Weimar Constitution and Politics 1918-29 Flashcards
When was the first election of the Weimar Republic, how many people voted and what was the coalition?
- 19th Jan 1919, 82.7% turnout
- SPD coalition with Centre Party and German Democratic Party (DDP)
National Peoples Party (DNVP) - attitudes and members?
- Conservative, nationalist, monarchist and supported the army
- Disliked social reform and did not want a republic
- Members were wealthy landowners and anti-semitic
German Peoples Party (DVP) - attitudes and members?
- Restructured right wing party from old National Liberals and were led by Gustav Stressemann
- Accepted, but did not support the republic
- Nationalist and supported the army
- Members were wealthy middle class who were in industry and wanted the economy fixed
Centre Party - attitudes and members?
- Catholic party who defended the Church
- Members came from various backgrounds with conservative values, but still advocated social reform
- Firmly against left wing policies, opposed communism heavily and election posters would show the horrors of communism
German Democrats (DDP) - attitudes and members?
- Liberal educated professionals who wanted a republic and a representative constitution
- Wanted social reform, a reform of industry especially to give workers better deals and reform of the army
Social Democrats (SPD) - attitudes and members?
- Largest party in the Reichstag 1919-29
- Split in 1917 and shifted to a pro republic stance to retain members
- Wanted moderate social reform
- Attracted membership from workers groups and liberal middle class who wanted reform
Independent Social Democrats (USPD) - attitudes and members?
- Split from SPD in 1917
- Wanted a more radical system than the republic
- Stood for social reform
- Ex-members were Rosa Luxembourg and Karl Liebknecht
German Communist Party (KPD) - attitudes and members?
- Wanted a workers revolution and establishment of a communist state, abolition of private ownership
- Attracted young, poor and unemployed who wanted a promise of a better future
When was the Weimar Constitution passed by the National Assembly, and what made the government extremely unpopular prior to this?
- Passed 31st July 1919
- Signing of the TofV 28th June 1919
What was the issue of too many parties in the Reichstag?
- Only took 60,000 votes to gain a seat in the Reichstag
- On average there was 29 parties in the Reichstag during the 1920’s
- This made it hard for the Reichstag to make devisions and splits in parties made voters confused
What was the issue of Proportional Representation in the Reichstag?
- People voted for parties in 35 electorate areas rather than a person
- Their representative was chosen from a list, if they needed replacing they would just go down the list
- This made people feel as though they were represented by politicians who did not care for them
What was the issue of a party being unable to gain a majority in the Reichstag?
- Between 1919 and 1923 there were 9 different short lived coalitions as they couldn’t work together
- Coalitions would inevitably break down and the president kept abusing article 48
What was Article 48?
Presidents right to suspend the Reichstag and rule by decree in an emergency
How did Economic Recovery help overcome the challenges of the constitution?
- Standing with other countries and terms of TofV were being resolved under Gustav Stressemann
- Held together a coalition of DVP, Centre Party, SPD and DDP
- Economy improved, no political assassinations and only 6 coalitions between 1924-29
How did Gustav Stressemann help battle the problems of the constitution?
- Stressemann reformed his anti-republic views and spoke out that Germany needed a coalition of parties despite political differences
- He also wanted peaceful relations with other countries
