What was a major obstacle for democracy at the beginning of the Weimar Republic?

Correct answer: Weak public trust

Direct answer: Option A is correct. A major early obstacle for Weimar democracy was weak public trust in the new democratic government. Democracy needs legitimacy, meaning that people believe the government has a rightful authority and deserves support. The reasoning is: Germany lost the First World War; the monarchy ended; a new republic was established; the Treaty of Versailles imposed harsh conditions and was widely experienced as national humiliation; economic crises and political violence then made daily life difficult. Many people blamed the republic for problems it had not created or could not fully control. As a result, anti-democratic groups could claim that parliamentary democracy was weak and that an authoritarian alternative would be better. Option A is correct because low trust damaged the republic’s legitimacy. Option B is wrong because complete prosperity would normally strengthen confidence, whereas Germany faced serious economic difficulties. Option C is wrong because the republic faced opposition from both the political left and right. Option D is wrong because the army and conservative forces still had important influence; the army was not irrelevant or very small in influence. Memory cue: defeat, Versailles, crisis, and violence weakened trust in Weimar democracy.