Political Crisis 1918 & the Weimar Constitution

Question 1

Who was Prince Maximilian von Baden?

Answer 1

He was Germany’s last imperial chancellor prior to the establishment of the Weimar Republic in November 1918. He approved the abdication of the Kaiser.

Question 2

Who was Kaiser Wilhelm II?

Answer 2

He was the final German emperor before their transition to a republic and the king of Prussia. As the king of Prussia, he led a hyper-masculine military culture.

Question 3

Who was Friedrich Ebert?

Answer 3

He became the first chancellor of the Weimar Republic following the abolition of an absolute monarchy from 1919 to 1925. He was part of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and his primary policy was to restore order and power to Germany.

Question 4

Who was Erich Ludendorff?

Answer 4

A Prussian general who was responsible for Germany’s military policy and strategy post WW1. He became a leader of reactionary political movements and was extremely radical.

Question 5

What longer term factors led to the 1918 political crisis?

Answer 5

• 1916 - Germans start to experience severe food shortages and rapidly rising prices due to a blockade imposed by the British. Morale plummeted and people were no longer excited by the war.
• 1917 - USA join the war, adding pressure to Germany.
• Germany had been governed in an undemocratic way since the establishment of the Second Reich.

Question 6

What happened in September 1918?

Answer 6

Large amounts of American troops arrived on the Western Front in the spring, forcing German troops to retreat. In September, Ludendorff asked the allies for an armistice

However, the USA would only accept if Germany’s autocratic government became more democratic (partial democratisation).

Question 7

What happened in October 1918?

Answer 7

Ludendorff recommended that the Kaiser reforms the government, making prince Max the chancellor and allowing the SPD to be a part of the government.

Prince Max sends Woodrow Wilson a peace note requesting an armistice, but he will only accept if the Germans surrender and the Kaiser abdicates.

Ludendorff flies to Sweden, and the German people turn against the Kaiser having learnt about the potential surrender.

Question 8

What happens in early November 1918?

Answer 8

• Series of strikes and mutinies which force the Kaiser to abdicate.
• 9 November - Prince Max announces the Kaiser has abdicated and a republic has been created. This had not yet happened, forcing Max to resign.
• That same day, the Kaiser abdicated, having learnt that the army would not fight for him.

Question 9

What happens as a result of Kaiser Wilhelm’s abdication?

Answer 9

Germany becomes a democratic republic, and the armistice is signed on November 11, 1918.

Ebert became chancellor and struggled to keep law and order due to discontented people and demobilised army. There were many strikes and armed clashes.

Question 10

What happened in January 1919?

Answer 10

Elections were held, and Ebert was elected president of the new republic. The new constitution opened with the statement: “political authority derives from the people” signalling the end of autocracy.

This new democracy was named the Weimar Republic.

Question 11

Who were the key figures in the new Weimar Constitution?

Answer 11

• President
• Chancellor
• Reichstag
• Länder
• Reichsrat

Question 12

What was the role of electors in the Weimar Republic?

Answer 12

All men and women over 20 chose the president, Reichstag, and the Länder. A new bill of rights was passed, granting personal liberty, freedom of speech and a range of social rights.

Question 13

What was the role of the president in the Weimar Republic?

Answer 13

• Head of state and armed forces - ran foreign affairs
• Elected by voters every 7 years
• Chooses and appoints chancellor with Reichstag support
• Held the power of Article 48

Question 14

What was Article 48?

Answer 14

Article 48 of the Constitution granted the president the power to rule via presidential decree in an emergency.

He had the power to dismiss the Reichstag and call new elections, could pass laws without consulting the chancellor or Reichstag, and could suspend civil rights.

Question 15

What was the role of the chancellor in the Weimar Republic?

Answer 15

• Head of government chosen by the president who chooses the ministers to run the country
• Put laws to the Reichstag and could pass them with a majority vote
• Advises the president

Question 16

What was the role of the Cabinet in the Weimar Republic?

Answer 16

The Cabinet (ministers) gave advice and ministered the laws, as well as formulating laws to pass on to the Reichstag.

Question 17

What was the role of the Reichstag in the Weimar Republic?

Answer 17

• Elected by electors in a secret ballot every 4 years
• Votes were cast for a party and not a person - proportional representation in the Reichstag.

Question 18

What was the role of the Länder in the Weimar Republic?

Answer 18

They were the local government. Germany had 18 local regions each of which had a local parliament. They ran their own education, policy and judiciary but could be overruled by federal law.

Question 19

What was the role of the Reichsrat in the Weimar Republic?

Answer 19

They were members chosen by the 18 Länder who can veto (reject) a law passed by the Reichstag unless it had a 2/3 majority vote or more.

Question 20

What were the three major problems of the Weimar Constitution?

Answer 20

• Proportional Representation
• President / Reichstag relationship
• Continuity of traditional institutions

Question 21

What is meant by “proportional representation”?

Answer 21

A system which allocates parliamentary seats in proportion to the total number of votes - e.g. 10% of votes = 10% of seats.

Question 22

What was the issue with proportional representation?

Answer 22

So many political parties were given seats in the Reichstag, all of whom had very differing political ideologies. This meant that agreeing laws was difficult and often led to disagreement.

Question 23

Why was the use of article 48 an issue?

Answer 23

It overruled the idea of a democracy, as in many circumstances the president was making decisions alone. There was also no definition of an “emergency”, leading to abuse of the article.

Question 24

Why was continuing traditional institutions a problem?

Answer 24

• Judiciary enjoyed traditional independence and favoured extreme right wing.
• Army enjoyed great status and didn’t favour the republic.
• Universities were sympathetic to old political ideals, meaning students were largely right wing.

Question 25

German National People’s Party (DNVP):

Answer 25

Represented the conservative monarchists and campaigned against the democratic system.They were supported by wealthy landowners as they defended their socio-economic interests. Had antisemetic and anti-republican tendencies.

Question 26

German Democratic Party (DDP):

Answer 26

Upheld the democratic system and played key role in forming Weimar Constitution. Mostly supported by middle class and traders.

They called for strict separation of church and state, abolition of economic monopolies and sought a fair balance of labour and capital.

Question 27

German People’s Party (DVP):

Answer 27

Formed by right wing of national liberals. It represented the interests of the upper and merchant classes. It’s politics were deep rooted in authoritarianism and it advocated a strong central government.

Question 28

Centre Party (Z):

Answer 28

Political voice of the Catholic population which was allied to the Republican constitution.

They worked with the SPD and DDP in the Weimar coalition and held a widely diverse political platform (left and right wing ideals).

Question 29

Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD):

Answer 29

Committed to upholding the system of government - the strongest political force in parliament and entered the government as part of the Weimar coalition. They supported the Republic but centre-right parties were sceptical of them.

Question 30

Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (USPD):

Answer 30

Formed in 1917 from the pacifist wing of the SPD following disputes over the continuation of war. They coordinated mass strikes to protest against the breakdown of the food supply chain.

Question 31

Communist Party of Germany (KPD):

Answer 31

Extremely left wing - attempted to establish a Bolshevik dictatorship based on councils which were modelled on Russian Soviets. They rejected the parliamentary system and tried to defeat democracy through mass strikes and demonstrations.

Question 32

National Socialist German Worker’s Party (NSDAP):

Answer 32

Founded in 1919 and drew support from the lower middle class. Popularity of the NSDAP grew greatly when Hitler became it’s leader in 1921, and it gained support from young people and non-voters.

Question 33

Political parties left –> right:

Answer 33

From far left to far right:

• KPD
• USPD
• SPD
• DDP
• Z
• DVP
• DNVP
• NSDAP