Brief introduction to the Weimar Constitution

1. the government of Germany from
1919-1933

2. the government of Germany from
1919-1933

3. The Weimar
constitution
the government of Germany from
1919-1933

4. Germany
lost the war
The German people tell
the Kaiser (King) to jog
on!!
Germany becomes a
republic (Kingless!!)

5. Germany
lost the war
The German people tell
the Kaiser (King) to jog
on!!
Germany becomes a
republic (Kingless!!)

6. Germany
lost the war
The German people tell
the Kaiser (King) to jog
on!!
Germany becomes a
republic (Kingless!!)

7. Ebert - new leader

8. Ebert - new leader

9. The new Constitution

10. The new Constitution
• The Reichstag (German Parliament - like our
houses of Parliament) became powerful
• Members of the Reichstag were elected every
four years
• Everyone over the age of 20 could vote - fairer

11. Proportional
Representation
• The number of seats a political party got depended
on the percentage of the vote
• E.g. if the ‘Miss Cristofoli is cool’ party got 25 votes
out of 100, they would get 25% of the seats in the
Reichstag

12. Proportional
Representation
• The number of seats a political party got depended
on the percentage of the vote
• E.g. if the ‘Miss Cristofoli is cool’ party got 25 votes
out of 100, they would get 25% of the seats in the
Reichstag

13. Chancellor
• He choose the men that ran
Germany
• He could pass laws - but he
needed 51% of the
Reichstag to agree with
him

14. Chancellor
• He choose the men that ran
Germany
• He could pass laws - but he
needed 51% of the
Reichstag to agree with
him

15. President
• Elected every 7 years
• He chose the Chancellor
• He could call new elections
• He controlled the army
• Article 48 - he could pass
laws without the Reichstag

16. President
• Elected every 7 years
• He chose the Chancellor
• He could call new elections
• He controlled the army
• Article 48 - he could pass
laws without the Reichstag

17. Problems
• Due to proportional
representation - 28 parties
had seats in the Reichstag
• Chancellors needed quite
few of parties to group
together to pass laws
• If the compromise didn’t
work - the President had to
use Article 48
• People didn’t like it!

18. Problems
• Due to proportional
representation - 28 parties
had seats in the Reichstag
• Chancellors needed quite
few of parties to group
together to pass laws
• If the compromise didn’t
work - the President had to
use Article 48
• People didn’t like it!

19. Questions
• 1. What happened to the Kaiser after Germany
lost the war?
• 2. What is the Reichstag?
• 3. What is proportional representation?
• 4. Why was the President so powerful?
• 5. What was Article 48?