The Formation and Characteristics of the Weimar Government

A new Germany In 1918 Kaiser Wilhelm is forced to abdicate. He had been an autocrat- this meant he had total control of Germany- parliament had no power. Now with him gone Germany needed to decide how it wanted to govern itself.

Democracy- a new idea The new Germany was to be a democracy. This was a brand new idea for Germany as unlike Britain, France and the USA it had NEVER been a democracy before. The big challenge was to see if Germany could come up with a new set of laws to make sure the country and its people were governed fairly and equally.

Weimar Germany The new government was set up in the town of Weimar (pronounced Veimar- the German language doesn’t have a ‘w’ sound). This was because the capital city of Berlin was too unstable and violent. A National Assembly was elected to create a new constitution It met in the Reichstag building under the leadership of...

Reichstag and Ebert Friedrich Ebert Social Democrat and first President of the Reichstag

Task Write the heading ‘Weimar Germany’ Copy down this definition of ‘constitution’: A constitution is a set of rules which set out how a country should be governed. In Weimar Germany these rules were known as articles.

The Constitution The constitution was supposed to create a strong and fair government to protect the rights and freedoms of the German people. Although it initially seemed successful, in the end it failed. It is your job to learn the key aspects of the constitution as later you will see how Hitler actually uses the constitution to destroy democracy in Germany.

Task The next slide outlines the key parts of the constitution. It is your job to read it and learn it.

The Weimar Constitution of 1919      Constitution Promised all Germans equality before the law and political and religious freedom. This included freedom of the press and privacy in phone calls, telegrams and letters. The right to assemble and form clubs and societies was protected and a person’s home could not be violated. Also a person could not be arrested without charge. Electors All men and women over the age of 20 could vote. Elections were to be free and secret Reichstag Elected by the people President Elected for 7 years with the power to choose the Chancellor He held enormous power Germany had two Presidents before Hitler took over- Friedrich Ebert and Paul Hindenburg Government Chancellor and Ministers were appointed and could be removed by the President. They had to have a majority in the Reichstag, even if they were a coalition government. The Army. Controlled by the President

Constitution Promised all Germans equality before the law and political and religious freedom. This included freedom of the press and privacy in phone calls, telegrams and letters. The right to assemble and form clubs and societies was protected and a person’s home could not be violated. Also a person could not be arrested without charge.

Task Write the title The Weimar Constitution of 1919 Look at the following articles of the Constitution and decide if you think they make it strong or weak. Give a reason for your answer

How did the constitution weaken the Weimar Republic? The constitution had flaws in it which could be exploited by groups that want to destroy Germany.

3 mains reasons why the Constitution made Germany weak Proportional Representation Extremist Parties can win seats Too much power in the President’s hands

Problem 1: Proportional Representation (PR)

Articles of the Constitution The Reichstag used a system of proportional representation for elections. This led to a parliament made up of lots of small parties rather than two or three large ones.

Ineffective Constitution Is Problem ICIP Ineffective Constitution Is Problem

Why was Proportional Representation a problem? I= C= P=

So what problems might the Weimar Republic have? I= INSTABILITY C= I= P=

So what problems might the Weimar Republic have? I= INSTABILITY C= CHANGE I= P=

So what problems might the Weimar Republic have? I= INSTABILITY C= CHANGE I= INACTION P=

So what problems might the Weimar Republic have? I= INSTABILITY C= CHANGE I= INACTION P= PUBLIC OPINION

So what problems might the Weimar Republic have - PR? Instability Due to coalitions; parties could very rarely agree, and even if they could agree and formed a coalition, they would often fall out quickly. Change With coalitions constantly changing, it was hard to come up with a consistent government policy on anything Inaction Constantly changing coalitions and lack of consistent policies meant that the government rarely got much done! Public Opinion People were suspicious of all the change and inaction. They did not trust the new government (afterall they signed the T of V).

Problem 2: Extremist Parties

2. Extremist Parties PR gave small, extremist parties the chance to gain some representation in the Reichstag. The problem with this was it gave them an air of respectability. It also meant parties who wanted to destroy the new Republic would gain some representation in the Reichstag.

Problem 3: Power of the President

The Power of the President The president could dissolve the Reichstag and call a general election if he felt the political situation warranted it. 

Articles of the Constitution The president could declare a state of emergency and rule by emergency decree. This meant in times of trouble he could take quick decisions but without parliament’s approval. (Known as Article 48). The President also had the Power of Veto (last say on laws)

3. Problems with the powers of the President The problem with this was it placed too much power in the President’s hands with not enough checks and balances to counteract this.

Explain how the constitution weakened the Weimar Republic. (6marks) Proportional Representation - Instability - Change - Inaction - Public Opinion Extremist Parties President - power of veto - dissolve Reichstag - emergency powers (Article 48) HELPFUL HINT Look for ways in which someone might be able to take advantage of the system!

COAT Source A is from a History textbook published in 2001 Source A The Constitution was a brave attempt to set up a democratic government…  All Germans had equal rights, including the vote and all votes could be cast in secret.  Political parties were given seats in proportion to the number of votes they got.  This was fair. COAT Evaluate the usefulness of source as evidence of the strengths and weaknesses of the Weimar constitution? 5 Marks

Homework Question Describe 4 strengths of the Constitution Explain 3 potential problems with the constitution.