The Weimar Constiution and Coalition Governments

Question 1

What were the 3 three key elements to the Constitution?

Answer 1

• President chosen by universal franchise, who chose Chancellor
• Reichsrat was upper house were states were represented
• Reichstag was lower house, elected by universal franchise on basis of proportional representation (meant coalitions were common)

Question 2

How many chancellors were there in 14 years?

Answer 2

14 chancellors

Question 3

Zentrum Party

Answer 3

• Represented Germany’s catholics (34% of population)
• Had left (trade union) and right (conservative nationalist) wings
• Drifted to BVP in 1928 when leadership changed

Question 4

KPD - Communists (Left)

Answer 4

• Founded Dec 1918
• Came from Spartacist party which had been crushed
• Favoured a dictatorship
• Opposed anti-semitism

Question 5

DDP - German Democratics

Answer 5

• Largely Protestant and middle class e.g. lawyers, doctors etc
• Many Jewish voters
• Declined due to deaths of Weber and Naumann
• Later known as ‘State Party’

Question 6

DVNP - German Nationalist People’s Party (Right)

Answer 6

• Largely Protestant and made of landowners and industrialists
• Militaristic and resistant to a republican government
• Opposed ToV
• Anti-Semitic

Question 7

DVP - German People’s Party

Answer 7

• Represented small and middle sized business owners
• Moderate nationalism and less extreme anti-semitism

Question 8

NSDAP (Nazi) - National Socialist German Worker’s Party (Right)

Answer 8

• Founded in 1919 - Hitler emerges
• Attracted young men who’d been in the military and couldn’t reintegrate themselves
• Opposed the Weimar
• Tried to seize government by force in 1923
• Very Anti-semitic and hated Jews

Question 9

SDP - Social Democratic Party (Left)

Answer 9

• Trade unionists
• Attracted both Catholics and Protestants
• German women from WC families voted
• From 1919-32 it received most votes
• Committed to further reform Weimar