The Weimar Constitution, the main political divisions, the role of the army

Question 1

What were the Strengths of the Weimar Constitution?

Answer 1

• The new president was elected
• Everyone over the age of 20 were allowed to vote
• Members of the Reichstag were elected
• PR enabled a broader range of parties to be represented
• System is no longer dominated by a Kaiser

Question 2

What were the Weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution?

Answer 2

• Article 48 - potentially gave very significant powers to the president but it didn’t define what it meant by ‘emergency’
• President still has quite considerable power - the president could appoint the chancellor (equivalent to a prime minister) and government officials
• Local government powers were weakened - it centralised power to the central power
• The constitution is too democratic - even small and extreme parties could get seats in the Reichstag
• If the chancellor cannot get the support of the reichstag he will be unable to pass any laws or other measures, or it will take an enormous amount of time to get measures through
• If the various parties in the Reichstag refuse to work together there could be stalemate

Question 3

What was the Weimar Constitution like before 1918?

Answer 3

Kaiser Wilhelm II
-> appoints Government (chancellor, ministers)
-> calls/dismisses Reichstag (elected by men over 25)(could stop laws proposed by the government, but could not make laws) -> electors
-> controls the army

Question 4

What was the Weimar Constitution like?

Answer 4

• Before the war Germany had no real democracy. The Kaiser was virtually a dictator
• The Weimar Constitution, on the other hand, attempted to set up probably the most democratic system in the world where no individual could gain too much power
• All Germans over the age of 20 could vote
• There was a system of proportional representation - if a party gained 20% of the votes, they gained 20% of the seats in Parliament (Reichstag)
• The chancellor was responsible for day to day government, but he needed the support of half the Reichstag
• The head of state was the president. The president stayed out of day to day government. In a crisis he could rule the country directly through Article 48 of the Constitution. This gave him emergency powers, which meant he did not have to consult the Reichstag