The Weimar Republic

• What difficulties did the Weimar Republic face in the 1920s and 1930s?


  The Weimar Republic faced a number of difficulties.
• How did the popularity of the Weimar Republic change with economic conditions?

  It was unpopular in times of hardship and popular in times of prosperity.
• Where did politicians move to set up the Weimar Republic?

  They moved to the small town of Weimar.
• Who was at the head of the Weimar Republic?

  The President was at the head of the Republic.
• How often was the President elected in the Weimar Republic?

  The President was elected every 7 years.
• What power did the President have in the Weimar Republic?


  The President could choose key ministers, such as the Chancellor.
• What was Article 48 in the Weimar Constitution?

  Article 48 allowed the President to overrule his government and make laws by decree.
• What was the role of the Cabinet in the Weimar Republic?

  The Cabinet made political decisions.
• Who led the Cabinet in the Weimar Republic?

  The Chancellor led the Cabinet.
• What two bodies formed the parliament in the Weimar Republic?

  The Reichstag and the Reichsrat formed the parliament.
• What does 'proportional representation' mean in the context of the Weimar Republic?

  It meant that a party's seats reflected the number of votes it received.
• How often were the Reichstag and Reichsrat elected?

  They were elected every 4 years.
• Which chamber was more powerful in the Weimar Republic?

  The Reichstag was more powerful and controlled tax.
• What did the Reichstag represent in the Weimar Republic?

  The Reichstag represented each region of Germany.
• Who was eligible to vote in the Weimar Republic elections?


  All men and women over 20 were eligible to vote.
• What was a significant weakness of the Weimar Constitution?

  Proportional representation led to weak coalitions as the only way to gain power.
• Why was Article 48 considered a weakness of the Weimar Constitution?

  It allowed the President to bypass democracy.
• How did strong German states affect the Weimar Constitution?


  Strong German states, like Prussia, still held power through the Reichswehr.
• What are the weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution?


  • Proportional representation led to weak coalitions.
  • Article 48 allowed the President to bypass democracy.
  • Strong states like Prussia retained power through the Reichswehr.
• What is the structure of the Weimar Republic's government?

  • President: Elected every 7 years, chooses key ministers.
  • Government: Led by the Chancellor, makes political decisions.
  • Parliament: Composed of the Reichstag and Reichsrat, elected every 4 years.
  • Electorate: All men and women over 20 can vote.
• The Weimar consitiution's weaknesses outweighed it's strengthens
• strengthens of the weimar consitution

  The weimar republic was a genuine democracy. All germans over 20 could vote, the constitution was strong because no one person or group could hold too much power.
• The structure of the Weimar republic (in order)- President, Chancellor, Reichstag (Parliament), Reichstrat, States (lander), consitutional rights
• The chancellor needs the support of the Reichstag (Parliament) to pass laws.
• Reichstag (Parliament) was the main legislative body (part of the government responsible for making, debating, and passing laws in the Weimar Republic)
• Proportional representation is a system of voting used to elect members to a parliament, ensures that the number of seats a political party wins is directly proportional to the percentage of votes they receive in an election
• Example of proportional representation- If a parliament has 100 seats and a party wins 10% of the vote, it gets 10 seats.