‘The instability of Weimar governments in the years 1919 to 1923 stemmed primarily
from the problems created by the Weimar constitution.’ Assess the validity of this view.
Undoubtedly, problems created by the Weimar constitution, such as the proliferation of
extremist, anti-democratic parties due to the proportional representation system, led to
frequent unstable coalitions and the beginnings of dictatorship with Article 48. Alongside
this, the Republic was rocked by severe political extremism, arguably as a result of the
democratic nature of the constitution, which they were ideologically opposed to. Further
to this, as political and economic instability are inextricably linked, with the former
emerging as a result of the latter, it may also be said that hyperinflation and the invasion
of the Ruhr as a result of Germany’s inability to pay back reparations mandated by the
War Guilt Clause from the Treaty of Versailles also caused instability. Nonetheless,
overarchingly, it must be argued that this instability can be traced to the inadequacies of
the Weimar politicians; whilst the imposition of the Weimar constitution in the ‘revolution
from above’ did little to endear the public to the new government, the politicians
themselves did little to create a smooth transition from monarchy to democracy, and
thus allowed extremists to exploit the political and economic issues of the time, thereby
leading to immense volatility and instability.
Arguably, weaknesses of the Weimar constitution established an unstable political
system, but it was ultimately the failure of the politicians to navigate these weaknesses
that was the most detrimental. Proportional representation made it difficult to form a
majority government, so the Republic was delegitimised in the eyes of the public, and
by 1920, there were 28 parties in the Reichstag, showing division and a lack of
cooperation to solve the Republic’s pressing issues. The fact that the longest coalition
(led by Chancellor Fehrenbach) lasted 18 months, and that the Reichstag was full of
smaller, anti-republican parties with narrow sectional interests, shows that the
constitution was clearly not fit for purpose in dealing with the post-war circumstances
and public mood in Germany. This may have been largely due to the fact that it was
imposed on the people, rather than induced through organic change, which created
widespread opposition and unstable foundations, especially since Weimar politicians
were strongly associated with the Treaty of Versailles, and thus portrayed as ‘November
Criminals’ by bad faith actors seeking to exploit vulnerabilities in the Republic.
Additionally, Article 48 undermined parliamentary democracy by permitting a dictatorial
President to act unilaterally, such as Ebert, who used it 136 times from 1919-25, setting
a precedent for future authoritarianism under Hindenburg. Although the constitution was
profoundly liberal and progressive in nature, enshrining civil liberties and political
freedoms like the right to vote for women and a right to work or welfare, the fast pace of
progressive change encouraged equally strong backlash, allowing political parties like
the Nazis who championed traditional values in their 25 Point Programme to gain a
© Humanities Unlocked. | AQA A-Level History 2025 | For personal use only. Redistribution is prohibited.
from the problems created by the Weimar constitution.’ Assess the validity of this view.
Undoubtedly, problems created by the Weimar constitution, such as the proliferation of
extremist, anti-democratic parties due to the proportional representation system, led to
frequent unstable coalitions and the beginnings of dictatorship with Article 48. Alongside
this, the Republic was rocked by severe political extremism, arguably as a result of the
democratic nature of the constitution, which they were ideologically opposed to. Further
to this, as political and economic instability are inextricably linked, with the former
emerging as a result of the latter, it may also be said that hyperinflation and the invasion
of the Ruhr as a result of Germany’s inability to pay back reparations mandated by the
War Guilt Clause from the Treaty of Versailles also caused instability. Nonetheless,
overarchingly, it must be argued that this instability can be traced to the inadequacies of
the Weimar politicians; whilst the imposition of the Weimar constitution in the ‘revolution
from above’ did little to endear the public to the new government, the politicians
themselves did little to create a smooth transition from monarchy to democracy, and
thus allowed extremists to exploit the political and economic issues of the time, thereby
leading to immense volatility and instability.
Arguably, weaknesses of the Weimar constitution established an unstable political
system, but it was ultimately the failure of the politicians to navigate these weaknesses
that was the most detrimental. Proportional representation made it difficult to form a
majority government, so the Republic was delegitimised in the eyes of the public, and
by 1920, there were 28 parties in the Reichstag, showing division and a lack of
cooperation to solve the Republic’s pressing issues. The fact that the longest coalition
(led by Chancellor Fehrenbach) lasted 18 months, and that the Reichstag was full of
smaller, anti-republican parties with narrow sectional interests, shows that the
constitution was clearly not fit for purpose in dealing with the post-war circumstances
and public mood in Germany. This may have been largely due to the fact that it was
imposed on the people, rather than induced through organic change, which created
widespread opposition and unstable foundations, especially since Weimar politicians
were strongly associated with the Treaty of Versailles, and thus portrayed as ‘November
Criminals’ by bad faith actors seeking to exploit vulnerabilities in the Republic.
Additionally, Article 48 undermined parliamentary democracy by permitting a dictatorial
President to act unilaterally, such as Ebert, who used it 136 times from 1919-25, setting
a precedent for future authoritarianism under Hindenburg. Although the constitution was
profoundly liberal and progressive in nature, enshrining civil liberties and political
freedoms like the right to vote for women and a right to work or welfare, the fast pace of
progressive change encouraged equally strong backlash, allowing political parties like
the Nazis who championed traditional values in their 25 Point Programme to gain a
© Humanities Unlocked. | AQA A-Level History 2025 | For personal use only. Redistribution is prohibited.
