Weimar Republic Flashcards
(14 cards)
The Weimar Republic was the first time Germany had ever been governed as a …..
Democracy
What was the Weimar Republic designed to do
Give the German people a voice
What does democracy mean ?
The people of Germany would decide how the country is run
What happened in January 1919
The councils of people’s representatives organised elections to create a new parliament
Who became the first president of Germany
Friedrich Ebert with Philip Scheidemann as chancellor
What was Ebert the leader of
The SPD, a moderate party of socialists
What is the Weimar Republic
In February 1919, the members of the Reichstag met at Weimar to create a new constitution for Germany.
President:
- elected every 7 years
- chooses the chancellor and is head of the army
- can dissolve the Reichstag, call new elections and suspend the constitution
Reichstag
- the new German parliament
- members are elected every 4 years using proportional representation
Reichrsat
- second House of Parliament
- consists of members from each local region
- can delay measures passed by the Reichstag
What was the new constitution designed to be
As fair as possible
What did the constitution even do :
- allowed women to vote for the first time
- lowered the voting age to 20
What did proportional representation mean that now
- even parties with small amounts of votes were guaranteed to get into the Reichstag. This meant that it was difficult to make decisions because there were so many parties with different views
What happens when a decision cannot be reached ?
The president could suspend this constitution and pass laws without the Reichstags consent
