Assess the strengths and weaknesses of the Weimar Republic
In 1918, after Kaiser Wilhelm II was abdicated, Germany changed into a democratic republic with a new constitution. However, after many years of struggling for survival, the Weimar Republic failed and Hitler was appointed chancellor in January 1933. Even today there is a controversy to whether the Weimar Republic failure was as a result of its many weaknesses. The following essay will attempt to assess the strengths and weaknesses in the Weimar republic by examining them through the political, structural and economical points of view.
With the formation of a new constitution in 1919, many details in the structure of the government had changed. The electoral system was very precise and based on proportional representation, which meant that the distribution of seats in the Reichstag was represented fairly and directly from the votes casts. This system, however, encouraged the formation of many small parties, resulting in 28 participating in the Reichstag. Since it was impossible to have a majority in the Reichstag, coalitions were frequent. The proportional voting system offered the parties, such as NSDAP to campaign on a larger scale for their own benefits or against the Weimar government and overthrow the system. Germany consisted of regional government, which meant that each of the states controlled the local affairs, the police force and judiciary. Even though some of the power was taken from the states, with the formation of the Weimar republic, they still had enough power to ignore the government. Another important factor of the Constitution was article 48, that gave the chancellor the power to rule by presidential decree in a case of emergency. What the definition for emergency was, remained unclear, so this became a back door for many politicians- such as Bruenning, von Papen, von Schleicher and finally Hitler- to legally seize power. The role of the chancellor, however, was overseen by the president.
