1- The origins of the Weimar Republic

Question 1

How many Germans died because of food shortages?

Answer 1

Over 750,000

Question 2

What were the three main events that caused the abdication of the Kaiser?

Answer 2

Strikes in Stuttgart and Hanover
Mutiny of German Navy in October 1918
Workers in Munich took control of the government in November 1918

Question 3

When did the Kaiser abdicate and what was the last straw that made him agree to abdicate?

Answer 3

9th November 1918, it became clear that he didn’t have the support of the army.

Question 4

What three things did Friedrich Ebert, the leader of the SPD, do once he became Chancellor?

Answer 4

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

Question 5

What good thing did Friedrich Ebert appointing a Council of Representatives do?

Answer 5

It prevented extremists from seizing control.

Question 6

What % of German people voted in the January 1919 elections, and who won how many seats?

Answer 6

Over 80%, SPD won 40% and Centre Party won 20%.

Question 7

What did the National Assembly do in 1919?

Answer 7

Wrote the Weimar Constitution, which they wrote in the town of Weimar, and took 6 months to complete.

Question 8

3 pros of the Weimar Constitution.

Answer 8

1 - it was democratic
2 - it had proportional representation
3 - it had checks and balances

Question 9

Evidence for the Weimar Constitution being democratic (4 points)

Answer 9

• 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

Question 10

What did the fact that the Reichstag used proportional representation cause? (pros, 2 points)

Answer 10

• 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

Question 11

What were the checks and balances in the Weimar Constitution? (3 points)

Answer 11

• 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

Question 12

2 cons of the Weimar constitution

Answer 12

Proportional representation
Article 48

Question 13

Why was proportional representation a weakness for the Weimar Constitution? (6 points good luck)

Answer 13

• 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

Question 14

Why was Article 48 a weakness for the Weimar Constitution? (3 points)

Answer 14

• 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