PARTIES / WEIMAR CONSTITUTION Flashcards
WHEN were the elections for the constituent assembly held?
19th January 1919
WHAT is a constituent assembly?
An elected body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution
WHICH party boycotted the constituent assembly elections?
The KPD
WHAT percentage of voters voted for pro-Weimar parties in the 1919 constituent assembly?
77%
WHO were elected as first president and chancellor of the Weimar Republic?
President: Friedrich Ebert
Chancellor: Philipp Scheidemann (although technically Ebert was the first Chancellor of the republic)
WHAT was the turnout for the 1919 elections?
83%
WHICH parties were in the first coalition government of the Weimar Republic (1919)?
The SPD, DDP and ZP
WHAT were the main left wing parties of the Weimar Republic?
- SPD (Social Democratic Party): moderate
- USPD (Independent Social Democratic Party): radical
- KPD (Spartacist League): communists
WHAT were the main centre parties of the Weimar Republic?
- Z (Centre Party / Zentrum): Catholic
- DDP (German Democratic Party): liberal, Catholic
WHAT were the main right wing parties of the Weimar Republic?
- DNVP (German National People’s Party): nationalist
- DVP (German People’s Party): more liberal right-leaning party
HOW MANY members did the Spartacists have in 1918?
Roughly 3000
WHAT is proportional representation?
A voting system used in the Weimar Republic where the percentage of votes a party receives is proportional to the number of seats they have in the Reichstag
WHAT was Article 48?
Allowed the President to make laws in state of emergency. The Reichstag could revoke these measures, but they often did not.
WHO could vote in elections in the Weimar Republic?
Everyone over 20 years old (men and women)
HOW often did the electorate vote for the members of the Reichstag and the President?
Reichstag elections: every 4 years
Presidential elections: every 7 years
WHAT were the advantages of the proportional representation system?
- Extremely democratic
- Enabled smaller parties to win seats in the Reichstag and influence government decisions
WHAT were the disadvantages of the proportional representation system?
- Enabled anti-republican, smaller parties to exploit the parliamentary system to gain publicity
- The increased number of small parties meant no party could gain the majority and so coalitions were needed.
HOW MANY governments during the Weimar Republic were coalitions?
All of them
WHAT was the role of the Chancellor?
- Proposed new laws to the Reichstag
- Appointed by the President
- Had to have majority support in the Reichstag
WHAT were the Lander?
Local states (e.g. Bavaria)
WHAT was the role of the Lander?
- Made up the Reichsrat (provide advice on laws/key issues for the Reichstag)
- Responsible for local institutions such as education and the police
HOW many representatives were in the Reichsrat? And from HOW MANY Lander?
67 - made up of representatives from each of the 17 Lander, proportional to its population
WHAT did the Weimar constitution say on equality?
“All Germans are equal before the law”
WHAT did historians Hite and Hinton say about the strengths/weaknesses of the Weimar Republic?
“The constitution as been described… both as the most democratic in the world and as a major reason why democracy failed in Germany.”
WHAT were the main aims of the left in Weimar Germany?
- Social welfare
- High taxes for the rich
- Workers’ rights
- In some cases, land reform
WHICH parties were coalitions centred on in the years 1918-1924?
The SPD and the left-of-centre parties.
WHAT was a key weakness of the Weimar Constitution (other than proportional representation)?
The army, judiciary, and civil service remained unreformed and under control of the old aristocracy (who didn’t support democracy).
WHAT percentage of the Catholic vote did the Centre party generally get?
40%
