The Weimar Constitution (AQA A Level History: Component 2: Depth study): Revision Note

Summary

• The new republic that was created after the abdication of the Kaiser was formed by politicians and the Army working together

• A National Assembly was formed, and elections were held in January 1919 to select the new government

• Moderate parties were voted into power

• Friedrich Ebert was elected as the first President

  • Over the next six months, the constitution of the new republic was written

• Many people have praised the Weimar constitution for its freedoms and rights - including the universal right to vote

• However, others have criticised the constitution and argued it placed too much power in the hands of the president

The establishment of the Weimar Republic

• Despite the Kaiser's abdication, the civil servants who had helped run the government continued their work

  • They collaborated with the army and the new workers' councils that had formed since the end of the war

• Chancellor Friedrich Ebert allied with the head of the Army, General Groener, to keep the Weimar Government in power

  • In return, Ebert promised not to reform the Army to keep the Weimar government in power

  • This deal, known as the Ebert-Groener Pact, traded government support for army autonomy

• Businesses kept their land and property

  • The state did not nationalise their businesses

  • This helped Germany’s economy recover and won the support of big business owners

• Ebert promised more worker rights to gain the approval of trade unions

  • This concession was formalised in the Stinnes-Legien Agreement which recognised the unions in return for industrial peace

    • An example of this was guaranteeing an eight-hour working day

• Ebert announced there would be elections to choose a National Assembly

  • The assembly would be responsible for writing the German Constitution

    • Under the Kaiser, Germany did not have a written Constitution

    • This was so the Kaiser could create and change laws as he pleased

    • The creation of a Constitution would signify the start of democracy

    • It would hold the new government and the German people accountable for following the rules

• On 19 January 1919, Germany elected the National Assembly that would write the new constitution

  • The SPD won 38% of the vote, and the Centre Party gained 20%

  • These were both moderate parties

  • 82% of enfranchised people voted

• Ebert was elected as Germany’s first President by the National Assembly in February 1919

  • From 1925 onwards, the President was elected by the people every seven years

• The National Assembly also met in February 1919 to write the Constitution

  • They met in the town of Weimar because of the unrest in Berlin

  • This is why the republic that was created became known as the ‘Weimar Republic’ 

  • The Constitution took six months to complete and was passed by 262 votes to 75

• The Constitution outlined each elected official's power and responsibilities in the Weimar government

“Workers, Soldiers, Fellow Citizens – the Free People’s State is here! Kaiser and Crown Prince have abdicated! Fritz Ebert, the president of the Social Democratic Party, has been appointed chancellor, and he forms new governments in the Reich as well as in Prussia, composed of men who enjoy the trust of the working people in the cities and on the countryside, of workers and soldiers. So public administration has been handed over to the people. A National Assembly will meet soon to discuss the new constitution.

Workers, soldiers, citizens! The victory of the people has been achieved, it may not be dishonoured or endangered by rashness. The economy and traffic have to be allowed to continue uninterrupted, in order to secure the popular government under all circumstances. Follow all instructions of the new people’s government and of their officials. It acts in closest cooperation with the workers and soldiers.

The German Republic shall thrive!”

An extract from the Berlin People's Gazette, published in November 1918. The Berlin People's Gazette was the newspaper of the Social Democratic Party (SPD)

The terms of the Weimar Constitution

The strengths of the Weimar Constitution

• The Weimar Constitution had several strengths:

  • All German people over 20, including women, gained the right to vote as well as many other rights

    • Proportional representation ensured the Reichstag represented smaller parties

  • One seat was equivalent to 60,000 votes

  • The system was designed to protect against anyone taking too much power

    • For example, the president chose the chancellor but the public elected the president every seven years

  • The Reichstag (elected chamber) and the Reichsrat (unelected chamber) worked together

    • The Reichsrat could challenge laws unless two-thirds of the Reichstag voted against the Reichsrat’s intervention

    • The Länder retained power over schools and the police

“The Imperial Government welcomes through me the Constituent Assembly of the German nation. With a special warmth I greet the women. They are appearing today for the first time with equal rights in the parliament of the German people.

The provisional government owes its authority to the Revolution. It will return that authority into the hands of the National Assembly.

The German people is free, remains free, and shall govern itself for all future."

Part of Friedrich Ebert's address to the National Assembly as it opened in February 1919.

The weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution

• The Weimar Constitution also had several serious weaknesses:

• Frequent elections bred voter fatigue in the mid-1920s

  • Though turnout rose sharply during the crisis years after 1930

• The use of proportional representation meant no single party won a majority in the Reichstag

  • There were nine coalition governments between 1919 and 1923 alone

  • This meant policies lacked vision and took longer to pass

• Article 48 gave the President the power to rule by emergency decree without the Reichstag, usually at the Chancellor's request

  • Ebert used the emergency article 63 times from 1923 to 1924

  • The abuse of Article 48 continued into the 1930s

• The new Constitution did not subdue the extremist political parties

  • They continued to violently attack the Weimar Republic

  • The government relied on force to maintain power

How democratic was the Weimar constitution?

• The Weimar Constitution has been looked at in different ways

• Some historians argue that it guaranteed Germany's citizens more rights and freedoms than people living in Britain or France

  • They believe the Weimar Constitution was extremely democratic and ensured that everyone could vote and that very few votes were wasted

• Others have argued that it was flawed from the start and that Article 48 of the Constitution meant that the President could bypass democracy whenever they felt like it