The Weimar constitution

Question 1

What is a constitution?

Answer 1

A set of rules and principles that set out how a country is organised and run

Question 2

Who elected the President of the Weimar Republic, and how often?

Answer 2

The people

Every seven years

Question 3

Give one example of the President’s political powers

Answer 3

They chose the Chancellor

Question 4

Who was the head of government in the Weimar Republic?

Answer 4

The chancellor

Question 5

What was the name given to the most important ministers in the Weimar government?

Answer 5

The cabinet

Question 6

What was the name given to the two houses in the Weimar Parliament?

Answer 6

Reichstag, Reichsrat

Question 7

Which of the two houses in the Weimar Parliament was more powerful and controlled taxation?

Answer 7

Reichstag

Question 8

Which of the two houses in the Weimar Parliament represented the regions of Germany according to their size?

Answer 8

The Reichsrat

Question 9

How often was the Reichstag elected (by the people)?

Answer 9

Every four years

Question 10

Who had the right to vote and stand for election for the first time in the Weimar Republic?

Answer 10

Women

Question 11

How old did you have to be to vote in the Weimar Republic?

Answer 11

20 or older

Question 12

What did Article 1 of the Weimar Constitution state?

Answer 12

Germany was now a democracy

Question 13

What was the name of the voting system used to elect the Reichstag? Explain how this worked

Answer 13

Proportional representation

Every party was allocated one representative for every 60,000 votes it received

Question 14

Explain one advantage of the proportional representation system

Answer 14

It ensured the smaller parties had a fair share of seats in the Reichstag

Question 15

Explain one disadvantage of the proportional representation system

Answer 15

There were 29 parties in the Reichstag, and no single party had a clear majority, resulting in weak coalition government

Question 16

In what scenarios did the lack of strong, single-party governments cause particular problems?

Answer 16

In times of crisis

Question 17

Describe the system of checks and balances as part of the Constitution

Answer 17

No one person or group could have too much power. The electorate could change the President every seven years if they were not happy with their decisions

Question 18

How were laws made and passed in the Weimar Republic?

Answer 18

The Chancellor decided which laws should be voted on

They became law if the majority of the Reichstag and Reichsrat voted for them

Question 19

What did Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution state?

Answer 19

In a crisis, the Chancellor could ask the President to pass a necessary law without the support of the Reichstag

Question 20

How did Article 48 weaken the Weimar Republic?

Answer 20

It made people think that a single, all-powerful leader was better than an elected Parliament

Question 21

How could the Reichstag get around its laws being overruled by the Reichsrat?

Answer 21

By voting with a two-thirds majority

Question 22

Why was the election of nationalists and communists to the Reichstag a problem for the Weimar Republic?

Answer 22

They were opposed to democracy and despised the new constitution

Question 23

What was the name given to each parliament of the 18 regions of Germany, which controlled key public services?

Answer 23

A Land

Question 24

What was included in Part Two of the Weimar Constitution?

Answer 24

“Fundamental Rights and Duties of Germans” including freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and the right to form a trade union

Question 25

When were elections held for the first Reichstag in the Weimar Republic?

Answer 25

January 1919

Question 26

What was the turnout in the first Reichstag election? How does this compare to elections in the UK in the 21st century?

Answer 26

80%

Much higher

Question 27

Which party achieved 40% of the vote in the first Reichstag election?

Answer 27

The SPD (Social Democratic Party)

Question 28

Who became the first President of the Weimar Republic?

Answer 28

Friedrich Ebert

Question 29

Why could the SPD not rule Germany alone after the first Reichstag elections?

Answer 29

They did not achieve 50% or more of the votes, so had to make a coalition with the Centre Party and the German Democratic Party