Schmid's Solution to the German State Crisis

The Communist and National Socialists' mere existence put the lie to Germany being a unified country. Both groups openly supported both illegal methods of seizing power as well as legal methods, that is, working within the system. They were equally explicit that once power was achieved, it would never be given up. Schmid fell back on the extremely broad, but somewhat vague, powers granted in the Weimar Constitution to rule by decree.