The Weimar Constitution - Weimar and Nazi Germany GCSE

The History Teacher

19 Dec 202105:28

Summary

TLDRThis video offers a comprehensive review of the Weimar and Nazi Germany from the GCSE Edexcel 9-1 curriculum. It delves into the establishment of the Weimar Republic, its constitution's strengths and weaknesses, and the political structure including the President, Chancellor, and Parliament. The video highlights the democratic nature of the constitution, the challenges of coalition governments, and the reliance on Article 48, which contributed to the perception of a failing democracy and the eventual rise of a strong leader.

Takeaways

😀 The Weimar Republic was established after the abdication of the Kaiser, with the first National Assembly meeting in Weimar due to unrest in Berlin.
🏛️ The Weimar Constitution, agreed upon in July 1919, outlined the structure of the government, including the roles of the President, Chancellor, Parliament, and the electorate.
🗳️ Universal suffrage was a key feature of the Weimar Republic, with all men and women over 20 having the right to vote, contrasting with other countries' restrictions.
🎖️ The President, elected every seven years, was the head of state with control over the army and the power to appoint the Chancellor.
🌐 The Chancellor, chosen by the President, was the head of government, responsible for selecting ministers and leading the Reichstag.
🏛️ The Parliament consisted of two houses, the Reichstag, responsible for taxation and policy decisions, and the Reichsrat, representing German regions.
📊 Proportional representation in the Reichstag was a strength of the Weimar Constitution, ensuring fair representation based on the number of votes received.
⚖️ The constitution aimed to provide a balance of power among the President, Chancellor, and Parliament to prevent any single entity from dominating.
🔄 A major weakness was the fragmentation of political power, leading to frequent coalitions and instability, with nine coalitions in the first four years.
🚑 Article 48 of the constitution allowed the President to delegate emergency powers to the Chancellor, which the Weimar Republic increasingly relied upon, contributing to perceptions of democratic ineffectiveness.
🗳️ The spread of votes among numerous parties meant that no single party felt truly represented, and the presence of extremist parties in the Reichstag undermined the democratic process.

Q & A

What was the purpose of the Council of People’s Representatives after the Kaiser's abdication?
-The Council of People’s Representatives was set up temporarily in the immediate aftermath of the Kaiser's abdication, with the intention of holding elections as soon as possible to choose a new national assembly to represent the people and draft a constitution for the new republic.
Who was the new Chancellor of the Reichstag and what was his announcement?
-The new Chancellor of the Reichstag was Fredrich Ebert, who announced that there would be elections held to choose a new national assembly to represent the people.
When was the first election held after the establishment of the Weimar Republic?
-The first election was held on the 19th January 1919.
What was the voter turnout for the first election of the Weimar Republic?
-The voter turnout for the first election was 83% of those eligible to vote.
Which political parties won the majority of the votes in the first election of the Weimar Republic?
-The Socialist Democratic Party won 40% of the vote, the Centre party won 20%, and the rest was shared between mostly moderate, non-extreme, parties.
Why did the first National Assembly meet in Weimar instead of Berlin?
-The first National Assembly met in Weimar because there were still protests and unrest in Berlin, forcing the assembly to meet in a small town about 300 kilometers away.
What was the structure of the new German political system as outlined by the Weimar Constitution?
-The structure included a president, a chancellor, the parliament, and the electorate. The president was the head of state, the chancellor was the head of the government, the parliament was made up of two houses (the Reichstag and the Reichsrat), and the electorate consisted of all men and women over the age of 20.
What was the term of office for the President under the Weimar Constitution?
-The President was elected every seven years.
What were the strengths of the Weimar Constitution?
-The strengths included its democratic nature, with universal suffrage and proportional representation in the Reichstag, and a balanced distribution of powers between the president, chancellor, and parliament.
What were the weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution?
-The weaknesses included the difficulty in forming single-party control leading to frequent coalitions, slow reaction in crises, over-reliance on Article 48, and the lack of a strong representational feeling among the electorate due to the spread of votes among many parties.
How did the Weimar Constitution provide for a balance of power?
-The constitution provided for a balance of power by allowing the president to choose the chancellor, dismissing parliament if necessary, and being in charge of the army. The chancellor decided which laws should pass, but these had to be voted on in the Reichstag and the Reichsrat could delay laws if they were deemed unfair.

