Weimar Germany

Question 1

possible weaknesses of the weimar constitution

Answer 1

article 48: law that allows the president to declare emergency power due to a state of emergency - he can pass laws without consulting the Reichstag

proportional representation: amount of votes received are converted into the same proportion of seats in the Reichstag
- however, for a party to govern, they need a majority - coalition necessary

Question 2

Spartacist uprising

Answer 2

• Jan 1919
• Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxembourg
• wanted a germany ruled by workers and soviets
• defeated by the freikorps in may 1919
• both leaders dead

Question 3

Agitation in the Ruhr

Answer 3

• 1920
• communism wanted by communists
• defeated by police, army and freikorps
• 2000 casualties

Question 4

Kapp Putsch

Answer 4

• March 1920
• led by dr. Wolfgang Kapp
• the German people (mostly workers of Berlin) declared a general strike. after a few days, kapp realized he could not succeed and fled the country

Question 5

Munich Putsch

Answer 5

• Nov 1923
• Adolf Hitler
• wanted to topple the weimar government
• supported by Ludendorff and Nazi party
• defeated by weimar gov.
• he did not have support of the people/workers
• 16 nazis killed. hitler sent to prison
  (he was sentenced for life, his sentence was reduced to 5 years and he only spent 9 months in jail in a castle)

Question 6

factors influencing the Weimar Republic’s doom from the start

Answer 6

• how serious the situation was from the beginning
• severity of the challenges they faced
• weaknesses of the constitution (prop. reps. would lead to weak coalition)
• lack of support from German elite
• resentment and hatred of the new government for agreeing to the term of the treaty of versailles