Political and governmental change - Weimar Constitiution Flashcards
What was the Weimar Republic?
The name given to Germany between 1919 and 1933. Refers to a period of democracy in Germany
What powers did the president of the Weimar Republic have?
- To select and dismiss the chancellor
- To lead the armed forces
- Dissolve the Reichstag and call new elections
- To rule via presidential decree in the event of an emergency (Article 48)
Describe the system that was used to conduct election in Germany
Proportional Representation - seats allocated in parliament which correspond closely to the way in which people vote i.e. if 10% of voters vote for a party, then that party receives 10% of the seats in parliament
Which rights did the Weimar constitution protect?
- Freedom of association, speech and religion
- The right to work: the government had to ensure everyone had a job or, failing that, provide financial support.
- Rights to own property
Which traditional institutions in Weimar Germany remained unreformed, powerful conservative powers?
The civil service, army (not sympathetic to democratic Germany), universities (sympathetic to old political ideas) and judiciary (i.e. tended to favour extreme right and condemn left in the courts)
Name 3 positive features of the Weimar Republic’s (WR) constitution
- It was very democratic with an elected head of state(President) and a parliament elected by proportional representation.
- It contained checks and balances to try and make sure than no on part of the political system could become too powerful.
- It protected may basic civil rights (e.g. freedom of speech/religion)
Name 3 criticisms of the WR’s constitution
- It gave away too much power to the president (under Article 48) allowing him to suspend civil rights in an emergency
- Proportional representation led to a fragmented party system with lots of small splinter parties (e.g. Nazis) and making it difficult to form stable coalition governments.
