Origins of Weimar Republic

• Weimar Republic

  New republic created in Germany in 1918
• Declaration of a Republic

  1. Crowds gathered in Berlin outside Reichstag, some peaceful, others gathered guns and weapons

  2. Politicians in Reichstag feared workers would take control by force and announce communist revolution

  3. Kaiser's Chancellor handed power to Friedrich Ebert, leader of SPD, who became new Chancellor

  4. Ebert appealed for peace and declared new democratic Republic would be created

  5. Ebert made agreement with Army to prevent communist uprising

  6. Ebert appointed Council of Representatives to govern temporarily until elections
• Creation of the National Assembly

  1. Ebert arranged national election in January 1919

  2. Moderate parties won most seats, SPD 40%, Centre Party 20%

  3. National Assembly met in Weimar and began writing new Weimar Constitution

  4. After 6 months, National Assembly announced Weimar Constitution was finished
• Unrest and anger at the conditions in Germany grew into a revolution that called for the Kaiser to step down and abdicate


  November 1918
• Abdication of the Kaiser

  1. Workers went on strike and demonstrated in the streets calling for an end to the war and the abdication of the Kaiser

  2. German Navy (in the port of Kiel) mutinied and refused to follow orders

  3. Workers in Munich declared a general strike and took control of the government
• By November 1918, it was clear that the Kaiser's government had lost control of Germany to the striking soldiers and workers who set up radical 'Workers' Councils' to take over from the government
• There were fears that a communist revolution by the workers was imminent
• When the Kaiser was told that the Army no longer supported him, the Kaiser agreed to abdicate
• The Kaiser fled Germany and went into exile in Holland


  9th November 1918