PARTIES / WEIMAR CONSTITUTION Flashcards

1
Q

WHEN were the elections for the constituent assembly held?

A

19th January 1919

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2
Q

WHAT is a constituent assembly?

A

An elected body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution

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3
Q

WHICH party boycotted the constituent assembly elections?

A

The KPD

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4
Q

WHAT percentage of voters voted for pro-Weimar parties in the 1919 constituent assembly?

A

77%

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5
Q

WHO were elected as first president and chancellor of the Weimar Republic?

A

President: Friedrich Ebert
Chancellor: Philipp Scheidemann (although technically Ebert was the first Chancellor of the republic)

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6
Q

WHAT was the turnout for the 1919 elections?

A

83%

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7
Q

WHICH parties were in the first coalition government of the Weimar Republic (1919)?

A

The SPD, DDP and ZP

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8
Q

WHAT were the main left wing parties of the Weimar Republic?

A
  • SPD (Social Democratic Party): moderate
  • USPD (Independent Social Democratic Party): radical
  • KPD (Spartacist League): communists
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9
Q

WHAT were the main centre parties of the Weimar Republic?

A
  • Z (Centre Party / Zentrum): Catholic
  • DDP (German Democratic Party): liberal, Catholic
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10
Q

WHAT were the main right wing parties of the Weimar Republic?

A
  • DNVP (German National People’s Party): nationalist
  • DVP (German People’s Party): more liberal right-leaning party
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11
Q

HOW MANY members did the Spartacists have in 1918?

A

Roughly 3000

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12
Q

WHAT is proportional representation?

A

A voting system used in the Weimar Republic where the percentage of votes a party receives is proportional to the number of seats they have in the Reichstag

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13
Q

WHAT was Article 48?

A

Allowed the President to make laws in state of emergency. The Reichstag could revoke these measures, but they often did not.

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14
Q

WHO could vote in elections in the Weimar Republic?

A

Everyone over 20 years old (men and women)

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15
Q

HOW often did the electorate vote for the members of the Reichstag and the President?

A

Reichstag elections: every 4 years
Presidential elections: every 7 years

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16
Q

WHAT were the advantages of the proportional representation system?

A
  • Extremely democratic
  • Enabled smaller parties to win seats in the Reichstag and influence government decisions
17
Q

WHAT were the disadvantages of the proportional representation system?

A
  • Enabled anti-republican, smaller parties to exploit the parliamentary system to gain publicity
  • The increased number of small parties meant no party could gain the majority and so coalitions were needed.
18
Q

HOW MANY governments during the Weimar Republic were coalitions?

A

All of them

19
Q

WHAT was the role of the Chancellor?

A
  • Proposed new laws to the Reichstag
  • Appointed by the President
  • Had to have majority support in the Reichstag
20
Q

WHAT were the Lander?

A

Local states (e.g. Bavaria)

21
Q

WHAT was the role of the Lander?

A
  • Made up the Reichsrat (provide advice on laws/key issues for the Reichstag)
  • Responsible for local institutions such as education and the police
22
Q

HOW many representatives were in the Reichsrat? And from HOW MANY Lander?

A

67 - made up of representatives from each of the 17 Lander, proportional to its population

23
Q

WHAT did the Weimar constitution say on equality?

A

“All Germans are equal before the law”

24
Q

WHAT did historians Hite and Hinton say about the strengths/weaknesses of the Weimar Republic?

A

“The constitution as been described… both as the most democratic in the world and as a major reason why democracy failed in Germany.”

25
Q

WHAT were the main aims of the left in Weimar Germany?

A
  • Social welfare
  • High taxes for the rich
  • Workers’ rights
  • In some cases, land reform
26
Q

WHICH parties were coalitions centred on in the years 1918-1924?

A

The SPD and the left-of-centre parties.

27
Q

WHAT was a key weakness of the Weimar Constitution (other than proportional representation)?

A

The army, judiciary, and civil service remained unreformed and under control of the old aristocracy (who didn’t support democracy).

28
Q

WHAT percentage of the Catholic vote did the Centre party generally get?

A

40%