The republic was proclaimed on the 9th November 1918 and the election of the first constituent assembly took place on 19th January 1919. The SPD (Social Democrat Party of Germany) won easily as expected, however against expectations failed to win an overall majority. Theories behind this are that the Sparticist uprising of 1919 had upset some of the supporters and giving women the vote changed the outcome.
The head of state of the Reich was to be a president and each term would last seven years, with a new election taking place subsequent to the end of each one. The president’s powers were extensive, he had command over the armed forces and could appoint all officials, he would also nominate the chancellor, whose job was similar to that of the British Prime Minister.
What was notable about the constitution was that the President had power alone to dissolve and instate the Reichstag at his discretion in accordance to Article 48 of the constitution. This meant that any president could legally dissolve the Republic and lead by way of dictatorship as it was never specified what situation the country had to be in for this to take place; This is exactly what Hitler did when he came to power in 1933. The president was also allowed to suspend either entirely or partially the main laws laid down in articles 114, 115, 117, 118, 123, 124 and 153.
The ministers of the republic were chosen by election from representatives to form a government based on party strength. Each term of office was to last for 4 years and was decided by the electorate. Germany became one of the first countries to give women the vote as all men and women over 20 were eligible to vote. For every 60,000 votes, parties secured one representative, with the country being divided into 35 large electoral areas.
The German people were, in theory, given more control over their government. If one tenth of the population expressed a certain proposal and sent it to the Reichstag, and it was rejected, than a national referendum would be the decider. It was also declared that every German citizen had the right to work and they would be found a job by the state if they were unable to do so. It also postulated that every German had the right to a decent home. New laws meant that citizens could not be dismissed by their employer on grounds of sex, religion or political persuasion. The population of the country became a primary concern under the new regime; this was all in the hope of building a calmer Germany by allowing equal rights to citizens of all social and political backgrounds.
Before 1914 Germany boasted not just one but four separate armies; that of several of the most influential states, Bavaria, Prussia, Wurttemberg and Saxony. The new constitution brought a single Reich army in which supreme command went to the President.
After the constitution Germany stayed as federal, however the states that existed had their powers reduced considerably. The Government were given new power to charge direct taxes on income and capital, which meant that the existing individual states were only allowed powers over indirect taxation.
The problem with the Weimar Republic was that it was basically a product of military defeat and was the politicians’ quick-fix answer to the diminished Kaiserreich after the revolution of 1918-1919. Many of the German people, indeed a considerable proportion of the population, were resentful of this new regime as they saw it for what it was rather than feeling they needed a fundamental change to the system. Many even disagreed with the basic political principles on which Weimar was built.
The new republic also brought with it deep religious and ethnic divisions. The majority of the country was still protestant, however there was also a strong Catholic population in West and South Germany. Catholic views were declared firmly through their own party, Catholic Centre Party, whilst the Polish and Danish population also developed political groups.
However, it was mainly economic and political divisions that had begun to grow after 1914. Consequently by the end of the war, it was extremely difficult to try and built a new political regime as there was so much political unrest at home. To compensate for this, the new regime tried to include as many balanced and mixed political ideas, compensating for much and often being almost contradictory.
Despite this, the Weimar constitution lasted a surprisingly long time. It over came the Kapp putsch of 1920 where Army officers attempted a coup, the great inflation and also the French occupation of the Ruhr in 1923.