Was the Weimar Republic democratic or not?

?
View mindmap
  • The Weimar Republic was not democratic nor did it provide the basis for a stable government
    • Yes
      • Article 48 - Presidential rule by decree
        • meant that in times of emergency, the president could override the law
          • considered very undemocratic
      • System of proportional representation
        • The number of votes reflected the number of seats allocated to each political party
        • enabled small extreme parties to gain seats in the Reichstag
          • giving them the opportunity to exploit the constitution
        • also led to the formation of coalition governments
          • difficult to come to decisions quickly
      • the survival of undemocratic institutions
        • Civil Service
          • mainly consisted of members of the aristocracy who held anti-democratic views
        • Army
          • Ebert-Groener Pact
          • Army believed that they could intervene in politics whenever they saw fit to do so
          • the Weimar Republic relied too much on the army -couldn't act independently
        • Juridicacy
          • Article 54 - political freedom
          • more sympathetic with right wing extremists on trail, gave them less severe penalties
            • weakness in the constitution that undermined Weimar democracy
    • No
      • Fundamental rights and duties  of the German citizen
        • alongside the right to vote, freedom of speech, conscience and of travel
      • The constitution gave men and women over a certain age the right to vote
        • Gender equality
      • Allowed referendums to be held, if the people called for one
      • Proportional representation also considered a good thing because it gave smaller parties the opportunity to voice their opinions

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar History resources:

See all History resources »See all The rise of Germany 1871 – 1945 resources »