The origins of the Republic, 1918–19 Flashcards

All 7 cards in this deck

When did Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicate?

9 November 1918. He fled to the Netherlands, leaving government in disarray with no formal constitution until August 1919.

What was the armistice of 11 November 1918?

The agreement signed by the new German government to stop fighting, ending the First World War.

Give one strength of the new Weimar Constitution.

All men and women over 20 could vote by secret ballot — one of the most democratic systems in the world.

Why was proportional representation a weakness of the Weimar Constitution?

It gave Reichstag seats to many small parties, so governments were coalitions that were hard to keep stable or popular.

What did Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution allow the President to do?

In an emergency, the President could suspend parts of the constitution and pass laws by decree without the Reichstag's agreement. It was a weakness because it let a president govern without parliament.

Who was Friedrich Ebert?

The leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). He headed the new government after the Kaiser abdicated in November 1918, and became the Republic's first President in February 1919.

Why was the new German constitution drawn up in the town of Weimar in 1919, rather than in Berlin?

Berlin was still too violent and unsettled after the revolution, so the National Assembly met in the quieter town of Weimar. The constitution was agreed there in July 1919.