting in the loss of legitimacy of the political system. The theories of Lipset and Habermas are used to explain the relationship between effectiveness and legitimacy, as well as the difference between crises of rationality and legitimacy. The Weimar Republic faced a crisis of legitimacy from its inception, and its representative democracy lacked a solid foundation. Carl Schmitt believed that its founding foundation was weak, and its legitimacy did not come from the entire population. The left, center, and right factions in the political spectrum all hold an opposing attitude towards the republic. The left is hostile due to government repression, the right is opposed due to imperial ideology, and the middle class is polarized due to economic turmoil. These factors collectively led to the rise of anti establishment political parties, and the failure of parliament further exacerbated the legitimacy crisis, providing the soil for the mainstreaming of anti establishment political parties.

4、 The driving force behind mainstream anti establishment political parties - parliamentary failure

Linz pointed out that the legitimacy of the political system depends on the passive obedience of citizens and the effective suppression of disloyal opposition by orderly forces. However, the government's incompetence in dealing with emergency issues may lead to the destruction of party consensus and cooperation capabilities, thereby triggering social polarization and distrust. In the Weimar Republic, parliamentary failure became the main driving force for the mainstreaming of anti establishment political parties. The government capacity of parliamentary democratic countries is influenced by the parliamentary system, while the parliamentary system of the Weimar Republic failed to effectively function, resulting in difficulties in forming a government cabinet, short cabinet cycles, difficulty in uniting parties within parliament, and difficulties in legislation. After 1930, the parliament almost lost its legislative function and relied on the executive power of the president during emergency situations to formulate bills. The failure of parliament leads to a weakening of government capacity and an inability to provide means to strengthen legitimacy, causing anti establishment political parties to break free from institutional constraints and gradually grow stronger. Voters are disappointed with mainstream political parties and instead support anti establishment parties, becoming an important driving force for their mainstreaming.

5、 Summary

Analyzed the key factors of the mainstreaming of anti establishment political parties during the Weimar Republic, including legitimacy crisis and parliamentary failure. The legitimacy crisis provides a breeding ground for anti establishment parties, but only when voters lose confidence in the existing system to solve problems, can anti establishment parties become mainstream. The parliamentary failure of the Weimar Republic exacerbated this trend. The article also points out that even 90 years after the collapse of the Weimar Republic, anti establishment parties still pose a threat to political stability, especially when facing social issues such as epidemics and immigration. The government's inability to respond may provide opportunities for the rise of anti establishment parties.