The Weimar Republic

What was the Weimar

Constitution?
• Most countries have rules for how they are
to be governed.
• These rules are called a Constitution.
• In 1919 German had just got rid of one
system of government.
• Deciding on a new constitution was very
important.
The main features of the Weimar Constitution which was
agreed by the National Assembly, July 1919
The President
appoints Elected every seven years

The Chancellor
Article 48
Appointed from the Reichstag by the President.
Had to be supported by a majority of the Said in an
Reichstag emergency he
could make
laws without
The Reichstag going first to
Proportional representation: parties got the same the Reichstag
proportion of seats as their proportion of votes
makes laws
elect elect
The German people
All adults can vote; all have equal rights
The states kept their own governments, but with reduced powers. National
laws could overrule state laws.
 Did the Constitution make the
Republic weak?
• The Constitution was an attempt to set up
a genuinely democratic government.

• Some historians argue that weaknesses in

the Constitution made it harder for the
Republic to cope with the difficulties it had
to face.
 Did the Constitution make the
Republic weak?
• In 1919 Germany was a very divided
country.
• The careful balance of power had dangers
in a country split in political opinion, and not
used to the ‘give and take’ of democratic
politics.
• Politicians had no experience of making
democracy work.
• Many influential Germans had little
commitment to democracy.
 Strengths Weaknesses
All Germans had equal rights, In 1919 the Republic had many
including the right to vote enemies. It was not sensible to give
equal rights to those who wished to
destroy it.
Proportional representation made Proportional representation
sure that political parties were encouraged lots of small parties which
allocated seats in Parliament in each got a small number of MPs. No
proportion to the number of votes one party could get a majority, so
they got. This was fair. governments had to be coalitions.
There could never be a strong
government.
A strong president was necessary The president had too much power. It
to keep control over the was possible he could turn himself into
government an to protect the a dictator.
country in a crisis.
Each state had its own traditions. The states could be hostile to the
It was right they should keep some national government, and even try to
control over their own affairs. overthrow it.
 TASK
The chart shows the strengths and weaknesses
of the Constitution.
Add another 2 rows explaining the strengths
and weaknesses of the plans for:
•The Chancellor’s role
•Article 48
Problems for the government
• During its first few years the new German
Government faced many crises.
• It was working in very tough conditions:
– Trying to stabilise Germany
– Rebuilding the country after the First World War
– Coping with the problems caused by the Treaty of
Versailles
• The new government's problems came to as
head in 1923.
 What were the crises of 1923?
• Crisis 1: The occupation of the Ruhr
– Germany did not keep up with its reparations payments, and
the French were determined to make Germans pay. In
January 1923 French and Belgium troops marched into the
Ruhr. The German workers there refuse to work for the
French, (passive resistance).
• Crisis 2: Inflation
– The German government did not have enough money to pay
for the costs of passive resistance in the Ruhr, so it simply
printed more. When a government prints money it does not
have, the value of money goes down and prices go up.
• Crisis 3: The Munich (Beer Hall) Putsch
– In September 1923 the Chancellor, Stresemann, decided
Germany had to give in to France. He ended the policy of
passive resistance. Many saw this as a betrayal and plotted
against the government. On 8-9 November Adolf Hitler’s
National Socialist (Nazi) Party attempted a revolution in
Munich.