Weimar Republic

Weimar Republic

• The term “Weimar Government or Republic” refers to a period in German history between 1919 and 1933 when the government was a democratic republic governed by a constitution that was laid out in the German city of Weimar after Germany's loss in WW1. It was too dangerous to make a declaration in Berlin where there had just been a revolt by a Communist group called the Spartacists.

Under the Weimar Constitution, Germany was divided into 19 states. All citizens had the right to vote, electing members of the Reichstag or German Parliament along with the President. This seems like the perfect democracy.

Flaws of the Weimar government

The Weimar Republic was deeply troubled. When the constitution was first established, many Germans were highly suspicious of the new government, and extremists on the left and right rejected the authority of the Weimar Republic, undermining its effectiveness. While the government was theoretically a coalition (partnership) comprised of numerous political parties, it was beset (overwhelmed) on all sides, making it difficult to assert its authority.

• Weakness of the Weimar government

Ineffective Constitution

The Weimar Constitution did not create a strong government: Article 48 of the constitution gave the President sole power in 'times of emergency'. The president did not need the agreement of the Reichstag, but could issue decrees. The problem with this was that it did not say what an emergency was, and in the end, it turned out to be a back door that Hitler used to take power legally instead of voting for a member of parliament, Weimar Germans voted for a party. Each party was then allocated seats in the Reichstag exactly reflecting (proportional' to) the number of people who had voted for it. This sounds fair, but in practice it was a disaster it resulted in dozens of tiny parties, with no party strong enough to get a majority, and, therefore, no government to get its laws passed in the Reichstag. The system of proportional voting led to 28 parties. This made it virtually impossible to establish a majority in the Reichstag, and led to frequent changes in the government. During 1919-33, there were twenty separate coalition governments and the longest government lasted only two years. This political chaos caused many to lose faith in the new democratic system. This was a major weakness of the Republic. 

• The German states had too much power and often ignored the government.

• The army was not fully controlled by the government

• The Army, led by the right-wing General Hans von Seeckt, was not fully under the government's control. It failed to support government during the Kapp Putsch or the crisis of 1923.

• Many government officials - especially judges - were right-wing and wanted to destroy the government. After the Kapp Putsch, 700 rebels were tried for treason; only 1 went to prison. After the Munich Putsch, Hitler went to prison for only 9 months.

• Right Wing Terrorism

• Many right-wing groups hated the new government for signing the Versailles Treaty (June 1919): The Kapp Putsch: in March 1920, a Freikorps brigade rebelled against the Treaty, led by Dr Wolfgang Kapp. It took over Berlin and tried to bring back the Kaiser.

• Nationalist terrorist groups murdered 356 politicians. In August 1921 Matthias Erzberger, the man who signed the armistice (and therefore a 'November criminal'), was shot.

• Left Wing Rebellion

• The Communist KPD hated the new government: 
  In Jan 1919, 50,000 Spartacists rebelled in Berlin, led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Leibknecht. 

In 1919, Communist Workers' Councils seized power all over Germany, and a Communist 'People's Government' took power in Bavaria. 

In 1920, after the failure of the Kapp Putsch, a paramilitary group called the Red Army rebelled in the Ruhr. 

• Invasion-Inflation: the crisis of 1923

• The cause of the trouble was Reparations - the government paid them by printing more money, causing inflation. In January 1923, Germany failed to make a payment, and France invaded the Ruhr. This humiliated the government, which ordered a general strike, and paid the strikers by printing more money, causing hyperinflation: In Berlin on 1 October 1923, soldiers calling themselves Black Reichswehr rebelled, led by Bruno Buchrucker. 

The Rhineland declared independence (21-22 October). 

In Saxony and Thuringia the Communists took power.





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