the Weimar constitution challenges and support

Question 1

what was the weimar constitution heavily influenced by?

Answer 1

the democratic ideas of the Western powers

Question 2

what was a German influence on the Weimar constitution?

Answer 2

proportional representation
the federal structure

Question 3

what is proportional representation?

Answer 3

system which allocates parliamentary seats in proportion to the number of votes

Question 4

what was the federal system?

Answer 4

where power and responsibility is shared between central government and regional governments

Question 5

what was the outcome of the vote for the Weimar Constitution?

Answer 5

262 for
75 against

Question 6

what did the Weimar Constitution define Germany as?

Answer 6

a democratic state
- it was a REPUBLIC

Question 7

how many years would a President serve their term?

Answer 7

7 years

Question 8

what powers did the President have?

Answer 8

• the power to dissolve the reichstag
• power to appoint a chancellor
• was the supreme commander of the armed forces
• power to use Article 48

Question 9

what was Article 48?

Answer 9

gave the President the emergency power to rule by decree

Question 10

what were the two houses in German parliament?

Answer 10

the Reichstag
the Reichsrat

Question 11

what was the Reichstag?

Answer 11

the main representative assembly and law-making body in Weimar Germany

Question 12

after how many years were elections held?

Answer 12

every 4 years

Question 13

what was the Reichsrat?

Answer 13

house made up of representatives from all of the 17 state regional governments

could only initiate or delay proposals

Question 14

what did the Länder have control over?

Answer 14

education
policing

Question 15

what was the Bill of Rights?

Answer 15

a list of individual freedoms

Question 16

what freedoms did the Bill of Rights entail?

Answer 16

• freedom of speech
• freedom from censorship
• equality for all Germans
• religious freedom

Question 17

what was the role of the Supreme Court?

Answer 17

to settle interpretations of law

Question 18

what were the issues of the Weimar Constitution?

Answer 18

• the introduction of PR
• the use of Article 48 to bypass democracy
• lack of evolution in the traditional institutions

Question 19

why was PR seen as the reason for the rise of the Nazis?

Answer 19

it had allowed smaller radical parties (such as the Nazis) to get a foothold in German politics and then grow

Question 20

why did PR make it harder for government to pass laws in parliament?

Answer 20

PR lead to the establishment of many parties in parliament which meant it coalitions were more common
it was difficult for a single party to gain full control of the Reichstag

Question 21

why did PR lead to political instability?

Answer 21

so many parties meant that coalitions were so common
this meant a different set of political ideologies at each election
13 chancellors in the span of 15 years
difficult for policy to be continued

Question 22

how was Article 48 an issue?

Answer 22

it undermined the democratic nature of the constitution

allowed the President to rule by decree
completely undemocratic

it was very influential in Hitler’s rise to power

Question 23

why was Article 48 used sparingly during the 1920s?

Answer 23

the Reichstag always met so it emergency measures were uneccesary

Question 24

how was Stresemann influential in political stability?

Answer 24

he had urged parties to work together during the crisis years

he had ensured that political stability existed both domestically and internationally

Question 25

why was there little opposition to the Weimar constitution in the 1920s?

Answer 25

social and economical situation massively improved

caused many to accept the Weimar Republic

Question 26

how many coalition governments between 1924 and 1929?

Answer 26

6

Question 27

had the weaknesses in the constitution been resolved?

Answer 27

no they still existed

Question 28

weimar constitution summary

Answer 28

was a flawed system with prominent weaknesses
HOWEVER
these weaknesses were scarcely tested with the work of Stresemann going a long way in providing political and economical stability

Question 29

what was a major show of support for the Weimar constitution?

Answer 29

the high turnout of voters at elections

showed the people were in favour of a democratic system

Question 30

what was the average turnout for elections during the Weimar years?

Answer 30

around 80%

Question 31

which party was the main supporter of the Weimar constitution?

Answer 31

the SPD

Question 32

which parties were moderate supporters of the constitution?

Answer 32

DVP
Centre
DDP

Question 33

which class of people supported the constitution?

Answer 33

middle class business people
catholics
professional class

Question 34

which parties were anti-constitution?

Answer 34

KPD
USPD
NSDAP

Question 35

trend in votes for pro-constitution over the years?

Answer 35

decreased to 35% in 1932

Question 36

trend in votes for anti-constitution over the years?

Answer 36

increased to 58% in 1932

Question 37

what was a Reichsexekution?

Answer 37

the removal of communist government through violent takeover

Question 38

examples of popular support for the constitution

Answer 38

the Reichsexekution in Saxony