Weimar Democracy Flashcards
where was the Republic set up? why?
politicians moved to Weimar to set up the republic away from Berlin’s unrest
how often was the president re elected
every 7 years
what did the president do
- head of Republic
- chose key ministers (eg chancellor)
- could overrule his government and make laws by decree using Article 48
what were the Cabinet
the government, beneath the President
who led the Cabinet
the chancellor
what did the Cabinet do
they made political decisions
who did the parliament consist of
the Reichstag and Reichsrat
‘proportional representation’
the number of seats reflected the received number of votes
how often were the Reichsrat/Reichstag re elected
every 4 years
the role of Reichstag
- more powerful
- controlled tax
the role of Reichsrat
represented each region of Germany
the electorate
all men/women 20+ were eligible to vote in elections
political stages of the Weimar Republic
- President
- Cabinet (government)
- Parliament
- Electorate
strengths of the Weimar constitution
- all Germans had equal rights (eg right to vote)
- no person/group could have too much power
- provided a strong leader to control the country in an emergency
weaknesses of the Weimar constitution
- Article 48 meant the President could bypass the democracy
- constitution was weak bc strong German states (eg Prussia) held power through the Reichsrat
- PR encouraged small parties, no one party ever had enough seats to form a majority gov
when were the years of political change/uprest
1919-1923
main revolts/rebellions
- The Spartacist Uprising
- The Kapp Putsch
- The Munich Putsch
leaders of the Spartacist Uprising
Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht
who supported the Spartacist Uprising
the Soviet Union
when/where was the Spartacist Uprising
January 1919 in Berlin
what kind of group were in the Spartacist Uprising
a communist, right wing group
what was the aim of the Spartacist Uprising
to overthrow the Weimar Republic
what did the Spartacists argue against
Ebert’s plan for a democratic Germany
who was in the Spartacists
rebel soldiers and sailors
who was murdered in the Spartacist Uprising
the leaders, Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht
how was the Spartacist Uprising stopped
Ebert used Friekorps, he had recognised he needed to use political extremist groups against each other
friekorp
anti-communist ex soldier, could’ve been forced into quitting
leader in the Kapp Putsch
Wolfgang Kapp
when/where was the Kapp Putsch
March, 1920 in Berlin
what group was in the Kapp Putsch
a group of Friekorps, who hated the Treaty of Versailles
what was the aim of the Kapp Putsch
the friekorps were helping President Ebert to put down the Spartacist Uprising
how many Friekorps were in the Kapp Putsch
5000
why did the Kapp Putsch fail
- army refused to fight the friekorps
- German workers went on strike, forcing the Kapp to flee
leaders of the Munich Putsch
Adolf Hitler and Field Marshal Erich Ludenorff
when was the Munich Putsch
November 1923
NDSAP
National Socialist Worker’s Party
who staged the Munich Putsch
NDSAP
what was aim of the Munich Putsch
to seize power