Strengths and Weaknesses of the New Constitution

• When was Germany's new constitution drawn up?

  31 July 1919, in Weimar.
• What type of government was established in Germany after the new constitution?

  A republic
• Who was the head of State in Germany's new government?


  The President
• Who did the President choose in the new German government?

  The Chancellor (head of Government)
• What were the two Chambers of the German government called?


  The Reichstag and the Reichsrat
• What were the strengths of Germany's new constitution?

  • Universal suffrage for all men and women over twenty-one
  • Guaranteed civil liberties and freedom of speech
  • System of checks and balances to prevent concentration of power
  • Proportional representation to ensure diverse views and cooperation among parties
  • Article 48 allowing the President to rule by emergency decree in crises
• What does 'universal suffrage' mean in the context of Germany's new constitution?

  All men and women over twenty-one could vote
• What was the purpose of the system of checks and balances in the new constitution?

  To prevent any individual from holding too much power
• How did proportional representation benefit the political system in Germany?

  It gave a voice to a wide range of different views and ensured cooperation among parties
• What powers did Article 48 grant to the President?

  The ability to rule by emergency decree
• What were the weaknesses of Germany's new constitution?

  • Proportional representation led to no party gaining an overall majority, resulting in unstable coalition governments
  • Article 48 allowed the President to act as a dictator
  • The constitution was associated with the defeat in WW1 and the Treaty of Versailles, lacking support from the German people
• Why was proportional representation considered a weakness in the new constitution?

  It led to unstable coalition governments as no party could gain an overall majority
• How could Article 48 be seen as a weakness of the constitution?

  It gave the President the ability to act as a dictator
• Why did the new constitution lack the wholehearted support of the German people?

  It was associated with the defeat in WW1 and the Treaty of Versailles
• Germany’s new constitution was drawn up in Weimar on 31 July 1919. Germany was now a republic.
• The President was head of State and chose the Chancellor, who was head of Government.
• There were two Chambers, the Reichstag and the Reichsrat.
• Strengths

  1. All men and women over twenty-one could vote (‘universal suffrage’)
  2. Civil liberties and freedom of speech were guaranteed
  3. There was a system of checks and balances which prevented any individual from holding too much power (power was shared between the President, the Chancellor, the Reichstag, and the Reichsrat).
  4. The system of proportional representation gave a voice to a wide range of different views and ensured different parties had to work together.
  5. Article 48 gave the President powers to rule by emergency decree and act swiftly in a crisis.
• Weaknesses

  1. Proportional representation meant no one party could gain an overall majority. This led to lots of coalition governments which frequently fell apart.
  2. Article 48 gave the President the ability to act as a dictator.
  3. It was associated with defeat of WW1 and the Treaty of Versailles, and so lacked the wholehearted support of the German people.