The Weimar Republic

• The council of people's representatives was set up in the immediate aftermath of the abdication of the kaiser
• The council of people's representatives was only ever supposed to be temporary
• The new chancellor of the reichstag, Frederick Ebert, announced there would be elections held to choose a new national assembly to represent the people
• The new national assembly would be responsible for drafting a constitution for the new republic
• The first election where everyone male or female over the age of 20 got to cast their first votes


  19th of January 1919
• In the election held on the 19th of January 1919, 83 of those eligible voted
• In the election held on the 19th of January 1919, the Socialist Democratic Party won 40 of the vote, the Center Party won 20, and the rest was shared mostly between moderate non-extreme parties
• The first national assembly met in February in a small town called Weimar due to protests and unrest in Berlin
• As a consequence of the assembly meeting in Weimar, the new government became known as the Weimar Republic
• On the 31st of July 1919, the new constitution was agreed upon
• German political system under the new constitution


  • President, Chancellor, Parliament (Reichstag and Reichrat), Electorate
• President's role


  • Head of state, elected every seven years, responsible for the army and choosing the chancellor
• Chancellor's role


  • Head of the government, responsible for choosing government ministers and leading the Reichstag
• Parliament's structure


  • Comprised of two houses: Reichstag and Reichrat
• Reichstag's role


  • Most powerful house making decisions about taxation and policy, elected by the people every four years
• Reichrat's role


  • Representative of each German region, elected every four years
• Electorate's uniqueness

  • All men and women over the age of 20 had the vote, unlike in Britain where women were only allowed to vote from 1919 if they were over the age of 30 and property owners
• Strength of the Weimar constitution: Completely democratic with everyone over 20 having the vote
• Strength of the Weimar constitution: Seats in the Reichstag were chosen by proportional representation
• Strength of the Weimar constitution: The constitution was agreed upon after six months of arguments
• Weakness of the Weimar constitution: The assembly was forced to meet in Weimar due to protests and unrest in Berlin
• Weakness of the Weimar constitution: The president was not to take part in everyday politics
• Weakness of the Weimar constitution: The president was responsible for choosing the chancellor
• Weakness of the Weimar constitution: The electorate was unique in Europe with all men and women over 20 having the vote
• Weimar Constitution - Strengths

  • Completely democratic with voting rights for everyone over 20 regardless of background
  • Seats in the Reichstag chosen by proportional representation
  • Designed to provide balance between powers, with the president choosing the chancellor and having the authority to dismiss parliament
  • President in charge of the army to prevent minority government from starting a war without consultation
  • Chancellor deciding on laws to pass, subject to voting in the Reichstag
  • Local government controlling local issues like policing and schools
• Weimar Constitution - Weaknesses

  • Proportional representation led to difficulty in passing laws due to multiple parties and coalitions
  • Coalitions often fell apart, leading to inefficiency
  • Challenges in making urgent decisions due to slow government reactions
  • Reliance on Article 48 for emergency powers undermined democracy
  • Spread of votes between numerous parties resulted in lack of representation and government using army to suppress riots
  • Extreme parties like communists and nationalists had influence in the Reichstag, opposing democracy