Simone Lawson
The Weimar Constitution was the new system of democratic government established in Germany following the collapse of the Second Reich. It was agreed by the National Assembly, which meant that it had agreement from most of the political spectrum. The constitution's strengths included its highly democratic nature, with proportional representation ensuring that no one party could dominate without over 50% of the vote, and more people's interests were reflected in the government. However, its weaknesses included Germany's lack of experience with this level of democracy, and the continued influence of traditional elites with anti-republican and pro-authoritarian attitudes, which contributed to political instability and ultimately led to the rise of Hitler and the end of democratic government in Germany.
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What You'll Learn
Universal suffrage for adults over 20/21
The Weimar Constitution, also known as the Constitution of the German Reich, was the constitution that governed Germany during the Weimar Republic era. The constitution created a federal semi-presidential republic, with a parliament whose lower house, the Reichstag, was elected by universal suffrage using proportional representation.
One of the strengths of the Weimar Constitution was that it allowed for universal suffrage for adults over 20. This meant that all German citizens, both men and women, had the right to vote and to stand for election. This was a significant step forward in democratic participation and representation, as it gave a voice to a wider range of people and ensured that the government was more representative of the people it served.
The inclusion of universal suffrage in the Weimar Constitution was a result of the German Revolution of 1918-1919, which saw the defeat of far-left parties seeking to establish a soviet republic by moderate left parties advocating for a parliamentary republic. The victorious parties, led by Friedrich Ebert of the Social Democrats (SPD), scheduled an election for 19 January 1919, in which women were granted equal voting rights with men for the first time. This election served as a pivotal moment in German history, as it paved the way for the drafting of the Weimar Constitution and the establishment of the Weimar Republic.
However, the implementation of universal suffrage in the Weimar Constitution also had its weaknesses and limitations. The use of a proportional electoral system without thresholds to win representation resulted in political instability. The proportional representation system led to a fragmented parliament, with numerous parties holding a small number of seats. This made it challenging for any single party to secure an overall majority, resulting in the formation of coalitions to govern effectively. While coalition governments were not inherently problematic, the parties within these coalitions often had differing agendas and priorities, leading to policy disagreements and frequent changes in government during the early 1920s.
Despite these challenges, the Weimar Constitution's provision for universal suffrage for adults over 20 was a significant step forward in democratic participation and representation in Germany. It empowered citizens, regardless of gender, to have a direct say in the political process and shaped the country's political landscape during the Weimar Republic era.
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Proportional representation
The Weimar Constitution, which governed Germany during the Weimar Republic era, was a federal semi-presidential republic with a parliament whose lower house, the Reichstag, was elected by universal suffrage using proportional representation.
The system of proportional representation meant that the percentage of the vote was converted directly to seats in the Reichstag. In other words, each party received the same percentage of seats in parliament as the percentage of votes it received in the election.
The introduction of proportional representation was a significant change from the previous political system in Germany. It enshrined a coalition culture as an integral part of German political culture. Historically, German political parties were used to forming coalitions, and proportional representation formalised this.
However, the new system of proportional representation also caused political instability. While it was intended to reduce political conflicts, it resulted in numerous parties gaining a small number of seats in the Reichstag. Consequently, no single party held an overall majority, and parties were forced to govern in coalitions. Within these coalitions, each party pursued different goals, which often led to disagreements over policy. This made it challenging for the Reichstag to govern effectively. During the early 1920s, there were frequent changes in government, which hindered Germany's ability to address its pressing political and economic issues.
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Emergency powers of the president
The Weimar Constitution, which governed Germany during the Weimar Republic era, gave the president extensive emergency powers. This was outlined in Article 48 of the constitution, which allowed the president to act without the approval of parliament in the event of an emergency. However, the article did not provide a clear definition of what constituted an "emergency", which led to the power being overused and weakened Germans' confidence in democracy.
Under Article 48, the president could suspend civil liberties and use armed force to compel a state to fulfil its obligations under the constitution or Reich law. This included the power to depose local governments, which was used four times, targeting only left-wing ministers. While the original intent was for Article 48 to be used sparingly to restore constitutional order in the event of a national emergency, it was invoked 205 times before Adolf Hitler became chancellor. This allowed Hitler to seize the opportunity to use its powers to begin solidifying his dictatorship just a month after his appointment.
The Weimar Constitution established a federal semi-presidential republic with a parliament, consisting of the lower house, the Reichstag, and the appointed upper house, the Reichsrat. The president of Germany had supreme command over the military and appointed and removed the chancellor, who was responsible to the Reichstag. The constitution included a significant number of civic rights, such as freedom of speech, habeas corpus, and freedom of religion. It also guaranteed equality under the law and civil rights, assembly, private property, and free educational opportunities.
