Weimar Constitution

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Weimar Why was the new government called the “Weimar Republic”? Weimar Constitution LO: To evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution Political Spectrum • Despite the unrest, the Provisional Government moved towards establishing a permanent institutions in Germany, and elections for the Constituent Assembly were scheduled for 19th Jan 1919. • There were many political parties that cover the range of ideologies. KPD USPD SPD ZP DDP DVP DNVP (NSDAP) • Copy and complete the table below, showing the main beliefs of these political parties (pg 5+7) Name Foundations Aims Support Lesson 1.1.2 To evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution 1919 elections • Women were allowed to Party Number of seats vote for the first time. SPD 163 • SPD secured the largest ZP 91 share of the votes (38%) DDP 75 the largest number of DNVP 44 seats (163) in the USPD 22 Assembly. DVP 19 • However, they failed to Others 7 reach an overall majority so had to compromise • Ebert was elected the first with other parties to President govern and establish a • Scheidermann was new constitution. appointed Chancellor Lesson 1.1.2 To evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution Weimar Constitution Create your own diagram for the Weimar Constitution. Must include explanations of: President, Chancellor, Reichstag, Landtag/Lander and the voting system. (Pg 7) Strengths and Weaknesses of the Constitution • Create a table showing the strengths and the weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution. Lesson 1.1.2 To evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution Plenary essay question – conclusion • ‘The Weimar constitution was not democratic nor did it provide the basis for stable government.’ • Assess the validity of this view. Lesson 1.1.2 To evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution.

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Paper 3 Weimar and Nazi Germany Revision Guide and Student Activity Book
Paper 3 Weimar and Nazi Germany Revision Guide and Student Activity Book Section 1 – Weimar Republic 1919-1929 What was Germany like before and after the First World War? Before the war After the war The Germans were a proud people. The proud German army was defeated. Their Kaiser, a virtual dictator, was celebrated for his achievements. The Kaiser had abdicated (stood down). The army was probably the finest in the world German people were surviving on turnips and bread (mixed with sawdust). They had a strong economy with prospering businesses and a well-educated, well-fed A flu epidemic was sweeping the country, killing workforce. thousands of people already weakened by rations. Germany was a superpower, being ruled by a Germany declared a republic, a new government dictatorship. based around the idea of democracy. The first leader of this republic was Ebert. His job was to lead a temporary government to create a new CONSTITUTION (SET OF RULES ON HOW TO RUN A COUNTRY) Exam Practice - Give two things you can infer from Source A about how well Germany was being governed in November 1918. (4 marks) From the papers of Jan Smuts, a South African politician who visited Germany in 1918 “… mother-land of our civilisation (Germany) lies in ruins, exhausted by the most terrible struggle in history, with its peoples broke, starving, despairing, from sheer nervous exhaustion, mechanically struggling forward along the paths of anarchy (disorder with no strong authority) and war.” Inference 1: Details in the source that back this up: Inference 2: Details in the source that back this up: On the 11th November, Ebert and the new republic signed the armistice.
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Introduction to the Weimar Republic
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On the Commander-In-Chief Power
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The Weimar Constitution
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Brief Amici Curiae of 37 Appellate
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The Enabling Act of 23 March 1933 the Political Situation in the Final Stages of the Weimar Republic Was Confusing and Unstable
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9. the Concept of Party Government in the Constitutional System of Germany
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Dictatorship and the German Constitution: 1933-1937
DICTATORSHIP AND THE GERMAN CONSTITUTION: 1933-1937 KARL Lo wENsTEIN* FTER National Socialism had seized power in Germany on Janu- ary 3o, 1933, the transformation of the constitutional law of the German Reich was accomplished at an exceedingly rapid rate. During the first two years of National Socialist rule there was an enor- mous output of statutes of basic importance. This rather hectic process of constitutional reconstruction evidently had reached a climax when, on August i, 1934, Adolf Hitler united the functions of the Reich President and of the Reich-Chancellor in his person, because the plenitude of ab- solute power bestowed on the Supreme Leader of the Reich (Reichsfiihrer) was incapable of being further increased. Since then the pace in rebuild- ing the constitutional structure has ostensibly slackened and it seems safe to state that the outlines of constitutional law as they appear today em- body the governmental form of the Third Reich in its final shape. Among the vast mass of statutes passed during the first four years of National Socialist rule some are considered as of fundamental nature and are spoken of as the basic or organic acts of the Third Reich (Grund- gesetz). This official designation, however, does not imply that these acts became integral parts of the fundamental charter (Verfassung im formel- len Sinn). Although it has been repeatedly hinted that a completely new constitutional document will be drawn up which would supersede the Weimar Constitution of August 11, 1918, the plan, if ever seriously con- templated, has not as yet materialized. Should a new constitutional charter be adopted, it would scarcely differ much from the constitutional set-up reflected today in the so-called basic acts, ordinary statutes and to a large extent also, in governmental habits or conventions.
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The German Constitution ("Basic Law") (…) Article 4
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The Weimar Constitution Following the Abdication of the Kaiser, a New Constitution Had to Be Drawn Up, Which Was Finalised in August 1919
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The Weimar Constitution – Recap!
The Weimar Constitution – Recap! How is the President of Germany chosen? What is the role of the President? How is the Chancellor of Germany chosen? What is the role of the Chancellor? BONUS: Can you name any previous Presidents or Chancellors of Germany? The Weimar Constitution – Recap! How is the President of Germany chosen? He is chosen by a public vote every seven years. What is the role of the President? He does not get involved in day to day government, but in an emergency can use Article 48 or mobilise the army. How is the Chancellor of Germany chosen? He is chosen by the President. Usually this is given to the leader of the largest party in the Reichstag. What is the role of the Chancellor? He runs the government and proposes laws for the members of the Reichstag to pass. BONUS: Can you name any previous Presidents or Chancellors of Germany? Friedrich Ebert (chancellor and president), Gustav Stresemann (chancellor briefly) Paul von Hindenburg (President), Heinrich Bruning (Chancellor) 19/03/2021 How Hitler became the German Chancellor – 1932-1933 January 1932 • At the start of 1932 the Weimar Republic was struggling. The Wall Street Crash had led to huge economic trouble and growing unemployment. • Heinrich Bruning was the Chancellor of Germany, but was struggling to control the situation. He relied more and more on persuading President Hindenburg to pass laws using Article 48. Hindenburg was at heart a monarchist and didn’t really like democracy, so he was happy to rule by decree. • Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party was doing better than ever, they had won 108 seats during the 1930 Reichstag elections.
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