Weimar Republic (Intro)

Question 1

Who declared a republic?

Answer 1

Social Democratic Party (SPD), declared a republic from Reichstag.

Parliament held in Weimar due to unstable Berlin

Question 2

Who was the first President of Weimar Republic?

Answer 2

Fredrich Ebert

Question 3

What form of voting was used in the Republic?

Answer 3

Proportional Representation, anyone over 20 could vote - with freedom of religion and speech.

Question 4

What two articles would be problematic for the Weimar Republic?

Answer 4

Article 48 - President could pass laws in state of emergency

Article 25 - President could dissolve Reichstag for 60 days.

Question 5

What were some strengths of the Constitution?

Answer 5

• All Germans could vote
• Proportional Representation made sure each party had fair percentage
• Each state had its own assembly to represent local intrests.

Question 6

What are some limitations of the Consitution?

Answer 6

• It was too radical for the time
• Proportional Representation encouraged lots of small parties (weak coalitions)
• Easy to abuse Articles 48 or 25
• Big groups rejected the coalition e.g KPD, DNVP or later Nazis