Weimar Constitution

• When was Germany unified as a Federation of states?

  1871
• What type of government did Germany have before 1918?

  Germany was an autocracy under Kaiser Wilhelm II
• What was the role of the Reichstag in Germany before 1918?

  The Reichstag advised the king and debated laws
• What happened to Germany's army situation in the Autumn of 1918?

  Germany's army was in a managed retreat
• What caused shortages of food and fuel in Germany during World War I?

  British ships were blockading Germany
• What was the Kiel Mutiny?

  German soldiers refused to sail on a hopeless mission against the Royal Navy
• What was the reaction of workers at the Daimler Motor plant in Stuttgart during the unrest?

  Workers went on strike
• What did the protests and riots in Germany signify in late 1918?

  People were desperate due to lack of supplies and war weariness
• What significant event occurred on November 7, 1918, in Munich?

  Communists declared Bavaria an independent state
• What does abdication mean in the context of the German Revolution?

  To quit being king
• When did Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicate?


  November 9, 1918
• Who declared Germany to be a republic after the Kaiser abdicated?

  Philip Scheidemann, a leading member of the SPD
• What was the political situation in Germany after the Kaiser abdicated?

  There was a power vacuum with factions competing for control
• What were the main political factions in Germany in 1918?

  • Extreme Left: KPD (Communists) wanted a workers' revolution
  • Moderate Left: SPD (Social Democrats) wanted rights for workers without a revolution
  • Moderate Right: DVP and DNVP (Conservatives) supported wealthy landowners
  • Extreme Right: Nationalists wanted a right-wing dictatorship
  • Centrists: Zentrum (Center Party) mixed left and right ideas
• What was the largest political party in Germany in 1918?

  The SPD (Social Democrats)
• What was the role of Friedrich Ebert after the Kaiser abdicated?

  He became the new Chancellor and appointed a council to rule temporarily
• What was the first act of the new government after the Kaiser abdicated?

  To end the war and agree to an armistice
• When was the armistice that ended fighting in World War I agreed upon?

  November 11, 1918
• What is an armistice?

  A ceasefire that does not legally end the war
• What challenges did Germany face at the end of 1918?

  Germany was in chaos with returning soldiers and widespread discontent
• How did the new government reassure big businesses after the Kaiser abdicated?

  They promised no state takeover of industry
• What were the causes of the German Revolution?

  • Germany's military and domestic situation was hopeless in Autumn 1918
  • The Kaiser abdicated on November 9, 1918
  • Friedrich Ebert of the SPD became Chancellor and worked to prevent a Communist Revolution
• What were the outcomes of the German Revolution?


  • A series of compromises between moderates on the left and right
  • The new Republic's government was based in Weimar
  • The period is known as the Weimar Republic