The strengths and weaknesses of the Weimar constitution.

Created by: emilypwa
Created on: 19-10-20 15:03


	The strengths and weaknesses of the Weimar constitution.
	Advantages Wider votership - universal suffrage to all - women and men. Germany was way ahead of other countries like Britain who will only establish female votership in 1929 Proportional representation- All parties were represented in the reichstag Even local government was full of democracy Constitution clearly stated the rights of the individual eg - all germans are equal under the law, economic freedom for all, right of prosperity, no more censorship, freedom of religion Referendums could be used	Disadvantages Proportional representation- good because that meant lots of voices and opinions were doing heard. However there was a large proliferation of small parties - many extremist groups could join meaning more extremist views were made public and heard many of these views here hostile to the Weimar republic and were anti-democratic. Anti-republican parties would exploit the parliamentary system to gain publicity. Coalition governments- because of the proliferation of small parties none of the larger parties in the reichstag would get a majority votes (you needed over 50% votes in order to pass any legislation etc..) and opinions would often clash (volatile) Rule by presidential decree- Article 48 (president was able to revoke the authority of the reichstag in order to pass legislation) This power was not meant to be explotied and only used in emergency however with the proliferation of small parties the reich could never agree on anything or agree on stances that didn't go in Eberts favour as a result he used it on 136 occasions. This shows parliament was not working. Sometimes it was used in case of genuine emergency however, most of the time it was to override the decisions made by the reich. The army was predominantly right leaning meaning they wouldn't allow left wing revolts. Believed they serve a 'timeless reich' there was no reformation of the army The civil service wasn't reformed - they were able to have their own political opinion if it didn't interfere with their loyalty to the state- the republic was left to be in the hands of those who were anti-democratic and right leaning The judiciary was also right leaning as they also not reformed. Article 54 guaranteed the independence of judges. However their views would also determine convictions, left wing radicals were often sentenced to life imprisonment for trying to overthrow the constitution, and right wing radicals would be treated with leniency. .
	Evaluation Overall many of these systems put in place in the constitution weren't inherently bad as many were initially made with the purpose of providing a voice to the people (proportional representation) or provide help in case of national emergency (Presidential decree) however, through the deep routed divisions within German society a action such as proportional representation was taken was taken by those who wanting their ideologies to be fulfilled and ultimately exploited that and caused a reich that ended up doing ineffective. Furthermore, even though the rule by presidential decree (article 48) was made to protect the citizens of the weimar republic ended in a exploitation of this rule that could be argued was bound to happen with the proliferation of small parties in the reich, the reich rendered useless with such deep opposite divisions being represented it could be argued Ebert had no choice but to abuse this rule however most of the time it was because the reich ended in a decision not favoured by Ebert leading to Ebert using the article 48 on 136 occasions.

The strengths and weaknesses of the Weimar constitution.

Advantages

Wider votership - universal suffrage to all - women and men. Germany was way ahead of other countries like Britain who will only establish female votership in 1929
Proportional representation- All parties were represented in the reichstag
Even local government was full of democracy
Constitution clearly stated the rights of the individual eg - all germans are equal under the law, economic freedom for all, right of prosperity, no more censorship, freedom of religion
Referendums could be used

Disadvantages

Proportional representation- good because that meant lots of voices and opinions were doing heard. However there was a large proliferation of small parties - many extremist groups could join meaning more extremist views were made public and heard many of these views here hostile to the Weimar republic and were anti-democratic. Anti-republican parties would exploit the parliamentary system to gain publicity.
Coalition governments- because of the proliferation of small parties none of the larger parties in the reichstag would get a majority votes (you needed over 50% votes in order to pass any legislation etc..) and opinions would often clash (volatile)
Rule by presidential decree- Article 48 (president was able to revoke the authority of the reichstag in order to pass legislation) This power was not meant to be explotied and only used in emergency however with the proliferation of small parties the reich could never agree on anything or agree on stances that didn't go in Eberts favour as a result he used it on 136 occasions. This shows parliament was not working. Sometimes it was used in case of genuine emergency however, most of the time it was to override the decisions made by the reich.
The army was predominantly right leaning meaning they wouldn't allow left wing revolts. Believed they serve a 'timeless reich' there was no reformation of the army
The civil service wasn't reformed - they were able to have their own political opinion if it didn't interfere with their loyalty to the state- the republic was left to be in the hands of those who were anti-democratic and right leaning
The judiciary was also right leaning as they also not reformed. Article 54 guaranteed the independence of judges. However their views would also determine convictions, left wing radicals were often sentenced to life imprisonment for trying to overthrow the constitution, and right wing radicals would be treated with leniency. .

Evaluation

Overall many of these systems put in place in the constitution weren't inherently bad as many were initially made with the purpose of providing a voice to the people (proportional representation) or provide help in case of national emergency (Presidential decree) however, through the deep routed divisions within German society a action such as proportional representation was taken was taken by those who wanting their ideologies to be fulfilled and ultimately exploited that and caused a reich that ended up doing ineffective. Furthermore, even though the rule by presidential decree (article 48) was made to protect the citizens of the weimar republic ended in a exploitation of this rule that could be argued was bound to happen with the proliferation of small parties in the reich, the reich rendered useless with such deep opposite divisions being represented it could be argued Ebert had no choice but to abuse this rule however most of the time it was because the reich ended in a decision not favoured by Ebert leading to Ebert using the article 48 on 136 occasions.

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The strengths and weaknesses of the Weimar constitution.