The Key Features of the Weimar Constitution
The Weimar constitution worked better than the second Reich, which
reformed in 1918. The constitution was present for a number of years
in Germany, which reflected the effectiveness of the system. It was
under a far more democratic regime due to the change in the political
structure hence involving more elections due to the voting system that
was in power.
Firstly, the main key feature of the Weimar Republic was its new
electoral system. Part of the system is the introduction of
proportional representation that meant parties in the Riechtag would
gain seats depending upon the number of votes they got in the most
recent election. The consequence of this was that it brought a number
of parties together with the help of another key feature of the
constitution, the “Bill of Rights”. This meant that parties could
express their views, as the “Bill of Rights” was a law that gave
people the freedom of speech. This union made representation of many
opposing parties very open, which effectively made the Weimar
constitution more democratic. However P.R made it difficult for a lot
of parties to gain a majority of seats in the Reichstag, which made it
harder for one major party to take control of the country. This P.R
system made it a coalition government whereby the country is ruled by
many parties together having to make joint decisions, therefore made
it more difficult to compromise and lead to a weaker government
resulting to further elections, making the constitution unstable.
Furthermore Universal male suffrage enabled men over the age of 20 to
vote in an election. This included the upper, middle and working
classes, which made parties competitive. However as there were so
many parties only the ones with the most convincing views and issues
that effected the general population became major for example, the
Communists, Socialists and Democrats, which were aimed for, change and
equality.
Another key feature of the Weimar constitution was that the president
Exploring the Reasons Behind Public's Discontent with the Weimar Government There were a number of reasons why the German people were unhappy with the Weimar government. One of the main reasons for this was the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. The result of this was that Germany has to take the war guilt, Germany had to pay reparations of 6,600 million marks to the allies in particular France, Germany lost its colonies, it lost its air force & tanks, and its soldiers were restricted to 100,000. The Ruhr was demilitarised. Also they lost their colonies and its land was cut up such as the Polish Corridor and Alsace Lorraine.
“The Weimar constitution was not democratic, nor did it provide the basis for stable government.” Assess the validity of this view.
The period after World War One was very politically unstable. Many different kinds of governments, such as fascism and communism, were coming up all over Europe. One country that especially faced this political fluctuation was Germany. After the war, Germany was forced into a democracy known as the Weimar Republic, but this government soon collapsed and Hitler’s fascism took over. There were various factors that contributed to the fall of the Weimar Republic, but three major ones were the lack of popular support for the government, the lack of efficiency and internal organization, and the competition of other, more conservative parties such as the Nazis.
The Break Out of the Revolution in Germany in 1848 There were a numerous external and internal factors behind the 1848 revolutions in Germany. Externally, changes in the international climate and political upheaval in Austria provided German nationalists with an avenue of opportunity to cease power. Internally, the growth of German nationalism and liberalism coupled with the acute financial and food crisis of 1847 created an atmosphere fit for revolutionary activity. Between 1815 and 1847, the Great powers reduced the importance of nationalism and liberalism in order to maintain the ideals set about at the Treaty of Vienna of peace, order and stability within the balance of power. The Great powers installed Austria as the ‘reactionary henchman’ of Europe.
The Flaws of the Weimar Constitution The majority of people believe that it was the Weimar constitution which was fundamentally flawed and that this damaged the long term prospects of the Weimar republic, although strong points can be identified in the constitution which support the argument that the constitution wasn't to blame for the republics downfall. From this some historians have determined that the role of the constitution in the downfall of the republic is exaggerated. There were a wide variety of things that played a part in the collapse of the republic; one of these was the problems linked with proportional representation. There were two main problems with proportional representation the first is that in this kind of electoral system its much easier for extremist groups to gain seats in the Reichstag. In the first past the post system a certain number of votes does not guarantee a party representation in the Reichstag.
There are some provisions in the Weimer constitution that played a significant role in propelling Hitler to power. The article 48 in the constitution of Weimer gave the powers to the president to act without bothering to seek the consent of the legislature in special circumstances. The actual provision of article 48 which Hitler took advantage of was the promulgation of decrees of emergency. The provision gave Hitler the chance to rise and consolidate the power without courting uproar from civil rights groups. The provision prominent in the Weimer constitution was an ingredient that fueled Hitler's aggression
After the First World War Germany recognised her first ever democratic government, the Weimar republic lasted from 1918 – 1933 an astonishingly long time given its turbulent start. The November revolution saw the election of soldier and worker councils similar to that of the Russian revolution in 1917, it spread across Germany like wildfire and in turn split the country before a democracy could even be instated nevertheless on November 9th 1918 the German republic was established. From then on The Weimar Republic was set on unstable and insecure path and this is why it is one of Germanys most important historical periods; it was Germanys earliest form of non-imperial government and rule and its collapse in 1933 paved the way for the rise of Hitler and the Nazi party. For these reasons there have been endless works published on the Weimar republic and the outpouring of literature post world war two focuses on the collapse of the Weimar republic and how the Nazi party came to power. However, to understand why the debate surrounding the Golden Era in the Weimar Republic is an interesting one and lacking in historical works, it is key to examine the historiography of the Weimar republic as a whole. Furthermore, to understand why historians focus on other periods in the Weimar’s history in particular the consequences of the treaty of Versailles and the consequences of the Wall Street crash in 1928 which led to its collapse.
