WEIMAR REPUBLIC DEPTH STUDY Flashcards
What was the presidents role in the Weimar republic?
-head of the Weimar Republic
-elected by the people every 7 years
-played no part in day to day politics
-chooses the chancellor and can give the chancellor emergency power, which means that in times of crisis, laws that the president creates can be passed without the Reichstag having a say, though if that power of law is passed on to the chancellor, it cannot be passed without Reichstag.
What was the chancellors role in the Weimar Republic?
-head of government
-chooses all governments
-chancellor can only get laws through the Reichstag, it has to be passed by the majority
What was the cabinets role in the Weimar Republic?
- they did the main desicion making
- theywere the government and the most powerful ones were close to the chancellor and would decide things in the cabin
What was the parliament made up of?
Two houses, Reichstag and the Reichsrat, the Reichstag was the post powerful, it controlled taxation and was elected by people at least once every four years, women and men could vote at age 21, the people also would elect the president.
What were the democratic strengths of the Weimar Republic?
This allowed the individual freedom for everyone. Thus granted the right to free speech, right to free speech, equality and religion to every German citizen.
How was the system proportionally strong?
The fact that there was a broad proportionality meant even small parties had a fair share in the vote.
How was power distributed as a strength?
No one person or body had too much power, power was evenly distributed between the president, chancellor, Reichstag and local government.
Why was the coalition of governments seen as weak in the Weimar Republic?
The electoral system led to too many parties in the Reichstag. No parties gained majorities and were instead large groups lacking strong clear policies. Sometimes more than one party was represented, causing unclear and unstable rules.
How many parties were there through the 1920s?
29
How many governments were there through 1919-1923
9
What did it mean that there was an over reliance on article 48?
The law that was supposed to be an emergency, where the president and chancellor could overrule any law without Reichstag was abused as there was a lack of strong governments and this undermined the new constitution and democratic rule.
Why was the Reichstag unpopular?
Many parties in the Reichstag despised the constitution and the government as it was both extreme left and right.
Why was the Reichstag unpopular?
Many parties in the Reichstag despised the constitution and the government as it was both extreme left and right.
How is how the war ended related with the unpopularity of the Weimar Republic?
1.The government surrender before Germany was invaded, causing people to feel betrayed and stabbed in the back and didn’t fully feel defeated and as if they lost.
2. The treaty of Versailles, people resented this treaty and despite the surrender believed this to be unfair, leaders who signed the treaty known and were called as November criminals.
What did extreme left groups in Germany want?
A communist revolution and backed by the Soviet Union, attempted to overthrow the new government.
What was rhetorical extreme left group called?
Spartacists
When was the Spartacists revolt?
January 1919
Who were the socialist leads of the revolt?
Rosa Luxemburg and Karl liebknacht
What was the revolt triggered by?
Thousands of workers protesting in Berlin at the sacking of a popular police chief by Friedrich Ebert.
What did the sparticists take advantage of for their revolt?
The protests taking the streets by workers in Berlin on January 5th 1919, the spartacists called for an uprising and general strike and leading to 100k workers on the street January 6.
What did the government do in terms of Berlin?
As the government lost control of Berlin as workers seized key locations, the army and government were in no condition to put down the revolt. Ebert ordered army officers to organize demilitarized soilders into the Friekorps, mostly right wing extremists and Prussian volunteers.
Who were the Friekorps?
The Freikorps (Free Corps) was an armed, right-wing group of former German soldiers who disagreed with the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.
