1.1 The origins of the Republic, 1918–19 Flashcards
When was it clear germany would lose WW!
autumn 1918
What was the German revolution?
November onwards a series of events occurred which became known as the (1918)
What was the Keil mutiny?
-On 3 November at the main German naval base in Kiel frustrated German sailors mutinied instead of following orders to attack the British Royal Navy.
-The sailor’s mutiny sparked rebellions all over Germany and in a matter of days led to the collapse of the German government which forced the ruling monarch, Kaiser Wilhelm II, to abdicate on 9 November.
-Following his abdication Friedrich Ebert, leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) became
Chancellor (the equivalent of Prime Minister in Britain) and took power over Germany.
When did the Kaiser abdicate?
9th Nov 1918
When did WW1 end.
11 November 1918
What the armistic wich ended WW1?
Armistic->end to fighting in a war
agreed with the Allies (Britain, France and the USA) and Germany surrendered.
What were the Novmenber crimminals?
-people who had signed the armistice behind the Germany army’s back. This became known as the Dolchstoßlegende – the ‘stab-in-the–back’ theory.
-The armistice was signed by representatives of the new, civilian government, including Ebert and members of the SPD
Who was the first democratically elected president?
When was he elected?
January 1919
** SPD party the most power**
Friedrich Ebert, leader of the SPD became the first democratically chosen President
Where was the new constitution wirtten? How was it recved?
-They met in the town of Weimar as Berlin was deemed too unsafe after the
Spartacist uprising
earlier in the month.
-Although a considerable number of deputies (German MPs) voted against it, the new constitution was eventually approved and signed in August 1919. This government eventually became known as the ‘Weimar Republic’.
What kind of voting system was there?
epresentative democracy that looked after the interests of all Germans
What were the strengths of the German constitution?
A genuine democracy - Elections for parliament and president took place every four years and all Germans over 20 could vote.
The power of the Reichstag
- The Reichstag appointed the government and made all laws. This was very different from its powers before the war under the
Kaiser
A Bill of Rights - This guaranteed every German citizen freedom of speech and religion, and equality under the law.
What were the weaknesses in the German constitution.
**Proportional representation **- Each party got the same percentage of seats in parliament as the percentage of votes it received in an election. This meant there were lots of small parties in Parliament making it difficult to pass laws and led to weak and often short-lived governments.
Article 48 - This gave the president the power to act without parliament’s approval in an emergency. However, it did not clearly define what an ‘emergency’ was, so the power was overused, which weakened Germans’ confidence in democracy.
