Which feeling was strong among Germans at the birth of the Weimar Republic?

Correct answer: Humiliation and discontent

Direct answer: Option A, humiliation and discontent. The Weimar Republic was established in Germany after the First World War, when the country had been defeated and the monarchy had ended. Many Germans did not welcome the new democratic government warmly because they connected it with military defeat, political disorder and the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty imposed territorial losses, military restrictions and reparations, so many people felt that Germany had been treated unfairly and humiliated. This produced anger, disappointment and distrust. Option A is correct because it combines the important public feelings at the beginning of the republic. Option B is wrong because complete happiness does not describe a defeated country facing political and economic problems. Option C is wrong because Germany’s colonial pride was not the main feeling explaining the republic’s birth. Option D is wrong because the population was not peacefully neutral; strong political emotions and conflict existed. Exam cue: remember that the democratic beginning carried the burden of defeat and Versailles.