1- The origins of the Weimar Republic Flashcards
How many Germans died because of food shortages?
Over 750,000
What were the three main events that caused the abdication of the Kaiser?
Strikes in Stuttgart and Hanover
Mutiny of German Navy in October 1918
Workers in Munich took control of the government in November 1918
When did the Kaiser abdicate and what was the last straw that made him agree to abdicate?
9th November 1918, it became clear that he didn’t have the support of the army.
What three things did Friedrich Ebert, the leader of the SPD, do once he became Chancellor?
1 - Appealed to the crowds for peace and declared that a new democratic republic would be created
2 - Made an agreement with the army that they would work together to prevent a Communist uprising
3 - Appointed a Council of Representatives - made up of moderate politicians - who would govern temporarily
What good thing did Friedrich Ebert appointing a Council of Representatives do?
It prevented extremists from seizing control.
What % of German people voted in the January 1919 elections, and who won how many seats?
Over 80%, SPD won 40% and Centre Party won 20%.
What did the National Assembly do in 1919?
Wrote the Weimar Constitution, which they wrote in the town of Weimar, and took 6 months to complete.
3 pros of the Weimar Constitution.
1 - it was democratic
2 - it had proportional representation
3 - it had checks and balances
Evidence for the Weimar Constitution being democratic (4 points)
- women were granted the vote
- voting age was reduced from 25 to 21
- Reichstag elected every four years (one deputy per 60,000 people)
- President elected by the public every 7 years
What did the fact that the Reichstag used proportional representation cause? (pros, 2 points)
- it was easier for smaller political parties to win seats in parliament and so have their voices be heard
- it ensured that the Reichstag represented the diverse wishes of the public
What were the checks and balances in the Weimar Constitution? (3 points)
- the President had the power to select or dismiss the Chancellor, which meant that the Chancellor could be removed if he was not performing his duties well
- the public could change the President every 7 years and could vote to change the government every four years
- the Reichsrat could delay legislation passed by the Reichstag
2 cons of the Weimar constitution
Proportional representation
Article 48
Why was proportional representation a weakness for the Weimar Constitution? (6 points good luck)
- it meant that small parties could easily win seats in the Reichstag
- as there were 29 different parties in the 1920a it was hard for one party to win a majority
- so the only way governments could you formed was through coalitions, which led to compromise, lack of strong policies, and unstable governments
- the public were frustrated that politicians were unable to work together and seemed to spend all of their time together arguing
- coalitions frequently fell apart as the different parties found it hard to work together
- there were 9 different coalition governments between 1919 and 1923
Why was Article 48 a weakness for the Weimar Constitution? (3 points)
- the ‘Emergency Powers’ that it provided gave the President the power to suspend the constitution and pass laws without the Reichstag
- an unpopular Chancellor who didn’t have the support of the Reichstag could just ask the President to pass laws using Article 48
- by the 1930s, the Chancellor regularly relied on the President to pass laws, which bypassed the Reichstag and undermined democracy