History revision – The Establishment of the Weimar Republic (7)
- There could hardly have been a worse time for the establishment of a new democratic
government than 1919
- The war and its immediate aftermath had fracture the economy, helped initiate run-
away inflation and polarised divisions between right and left
The 1919 constitution
- Having survived the threat of the left in 1918-19, Ebert’s government pushed ahead
with plans to establish a new constitution
- Hope this would establish full parliamentary democracy in Gr
The 1919 elections
- 19th January 1919 - Elections for National Assembly took place
- Most political parties took the opportunity to re-form themselves
- However, new names didn’t cover the fact that there was a considerable continuity of
the party system
- The Nationalist Party (DNVP) was essentially an amalgamation of the old
Conservative parties
- Liberals remained divided between the Left (the Democrats) and right (People’s party)
- The results were a success for parliamentary democracy
- 80% turnout
Party % of vote No. of seats
Party % of vote No. of seats
SPD 38 165
Party DNVP 10.3 44
Centre 19.7 91Political stance
USPD 7.6 22
Social
DDP Democratic
18.5 Party 75 - Large Socialist party – Working and Low Middle Class
SPD - Pro-Weimar DVP 4.4 19
Centre Party - Catholics
Z - Pro-Weimar
German Democratic Party - Pro-Weimar
DDP - Left-Wing liberal – Middle class
German Nationalist - Conservative – Aristocracy and Upper Middle Class
People’s Party - Monarchist
DNVP - Anti-Weimar and Racist
Independent Social - More left wing than the SPD
Democratic Party - Working class
USPD
German People’s Party - Became pro-Weimar under Stresemann
DVP - Right-wing liberal – Upper Middle Class
German Communist Party - Communist Party – Working class
KPD - Founded in 1919 and Anti-Weimar
National Socialist Party - Extreme and Racist
NSDAP - Right-wing and Anti-Weimar
- Lead by Adolf Hitler
- th
On 6 February 1919, the Assembly met in Weimar
o Berlin was considered unsafe given the unsettled conditions
- th
10 February, Ebert was elected first President of the Republic
o 277 votes to 51
- No party had a clear majority
- Ebert asked the SPD to form a government and so the Weimar coalition formed
o SPD, Centre and Democrats (DDP)
- There could hardly have been a worse time for the establishment of a new democratic
government than 1919
- The war and its immediate aftermath had fracture the economy, helped initiate run-
away inflation and polarised divisions between right and left
The 1919 constitution
- Having survived the threat of the left in 1918-19, Ebert’s government pushed ahead
with plans to establish a new constitution
- Hope this would establish full parliamentary democracy in Gr
The 1919 elections
- 19th January 1919 - Elections for National Assembly took place
- Most political parties took the opportunity to re-form themselves
- However, new names didn’t cover the fact that there was a considerable continuity of
the party system
- The Nationalist Party (DNVP) was essentially an amalgamation of the old
Conservative parties
- Liberals remained divided between the Left (the Democrats) and right (People’s party)
- The results were a success for parliamentary democracy
- 80% turnout
Party % of vote No. of seats
Party % of vote No. of seats
SPD 38 165
Party DNVP 10.3 44
Centre 19.7 91Political stance
USPD 7.6 22
Social
DDP Democratic
18.5 Party 75 - Large Socialist party – Working and Low Middle Class
SPD - Pro-Weimar DVP 4.4 19
Centre Party - Catholics
Z - Pro-Weimar
German Democratic Party - Pro-Weimar
DDP - Left-Wing liberal – Middle class
German Nationalist - Conservative – Aristocracy and Upper Middle Class
People’s Party - Monarchist
DNVP - Anti-Weimar and Racist
Independent Social - More left wing than the SPD
Democratic Party - Working class
USPD
German People’s Party - Became pro-Weimar under Stresemann
DVP - Right-wing liberal – Upper Middle Class
German Communist Party - Communist Party – Working class
KPD - Founded in 1919 and Anti-Weimar
National Socialist Party - Extreme and Racist
NSDAP - Right-wing and Anti-Weimar
- Lead by Adolf Hitler
- th
On 6 February 1919, the Assembly met in Weimar
o Berlin was considered unsafe given the unsettled conditions
- th
10 February, Ebert was elected first President of the Republic
o 277 votes to 51
- No party had a clear majority
- Ebert asked the SPD to form a government and so the Weimar coalition formed
o SPD, Centre and Democrats (DDP)