The Weimar Republic was a federal system, split into eighteen different states called Länder, each with its own local government. The Reichstag appointed the government and made all laws, with almost all political power exercised by politicians in the Reichstag. The chancellor was the leader of the Reichstag and was typically appointed by the president. The Weimar Constitution provided for elections to be held every four years, with all Germans over the age of twenty having the right to vote.
While the Weimar Constitution established the first-ever democracy in Germany, it also had some weaknesses that contributed to its downfall. The introduction of proportional representation led to political instability, with many different parties gaining a small number of seats in the Reichstag and no single party holding a majority. This resulted in coalitions with different aims, making it difficult for the Reichstag to govern effectively. Additionally, the reliance on foreign loans following the Dawes Plan led to severe economic depression, contributing to political instability and the end of democratic government.
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Influence of traditional elites
The Weimar Constitution, officially known as the Constitution of the German Reich, was the constitution that governed Germany during the Weimar Republic era. The constitution was drafted in Weimar, instead of Berlin, due to the volatile political situation in the latter. The constitution was agreed upon by the National Assembly, which meant that it had the agreement of most of the political spectrum.
The Weimar Constitution created a federal semi-presidential republic with a parliament. The lower house, the Reichstag, was elected by universal suffrage using proportional representation. The upper house, the Reichsrat, represented the interests of the federal states. The president of Germany had supreme command over the military, extensive emergency powers, and could appoint and remove the chancellor, who was responsible to the Reichstag.
The Weimar Constitution was a significant departure from the previous monarchy, as it introduced a democratic system of government and extended voting rights to all adults over the age of twenty, including women. However, this also meant that many of the old conservative elite who had held key positions of power under the monarchy continued to do so in the new republic. This gave them enormous influence and power, which they used to try to maintain traditional values and resist the social changes occurring in Weimar culture.
The traditional elites, or conservative elites, were chagrined by the social liberalism of cities like Berlin, which saw the emergence of a thriving nightlife and a gay and lesbian rights movement. They also disapproved of the adoption of popular styles from abroad, particularly those popularized by Hollywood and American films. The conservative elites wanted to preserve Germany's traditional values and saw the Weimar Republic as a humiliating reminder of their defeat in World War I. They accused the governing parties of betraying the country and contributing to its humiliation by signing the Treaty of Versailles.
The influence of the traditional elites contributed to the political instability of the Weimar Republic. The new Proportional Representation system of voting resulted in many different parties gaining a small number of seats in the Reichstag, making it difficult to form governing coalitions. The Social Democratic Party, for example, had to join a coalition with other parties to form a majority government. This led to frequent changes in government and made it challenging to address Germany's political and economic problems.
In conclusion, while the Weimar Constitution introduced significant democratic reforms and extended voting rights to German citizens, the continued influence of traditional elites created political instability and contributed to the challenges faced by the Weimar Republic. The conservative elites resisted social changes, criticized the governing parties, and struggled to adapt to the new democratic model. Their influence ultimately played a role in the rise of Hitler and the end of democratic government in Germany.
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Federal system of states
The Weimar Constitution established a federal semi-presidential republic, with a parliament whose lower house, the Reichstag, was elected by universal suffrage using proportional representation. The upper house, the Reichsrat, represented the interests of the eighteen different federal states, called Länder, each of which had their own local government.
The federal system of states was intended to ensure local autonomy. However, this sometimes created conflicts between state and national governments. State governments could enact laws that contradicted national legislation, leading to administrative confusion and political tension.
The federal structure of the Weimar Constitution allowed for differences between the states and recognised the historical need for German political parties to form coalitions. However, the system of proportional representation, while democratic, led to numerous small parties and unstable coalition governments. No one party was ever elected with a majority, so parties had to form coalitions to rule. Coalitions often disagreed on laws and policies due to their differing views, which made it extremely difficult to govern decisively.
The federal system of states in the Weimar Constitution contributed to political instability. The structure's weaknesses allowed for the rise of authoritarian forces and the eventual replacement of the Weimar Republic by the Nazi dictatorship.
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Frequently asked questions
The Weimar Constitution was highly democratic. It prevented any one party from dominating without over 50% of the vote, meaning more people's interests were reflected in the government. It also allowed for differences between the states. The constitution was agreed upon by most of the political spectrum in the assembly, and it set up a liberal framework for Germany to operate in.
Germany had no experience of this level of democracy. Coalitions gave minority parties the balance of power, and they needed the support of traditional elites and the imperial civil service, who tended not to support the Weimar Republic. Traditional attitudes (anti-republic, pro-authoritarian) wielded too much influence. The new Proportional Representation system of voting also caused political instability, resulting in many short-lived governments.
Article 48 gave the president authority to rule by decree in a state of emergency, bypassing the elected Reichstag. However, it did not define what constituted a 'state of emergency', leading to its repeated misuse and weakening Germans' confidence in democracy. This article eventually allowed Hitler to 'legally' take total control of Germany.
