GOVERNMENT OF THE WEIMAR REPUBLIC THE WEIMAR REPUBLIC

GOVERNMENT OF THE WEIMAR REPUBLIC

THE WEIMAR REPUBLIC ▪ Germany’s first democratic government ▪ Followed the fall of the German Empire, or the Reich (realm), an autocratic government ▪ Lasted from 1919 to 1933 2

COMPONENTS: President Reichstag Chancellor Reichsrat 3

THE REICHSTAG ▪ Parliament made up of roughly 600 seats ▪ Men & women over the age of 20 could vote for specific parties ▪ Individuals representing those parties would hold their seat for 4 years ▪ Proportional representation – seats divided by percentage of vote 4

THE CHANCELLOR ▪ Selected by the President ▪ Made laws and gave them to the Reichstag to vote on ▪ Needed 50% of support from the Reichstag to pass a law ▪ Essentially the head of the Reichstag 5

THE REICHSRAT ▪ “council of the realm” ▪ Consisted of delegates sent from German states, proportional based on population ▪ Veto powers 6

THE PRESIDENT ▪ Most powerful member of government ▪ Voted in every 7 years ▪ Voters voted for presidential candidate ▪ Appointed the chancellor – often the party member from the Reichstag with the most seats ▪ Head of the army 7

ARTICLE 48 ▪ Special power of the President ▪ In a time of crisis, President had the ability to bypass Reichstag by signing items into law by signing a Diktat. 8

“ 9 ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How did German sentiment shape the Politics of the Weimar Republic in the early 1930’s?

1932 Election Results 10 Candidate Party Votes Percentage Paul von Hindenburg Independent 19, 359, 983 53. 0% Adolf Hitler Nazi 13, 418, 517 36. 8% Ernst Thälmann Communist 3, 706, 759 10. 2%