Outlines

00:00

🏛️ Establishment and Constitution of the Weimar Republic

This paragraph introduces the Weimar Republic's formation following the abdication of the Kaiser and the establishment of the Council of People’s Representatives. It details the first national assembly's election process, which was held on 19th January 1919, resulting in a high voter turnout and a victory for the Socialist Democratic Party. The assembly convened in Weimar due to unrest in Berlin, giving the government its name. The constitution, agreed upon in July 1919, outlined the structure of the government, including the roles of the President, Chancellor, and the two houses of the parliament. The paragraph also discusses the unique universal suffrage in Germany at the time, contrasting it with the more restrictive voting rights in Britain. Strengths of the constitution included its democratic nature and the balance of power, while weaknesses included the difficulty in forming a single-party government, slow response in crises, and the reliance on Article 48, which contributed to the perception of ineffective democracy.

05:02

📢 Closing Remarks and Support Appeal

In the concluding paragraph, the speaker invites viewers to engage by liking, subscribing, and commenting. They express appreciation for the audience's support and remind them that as a self-funded content creator, they rely on the community's contributions, such as buying them a coffee, to continue producing educational videos. A link for support is provided in the video description, and the speaker looks forward to connecting with viewers in future videos.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Weimar Republic

The Weimar Republic refers to the German state that existed from 1919 to 1933, named after the town of Weimar where the national assembly met to draft the constitution. It was established after the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II and the end of World War I. The term is central to the video's theme, as it sets the historical context for the discussion of the constitution and the political structure of the time.

💡GCSE Edexcel 9-1

GCSE stands for General Certificate of Secondary Education, and Edexcel is one of the exam boards that offer the GCSE qualification in the UK. The '9-1' refers to the grading system used in recent years for these exams. The video is designed to be a revision resource for students studying this particular course, indicating its educational purpose and target audience.

💡Council of People’s Representatives

This was a temporary governing body set up in Germany immediately after the abdication of the Kaiser during the period of political uncertainty following World War I. It was a precursor to the establishment of the Weimar Republic and highlights the transitional nature of German governance at the time.

💡Fredrich Ebert

Fredrich Ebert was the first Chancellor of the German Reichstag under the Weimar Republic. He played a significant role in the transition from the monarchy to the new democratic republic by announcing elections for a national assembly to draft a constitution, as mentioned in the script.

💡National Assembly

The National Assembly was a gathering of elected representatives responsible for drafting the constitution of the Weimar Republic. It was convened in response to the need for a new form of government following the end of the monarchy, and its decisions are central to the video's discussion of the Weimar Constitution.

💡Constitution

A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. In the context of the video, the Weimar Constitution outlined the structure and operation of the new German government, including the roles of the president, chancellor, parliament, and electorate.

💡Reichstag

The Reichstag was the lower house of the German parliament during the Weimar Republic. It was responsible for making decisions about taxation and policy, and its composition was determined by the democratic election of representatives by the people, as discussed in the video.

💡Proportional Representation

Proportional representation is an electoral system in which the allocation of seats is proportional to the number of votes each party receives. The video highlights this system as a strength of the Weimar Constitution, as it ensured fair representation in the Reichstag.

💡Article 48

Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution granted the president the power to take emergency measures, including giving control to the chancellor, in times of crisis. The video discusses how the Weimar Republic's reliance on this article contributed to the perception that democracy was ineffective and led to a desire for a strong, singular leader.

💡Coalitions

In the context of the Weimar Republic, coalitions refer to agreements between multiple political parties to support each other in parliament, often necessary due to the fragmented nature of the political landscape. The video mentions the frequent collapse of these coalitions as a weakness of the Weimar system, leading to political instability.

💡Electorate

The electorate refers to all the people who are entitled to vote in an election. The video notes that the Weimar Constitution was unique in Europe at the time for granting voting rights to all men and women over the age of 20, which was a significant expansion of democratic participation compared to other countries.

Highlights

The video covers Weimar and Nazi Germany from the GCSE Edexcel 9-1 course.

The Council of People’s Representatives was set up after the Kaiser abdicated.

Elections were held on January 19, 1919, with 83% voter turnout.

The Socialist Democratic Party won 40% of the vote, and the Centre Party won 20%.

The National Assembly first met in February in Weimar due to unrest in Berlin.

The Weimar Constitution was agreed upon on July 31, 1919.

The government structure included a president, a chancellor, the parliament, and the electorate.

The president was the head of state, elected every seven years, and responsible for the army and choosing the chancellor.

The chancellor, chosen by the president, led the government and worked with ministers.

The parliament consisted of the Reichstag and the Reichsrat.

The Reichstag, elected every four years, made decisions about taxation and policy.

The Reichsrat represented German regions and was also elected every four years.

The electorate included all men and women over 20, which was unique in Europe at the time.

Proportional representation in the Reichstag ensured a fair distribution of seats.

Article 48 allowed the president to give control to the chancellor in emergencies.