The Creation of the Weimar Republic Flashcards
In politics, what does ‘left-wing’ refer to?
Political groups that want a lot of change
In politics, what does ‘right-wing’ refer to?
Political groups that are conservative/careful
Was the Social Democratic Party (SPD) left-wing or right-wing?
Left-wing
Was the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) left-wing or right-wing?
Far left-wing - they wanted extreme/radical change through revolution
How did Germany differ from other democratic countries in 1919?
Democracy was new in Germany - a lot of changes needed to take place to make it work
Why did Ebert want to hold democratic elections?
He wanted the German people to elect a parliament to run the country
When did Ebert’s democratic elections take place?
19 January 1919. Most Germans voted for parties that promoted democracy
Where did the new German National Assembly (parliament) meet in February 1919?
The town of Weimar, away from all of the chaos in Berlin. This is why the new republic was called the Weimar Republic
What was one of the first jobs of the new German National Assembly?
Approving the new constitution
What rights were given to the German people by the new constitution?
Equality, freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Women were given the right to vote.
Under the constitution, Germany was to have a president, as well as a chancellor. Who was the first president?
Ebert
Give one example of the power of the president.
The president could dismiss (remove) the chancellor
What was Article 48 of the constitution?
Emergency powers for the president. The president could suspend the constitution and dissolve (remove) the parliament. These powers were only meant to be used to protect national security
Where were laws passed in the Weimar Republic?
The Reichstag (parliament)
Who appointed the chancellor?
The president
Who is shown here?
Friedrich Ebert, the first president of the Weimar Republic
What is shown here?
The Reichstag (parliament), where laws were made
