1) establishment and early years of the Weimar Republic

• The Peace Note

  3rd October 1918. A message sent from chancellor Prince Max to President Wilson asking for an armistice.

  Wilson demanded Germany to become democratic
• October 28 naval mutiny


  Germany's navy's 2 cruises refused to take orders
• October Reforms 1918


  Kaiser appointed prince max as his new chancellor as responsible for the Reichstag, new gov based on majority parties.

  Revolution from above
• The November revolution 1918


  Kaiser abdicates and Weimar Republic is founded.
• 3rd November 1918


  Naval mutiny spread to Kiel - soldiers took control of the naval base
• 4th November


  revolt spread to the city (city and workers councils established)
• 6th November


  SPD general strike in Berlin to force the Kaiser to abdicate and threaten to withdraw support from Prince Max's gov.

  Prince Max announced the Kaiser had abdicated and he handed over his position to Ebert.

  Groener told the Kaiser that the army would no longer defend him

  Kaiser was forced to abdicate
• Pressure from the left


  Workers and soldiers councils believed the autocratic system would be broken unless the estates, army, judiciary were democratised
• Pressure from the army


  most army officers were loyal to the Kaiser and 10th Nov, Groener told Ebert that the army would support the gov and Ebert should resist the demands to democratise the army ( Ebert- Groener Pact)
• Weimar constitution structure

  
• Article 102


  guaranteed independence of the judges who served in the Second Empire, however they were mainly right-wing and anti-democratic
• Article 48


  gave the president the power to rule by decree in expectational circumstances
• How often did Ebert use Article 48


  136 occasions to override the Reichstag
• proportional represntation


  enables even smaller parties to have an influence in the Reichstag, often led to coalitions as no party could win a majority vote.
• proliferation of smaller parties


  anti- republic parties could gain publicity
• Ebert-Groener Pact


  10th November 1918

  army would support gov if Ebert resisted demands to democratise army