The Weimar Republic
1919-1933
By the end of this lesson
I will be able to describe conditions in Germany
at the end of WW1
I will be able to describe the Weimar
Constitution
I will be able to explain the strengths and
weaknesses of the Weimar Republic.
I will be able assess the why Germany was
difficult to govern.
Key terms
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Reichstag
Make sure you know what all
President
these mean!!!
Chancellor
Communism
Freikorps
Weimar Republic
Weimar Constitution
Democracy
Proportional representation (P.R.)
Article 48
Sparticists
The Second Reich
• Kaiser Wilhelm II had led
Germany into WW1.
• The Kaiser was forced to
surrender and abdicate.
• An armistice was signed on 11th
Nov 1918 ending the war.
• When Germany surrendered
many German soldiers were still
in enemy territory.
• The Kaiser died in exile in 1941.
Why did Germany surrender?
 There was revolution in
Germany in Nov 1918.
 The war had brought terrible
hardships to the German
people.
 The British navy had
blockaded the German
coastline throughout the war
which had led to serious food
shortages.
 The Spanish flu epidemic
killed many Germans.
 Sailors mutinied in the port
of Kiel refusing to fight the
British.
 The Kaiser was blamed for
leading Germany into war and
people demanded his
abdication.
 He abdicated on 9th nov 1918.
 A new republic was formed
with Ebert as leader.
 The new republic agreed to
the armistice on 11th Nov
1918.
What is the ‘stabbed in the back’ theory?
Can you work out
what problems
this may
cause…?
The army
felt bitter
and
betrayed by
the new
Weimar
government
who had
signed the
armistice.
Was this
fair?
The Weimar Republic
1919
Who will lead
Germany now?
Ebert was the leader of
the main party (the
Social Democrats) in the
Reichstag.
He was asked to lead
Germany until elections
could take place.
Friedrich Ebert
The Weimar Republic
 Germany was made up of
18 states each with its
own parliament, police
and laws.
 In Jan 1919 elections
took place for a new
central parliament.
 The new parliament met
in the town of Weimar
because of a communist
uprising in Berlin.
 Ebert was elected as
President.
 A new democratic
constitution was created
for Germany
The Weimar Constitution
Note:
This makes
Germany
one of the
most
democratic
countries in
the world at
the time.
BUT
Germany
had no
history of
democracy.
The President
Elected every 7 years. Appoints Chancellor. Can use
ARTICLE 48 which meant that in an emergency the
President could make laws without asking the
Reichstag. (German parliament.)
The Chancellor
Appointed by the President. Needs support of the
majority of the Reichstag.
The Reichstag
Same as our House of Commons. Power to pass or
reject changes to the law. Elected by proportional
representation every 4 years.
The electorate (German voters)
All adults over the age of 20 can vote for President
and Reichstag. All have equal rights.
Can you work
out what the
strengths and
weaknesses
of the
constitution
are going to
be?
Tasks
Complete the questions on worksheet.
Complete the table.
Read the sheets about opposition to the W.R
and answer questions 1-5.
Extension:
Why is Germany going to be difficult to
govern in the years after 1919?
Why was Britain so afraid of
Communism?
In 1917 there had been a
Communist revolution in
Russia and the Russian
Royal family had been
murdered.
There was a fear that if
Germany was not made
stable communists could
take power there.
If that happened could it
spread to Britain?
Opposition to the Republic - Revolts
Karl Liebknecht
1) The Spartacist Revolt:
Jan 1919
Rosa
Luxemburg
Left wing revolt
The Spartacists, led by
Rosa Luxemburg and
Karl Liebknecht,
were a group of
Communists opposed to
the new democratic
Weimar Republic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idZuVcT
TGuU&feature=related
Results of The Spartacists Revolt
Luxemburg and Liebknecht were shot by
the Freikorps.
The uprising highlighted the instability
of the W.R.
The new republic was now dependent on
the support of the army.
The Communists now had good reason to
hate the government and the Freikorps.
Opposition to the Republic –
Revolts
2) The Kapp Putsch 1920
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48lS
pWMnSpA
Results of the Kapp Putsch
• The support of the army could not be taken for
granted.
• There was not universal support for the Weimar
Government.
• The Government had limited means of dealing with
uprisings of this nature.
• Politicians were not necessarily safe in Berlin.
• But it did show that the W.R had the support
from the workers of Berlin.
Homework question
The boxes below show two events.
Choose one and explain its importance in
challenging the government of the
Weimar Republic (9 marks)
The Spartacist
Revolt 1919
The Kapp Putsch
1920
summary
• At the end of WW1 Germany was in chaos.
• The army were bitter and angry about
Germany’s surrender.
• A new democratic government – the Weimar
Republic was formed with Ebert as it’s leader.
• Germany had no tradition of democracy, many
groups did not trust it and wanted to return
to the old days of the Kaiser.
• The new W.R faced opposition from the
beginning from both left and right wing
groups.
The Treaty of Versailles
Blame
Reparations
Army
Territory
What did
Germans call
the
government
who signed
the Treaty?
Ticket to leave
• Today I have understood ……
• But I am not sure about ……..