The Weakness of the Weimar Republic and Hitler's Rise to Power The question directly relates to the idea that the political power of a country can be taken over by ambitious people in different ways. From our knowledge we know there is three ways this can be done…by take over by force, also known as a 'coup d'etat', in a more democratic and just way or by a political deal. In the 1920's and the 1930's Hitler led a right wing political party and was seen by many as a dictator. He wanted to overthrow and control the German government and he tried all three of these ways in an attempt to do so, some methods were more successful than others.
2. What were weaknesses of the Weimar Republic? How did different political groups seek to remedy these weaknesses?
The causes of the failure of the Weimar government are multi-faceted. However, I assert that the Weimar government's inability to keep the people's confidence in their capabilities, which eventually rendered them obsolete, was fundamentally due to the threats from within rather than the external hazards. Through exploring the flaws in the constitution and the threats to the WG's authority from the outside, it will be proven that what brought the WR down were its intrinsic vulnerabilities , and that the external threats were only catalysts of their downfall; without the presence of the internal weaknesses in the first place, the external perils would not have been able to threaten the rule of the government.
The Constitution is the greatest document in American history. It has pushed for progressiveness and equality. The Constitution is basically the supreme law of the United States. The Constitution was written to organize a strong national government for the American states. Before the Constitution, the nation's leaders had established a national government under the Articles of Confederation. The Articles gave independence to each state; the states lacked authority, the ability to work together, and to solve national problems. The U.S. Constitution established America's national government and fundamental laws, and guaranteed certain basic rights for its citizens using five big ideas and this shaped today's America.
Hitler’s rise to power was the result of many factors, but Hitler’s ability to take advantage of Germany’s poor leadership and economical and political conditions was the most significant factor. His ability to manipulate the media and the German public whilst taking advantage of Germany’s poor leadership resulted in both the collapse of the Weimar Republic and the rise of Hitler and the nazi party. During the early 1920s, Germany was struggling with economic instability and political uncertainty. Germany, after being defeated in the Great War, was forced to sign the unforgiving treaty of Versailles, which the Weimar Republic was held responsible for. This brought forward feelings of fear, anger and insecurity towards the Weimar Republic. Hitler built on these feelings and offered the secure and promising alternative of the extremist nazi party. Although there were many factors that contributed to the rise of Hitler and the collapse of the Weimar republic, Hitler’s ability to build upon people’s frustrated view of the hatred of the treaty of Versailles and the circumstances it placed upon the German nation, was the fundamental reason for Hitler’s rise to power and the Weimar Republic to collapse
“On 2 August 1934, President Hindenburg died. Within an hour of his death Hitler announced that the offices of chancellor and president were to be combined and that he was the new head of state. Hitler’s adolescent dream of becoming Fuhrer of the German people had been realized” President Hindenburg’s death marked the official end of the Weimar Republic, a democratic ‘experiment’ that had lasted since 1918. The causes of the dissolution of the Republic are wide ranging and numerous, as was explained in the articles of both Richard Bessel, and John McKenzie. The two author’s agree on the sequence of events which led to the dissolution of the Republic, however, they disagree on what exactly caused the transition from Weimar to the Third Reich. The author’s disagreement stem from a differing view of the fundamental cause, political structure versus political leadership.
The Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic was created in Germany in 1918 as a result of widespread socialist unrest. A liberal constitution was drawn up in 1919. There was extensive instability in Germany around this time. The Weimar government had trouble pleasing right and left wing parties because, at this time, Germany was very polarised politically. Hitler dissolved the republic in 1933.
The Extent to Which the Weimar Republic Recovered after 1923 In the period after 1923, under Gustav Stresemann, Germany was able to stand back on its feet and overcome many of its difficulties. Weimar Republic was created in 1919 to govern a defeated Germany after World War One. Germany was facing many social, political and economical problems while the new constitution laid open for the seizure of power. There were many rebellions and attempted revolutions making the country very unstable. Situations were made worse by the harsh terms of Treaty of Versailles, causing hyperinflation and a huge amount of national debt.