Weimar Constitution

Question 1

President - Head of State info

Answer 1

• Elected every seven years
• Appointed and dismissed ministers and could dissolve the Reichstag and call new elections
• Supreme commander of the armed forces
• Had reserve powers (Article 48) to rule without the Reichstag’s consent in an emergency

Question 2

Chancellor info

Answer 2

• Had to have the support of at least half the
Reichstag
• Proposed new laws to the Reichstag

Question 3

Reichstrat info

Answer 3

• The second chamber, made up of representatives from the separate states (Länder)
• Each state represented in proportion to its population, but no state to have more than 40 per cent of the seats
• Could provide advice on laws but could be
overridden by the Reichstag

Question 4

Reichstag info

Answer 4

• Elected every four years
• The Chancellor and ministers were responsible to the Reichstag
• Voted on the budget; new laws required the approval of a majority of
Reichstag deputies

Question 5

The Constitution of the new German Republic was very democratic and had several strengths:

Answer 5

• All German men and women over the age of 20, had the right to vote in elections for the President, the Reichstag and in local elections
• Seats in the Reichstag were allocated by proportional representation - each party was allocated a share of deputies in the Reichstag in line with its share of the popular vote
• The Constitution guaranteed important individual rights, including equality before the law and the rights of free speech, conscience and to belong to trade unions and political parties
• Important issues could be put to a popular vote in a referendum

Question 6

There were, however, a number of problems with the Constitution:

Answer 6

• Proportional representation led to the proliferation of small parties and made it very difficult for one party alone to form a government with a majority in the Reichstag; all governments in the Weimar Republic were coalition governments
• Article 48 of the Constitution gave the President emergency powers to rule the country by decree, i.e. without the need for a Reichstag majority; most constitutions give emergency powers to the Head of State - what matters is how often these powers are used and in what circumstances
• The main weakness of the Constitution was that the army, the civil service and the judiciary were not reformed and remained under the control of the old aristocracy; key institutions of the state were, therefore, controlled by people who did not support the democratic values of its new constitution