The weimar constitution 1

Question 1

WW1 lasted from when to when

Answer 1

1914 to 1918

Question 2

fighting ended with the

Answer 2

armistice

Question 3

when was the armistice

Answer 3

November 11th 1918

Question 4

why did the kaiser in germany abdicate

Answer 4

due to winning countries request

Question 5

what was the name of the kaiser

Answer 5

Whilhelm II

Question 6

when did the german people elect the weimar government

Answer 6

19 january 1919

Question 7

how did the german public feel about signing the armistice

Answer 7

they resented admitting defeat to the allies

Question 8

who was the first president

Answer 8

Friedrich Ebert

Question 9

in the weimar government, the president would be elected every what years

Answer 9

7

Question 10

what is the president allowed to do in the weimar government

Answer 10

• choses their own chancellor and head of army
• can dissolve the reichstag, call new elections and suspend the constitution

Question 11

the new government has a structure of

Answer 11

proportional representation

Question 12

could the president pass any laws he wanted in weimar germany

Answer 12

no, the reichstag needed to approve them

Question 13

by who was the president elected

Answer 13

the people of germany ( anyone over 21)

Question 14

what is proportional representation

Answer 14

when you get the same percentage of seats that you got votes ( if 25% voted for you, then you would have a 25% say in things)

Question 15

did the president play a part in day to day politics ?

who did

Answer 15

no it was the chancellor

Question 16

what did the chancellor do

Answer 16

chose all government ministers

head of government in weimar republic

Question 17

what is article 48

Answer 17

the president could trigger article 48 in an emergency and it would enable the chancellor to pass their own laws without getting the approval of the reichstag

Question 18

what was the cabinet and what did they do

Answer 18

they were the main decision making body of the government and it was the most important ministers which worked alongside the chancellor

Question 19

did state governments exist

Answer 19

yes, in every region

Question 20

who would vote on new laws and how much % would be needed for a law to pass

Answer 20

the parties, and over 50%

Question 21

what was the parliament made up of

Answer 21

2 houses

Question 22

the parliament was elected by ___ ____ every ___ years

Answer 22

proportional representation

4

Question 23

who were the electorate

Answer 23

men and women over 21 that voted

Question 24

strengths of the weimar constitution (3)

Answer 24

• people gained more rights ( voting,)
• Proportional representation ensured the Reichstag represented smaller parties.
• system was designed to stop someone from taking ultimate power

-the Reichstag and the Reichsrat worked together.

Question 25

weaknesses of the weimar constitution (4)

Answer 25

• An increase in elections weakened the public’s enthusiasm for voting.

The use of proportional representation meant no single party won a majority in the Reichstag and coalitions were much more common

• Article 48 meant the chancellor could ask the president to pass emergency laws without the support of the Reichstag. ( could be abused)
• The new constitution did not subdue the extremist political parties.

Question 26

what were the 2 houses in the parliament

Answer 26

• reichstag
• reichsrat

Question 27

why is it bad that coalitions were happening

Answer 27

more chance of parties disagreeing even more and so going behind each others backs adn doing foul play

Question 28

what was the constitution before proportional representation/ weimar gov

Answer 28

first past post

Question 29

what was first past post

Answer 29

whoever got the most votes would be elected which meant there would be less conflict as the majority was for it and that would make it easier for things to happen meaning a more stable government

Question 30

weaknesses of first past post

Answer 30

not representative of electorate (representatives got all the say)

Question 31

weaknesses of proportional representation

Answer 31

it is very hard to get a majority of votes as there are so many parties so things get done very slowly