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 German people All adults can vote; all have equal rights The Reichstag Proportional representation: parties got the same proportion of seats as their proportion of votes The Chancellor Appointed from the Reichstag by the President. Had to be supported by a majority of the Reichstag The President Elected every seven years Article 48 Said in an emergency he could make laws without going first to the Reichstag appoints makes laws elect The main features of the Weimar Constitution which was agreed by the National Assembly, July 1919 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.

StrengthsWeaknesses All Germans had equal rights, including the right to vote In 1919 the Republic had many enemies. It was not sensible to give equal rights to those who wished to destroy it. Proportional representation made sure that political parties were allocated seats in Parliament in proportion to the number of votes they got. This was fair. Proportional representation encouraged lots of small parties which each got a small number of MPs. No one party could get a majority, so governments had to be coalitions. There could never be a strong government. A strong president was necessary to keep control over the government an to protect the country in a crisis. The president had too much power. It was possible he could turn himself into a dictator. Each state had its own traditions. It was right they should keep some control over their own affairs. The states could be hostile to the national government, and even try to 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.