Topic 1, Impact of war, political crisis of October to November 1918 and the establishment of the Weimar constitution
- Created by: Rhiannon Gillard2
- Created on: 27-04-16 12:40
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- Topic 1, Impact of war, political crisis of October to November 1918 and the establishment of the Weimar constitution
- The abdication of the Kaiser
- 9th November 1918 Kaiser Wilhelm II
- abdication has been annouced
- end of September 1918
- Germany on the brink of defeat
- German allies tried to negotiate peace terms
- Germany on the brink of defeat
- The October Reforms
- Kaiser began reforms which effectively ended his rule
- 1. Appointed Prince Max of Baden as new chancellor
- chancellor was responsible for the Reichstag and he established a new government based on the majority of the parties in the Reichstag
- 2. The armed forces were under control of the civil government
- Major constitutional transformation in Germany
- 1. Appointed Prince Max of Baden as new chancellor
- Kaiser began reforms which effectively ended his rule
- The November Revolution
- Unrest in the Navy spread to the main German Naval base at Kiel
- 8 November a republic was proclaimed in Bavaria and the Bavarian monarchy was deposed
- 9th November 1918 Kaiser Wilhelm II
- Establishment of the Weimar
- 19 January 1919- elections for constituent assembly
- women able to vote for first time
- SPD secured the largest number of votes
- did not have overall majority
- Had to compromise with other parties to establish a constitution
- Philipp Schliemann, leader of SPD and coalition with the centre and German democratic parties
- Assembly met in Weimar, hence the name
- 'political authority derives from the people'
- Strengths of the Weimar
- a wider right to vote
- proportional representation
- constitution set out clearly the rights of the individual
- full democracy in local government
- Referendums could be called for by the president, the Reichsrat or by peoples request
- Weaknesses of the Weimar
- The Proliferation of small parties
- smaller parties gaining more power, exploiting the parliamentary system to gain publicity
- Fragmented party system
- Coalition governments
- no larger parties could gain an overall majority in the reichstag
- all coalition governments were very short lived
- The Proliferation of small parties
- President- head of state
- elected every 7 years
- had reserve powers, article 48
- used on a regular basis
- 136 occasions used
- used his power in non-emergencies
- used on a regular basis
- The survival of undemocratic solutions
- The Army
- used against left wing revolts
- Hans von Seeckt was appointed Commader in Chief
- Believed the army as a whole could intervene with politics whenever he saw fit
- The civil service
- given a guarantee of their 'well earned' rights
- top civil servants could wield enormous power
- The judiciary
- Article 54 of the constitution guaranteed the independence of the judges
- penal code of republic; any one attempting to overthrow the Weimar should be sentenced to life imprisonment
- Article 54 of the constitution guaranteed the independence of the judges
- The Army
- 19 January 1919- elections for constituent assembly
- The abdication of the Kaiser
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