Political and governmental change Flashcards
What was the Weimar Republic?
1919-1933. period of democracy in Germany
What powers did the president of the Weimar Republic have?
- Select and dismiss the chancellor
- lead the armed forces
- Dissolve Reichstag and call new elections
- Article 48
What was Article 48?
-power to rule via presidential decree in the event of an emergency
What system was used to conduct elections
Proportional representation - seats correspond closely with amount of votes
Which rights did the Weimar Constitution protect?
- freedom of association, speech and religion
- right to work (or financial support instead)
- Right to own property
Which traditional institutions remained in Weimar Germany?
- civil service
- army
- universities
- judiciary
What positive features did the WR’s constitution have?
- very democratic
- checks and balances so no one part of the system became too powerful
- protected many basic civil rights
What negative features did the WR’s constitution have?
- Gave too much power to the president (article 48)
- Proportional representation made it hard to form stable coalitions and gave seats to splinter parties
What was the impact of the depression on Weimar government?
- grand coalition collapsed as parties disagreed over unemployment benefits
- subsequent governments lacked Reichstag support. There were 4 Chancellors between 1928-33
What evidence is there that the German political system became more authoritarian after 1929?
Bruning and Von Papen relied heavily on emergency decrees rather than parliamentary government
-44 emergency decrees in 1930
What evidence is there of increase in politically motivated violence?
- 461 riots in Prussia during the 1932 election
- Street violence added to air of instability and increased discontent
Why did the Weimar Democracy fail?
- hostility from German elites from the start, undermining democracy
- ongoing economic problems (disguised rather than solved under Stresemann)
- Limited popular support
