To what extent was the Weimar constitution flawed?

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To what extent was the Weimar constitution flawed?

The majority of people believe that it was the Weimar constitution which was fundamentally flawed and that this damaged the long term prospects of the Weimar republic, although strong points can be identified in the constitution which support the argument that the constitution wasn’t to blame for the republics downfall. From this some historians have determined that the role of the constitution in the downfall of the republic is exaggerated.

There were a wide variety of things that played a part in the collapse of the republic; one of these was the problems linked with proportional representation. There were two main problems with proportional representation the first is that in this kind of electoral system its much easier for extremist groups to gain seats in the Reichstag. In the first past the post system a certain number of votes does not guarantee a party representation in the Reichstag. This means that there is a limited number of parties in the Reichstag, making it easier to gain an overall majority thus meaning fewer coalition governments and a more stable power base. During the Weimar era the exact opposite to this happened. For example Weimar was on its seventh government by 1923 and coalitions were continually being broken up and parties leaving the government. This caused disruption and unrest and made the running of the country difficult for the next government. Another important point that historians like to make is that coalition governments have worked well before in different circumstances and cultures. Other arguments suggest that proportional representation encouraged splinter groups, which may have had an effect on destabilising the government. Even if these groups were very small it would have been easier to effect the outcome of voting in the Reichstag because the government was unlikely to of had a majority vote.

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Another factor that made the public begin to lose faith in the government was the dual system of President and the Reichstag. Following the end of the war it was difficult for the German people to adjust to not following one ruler and to govern the country by the democratic process. Throughout the Weimar period the people were unclear to whether it was the president or the chancellor of the Reichstag who was the ultimate source of authority. The powers of authority that the president had were in fact very similar to that of the old Ersatzkaiser, many left ...

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