How many governments did weimar have

In the end, the political movement most successful in uniting Germany was the Nazi Party. Democracy did not die forever in Germany. What do you believe was the most important cause of the failure of democracy in the Weimar Republic? Use evidence from the article to support your answer. Why do you think Hitler and the Nazi Party gained increasing support from German voters? How did the victorious Allied Powers contribute to the failure of democracy in the Weimar Republic? Divide the class into two groups.

Assign each group a pro or con position on the following thesis statement:. Using the article as a source, each student should write a position paper. Then students should meet in pro and con teams and decide on the their best arguments. Finally, the class should hold a debate. Encarta: History of Germany. Wikipedia: History of Germany. Columbia Encyclopedia: Germany. Infoplease: German History. Virtual Library: German History. Map Collection of Germany Historical maps.

Google Directory: History of Germany. Open Directory Project: History of Germany. Yahoo Directory: History of Germany. German History Sources Links to documents related to German history.

Encarta: Weimar Republic. Columbia Encyclopedia: Weimar Republic. GermanCulture: The Weimar Republic, — HistoryLearningSite: Weimar Republic. Spartacus Educational: The Weimar Republic. Economic and Political Problems of Weimar. Foreign Policy Problems of Weimar. Good Years of the Weimar Republic.

Collapse of the Weimar Republic. Cultural Life in the Republic. The Nazi Road to Power. Myerson, Department of Economics, University of Chicago.

MacroHistory: Germany and Hitler in the Twenties. Google Directory: Weimar Republic. Open Directory Project: Weimar Republic. Yahoo Directory: Weimar Republic.

Weimar Constitution: Selected Articles. A Full Timeline of the Weimar Republic. A Research-oriented Timeline. Rise of the Nazi Party Timeline. The Economist: German Hyperinflation. Wikipedia: Hyperinflation in Germany. School History. The Constitution of the German Federation of August 11, Columbia Encyclopedia: William II.

First World War. Wikipedia: Paul von Hindenburg. Columbia Encyclopedia: Paul von Hindenburg. Infoplease: Paul von Hindenburg. Encarta: Paul von Hindenburg. Voting system based on fairness.

Made it easier for small parties to be formed, therefore made it difficult to win a majority to form a government.

Article Decisions could be made quickly in emergencies. Coalition governments. Allowed different political parties to have a say in running the country. This granted the right to free speech, the right to equality and the right to religion to every German citizen. All adults over the age of twenty could vote. The voting system used was Proportional Representation , a fair system in which parties gain seats in proportion to the number of votes cast for them.

This system was used to elect the president and the Reichstag. From onwards the republic also had a new currency, and following the implementation Dawes Plan, experienced a period of relative economic stability. Proportional Representation was a very democratic electoral system, but it allowed lots of parties to be elected to the Reichstag. No one party was ever elected with a majority.

This meant that parties had to form coalitions to rule. Coalitions often disagreed on laws and policies due to their differing views, which made it extremely difficult to govern decisively. In addition to the above, Article 48 of the constitution gave the president authority to rule by decree in the state of an emergency, bypassing the elected Reichstag.

The reliance on foreign loans following the Dawes Plan led to a severe economic depression following the Wall Street Crash. This ultimately led to further political instability, and eventually, contributed to the end of democratic government.

Finally, many of the old conservative elite who had held key positions of power under the monarchy had continued in similar roles in the Weimar Republic. Whilst this was an attempt to maintain stability in government as the new republic settled, it in fact meant that these civil servants and military leaders still had enormous influence and power. The power and influence of the conservative elite would later be crucial in appointing Hitler as chancellor.

Image shows a copy of the Editorship Law. On 3 October , shortly after its defeat, France introduced its first antisemitic law under occupation - the Statut de Juifs. Section: How did the Nazis rise to power? What was the Holocaust? Life before the Holocaust Antisemitism How did the Nazis rise to power? Life in Nazi-controlled Europe What were the ghettos and camps? How and why did the Holocaust happen?

Resistance, responses and collaboration Survival and legacy Resources Educational Resources Timeline Survivor testimonies About us How to use this site. Advanced content hidden Showing advanced content. The Reichstag met in the building pictured here, also named the Reichstag, in Berlin.

To deal with the economic crisis, the government printed more money. As a result of this, money dropped in value, as more of it was in circulation. This was called hyperinflation. Here, a banker counts stacks of money. A group of workers in a bakery count stacks of Reichmark notes in the midst of the hyperinflation. This picture shows one of the first pages of The Dawes Plan created in April A portrait of Gustav Stresemann. Stresemann was Chancellor of Germany from August to November Following the fall of his government, he became Minister for Foreign Affairs from to A family enjoying a beach holiday in Norderney, North Germany, in A portrait of Owen D.

Young was a former member of the Dawes Plan Committee of By unknown author via Wikimedia Commons [Public domain]. A group of young people enjoy a fancy dress party in Leipzig in It provided several Chancellors as well as the first President of the Reich, Friedrich Ebert , who served in that office from to However, it frequently found itself on the opposition benches too.

The Centre Party Zentrum saw its role as the political representative of the interests of the Catholic population. It provided the majority of the Chancellors and was a member of every governing coalition until With the exception of several Grand Coalitions, governments thereafter tended to be minority coalitions of moderate liberal and conservative parties which depended on parliamentary toleration.

Virtually all the governments of the Reich during the Weimar period were characterised by chronic instability and short terms of office.

The political parties were too deeply rooted in their original social constituencies and, because of the limited scope for the redistribution of wealth, too reluctant to compromise with other parties.