The Constitution Flashcards
What rights were the public guaranteed under the constitution?
Freedom of speech
Equal rights regardless of Gender/religion
Right to work and a house
Right to form unions and socities
Social insurance/ benefits were to be made available
Who chose the people in power?
President elected every 7 years
Chancellor and ministers appointed by the president
Reichstag parties/ deputies chosen every 4 years
What power did the President have?
Had supreme control of the army
Could dissolve the Reichstag
Article 48 gave the president powers to make emergency laws, use armed forces, and suspend rights in emergency situations
Could conclude alliances and treaties
How was Reichsrat members decided?
Germany was arranged into 17 states (Landers), each had elected leaders and a gov who voted for Reichstrat members
When and by who was the constitution drawn up by?
Drawn up by Hugo Pruess, a lawyer
Came into force August 1919
What was the power balance between the Reichstag and the Reichsrat?
The Reichsrat had to agree with the Reichstag to pass the laws, however it could be overridden by 2/3 of the Reichstag voting against them, or a referendum
How could the electorate initiate legislation?
If 1/10 of the population signed a petition
If the Reichstag/ Reichsrat rejected it, it would go to a referendum
How did the political system work?
Proportional representation
60,000 votes needed for a seat
What were the effects of the political system?
There was a wide range of parties
Everyone was represented
Meant there had to be coalitions- made decision making hard
Meant the president often used article 48 to make deacons, or dissolved the Reichstag when they couldnt make decisions
What was the average coalition?
239 days
How many chancellors were there in total?
15
What age did you have to be to vote in the elections?
O35 for presidential election
O20 for Reichstag
Male and female got equal votes
How did Ebert use article 48?
Used 136 times
Used it to legalise death penalty to deaths that had already occurred after the 1920 Ruhr crisis
Used it to depose the elected gov in Saxony and Thuringia when they were viewed as a threat
How did the voters vote in the 1919 January elections?
77% voted for pro-weimar parties
23% voted against
SPD got 38%
How much did the constitution pass by?
262:75
