the German revolution and abdication of the Kaiser

When did the Kaiser abdicate the throne?

9th november

Why was the kaiser unpopular amongst the German people?

• he had lost the support of politicians

• he was associated with WW1 being lost

• since he was an autocrat, he could essentially be blamed for everything bad that happened to Germany during his rule

• he didn’t try to stop mutinies amongst his people against him - showing he was unwilling to negotiate

with the chaos in november of people mutinying against the Kaiser, who did political responsibility fall on?

the SPD, led by Friedrich Ebert. The largest political party in Germany at the time. In theory they were socialists, and they were also very scared of a full revolution by the KPD (communists).

Who was the chancellor and what did he do when the Kaiser refused to abdicate?

Von Baden - he announced that Wilhelm had abdicated the throne

when was the Weimar republic officially formed?

9th Nov 1918

what is a constitution?

a written, concrete list of rules and laws that a state is to abide by

what was the role of the president in the Weimar Constitution?

They were the most significant political figure, elected every seven years.

what was the role of the chancellor in the Weimar Constitution?

an important political figure which was appointed from the Reichstag by the president.Their decisions had to be supported by a majority of the Reichstag.

what was the role of the Reichstag in the Weimar Constitution?

They were a group of political representatives elected by the people which represented them and approved the actions of the chancellor.

what voting system elected the members of the Reichstag, and what were the consequences of said voting system?

Proportional representation - it meant that the proportion of votes a certain party got was the same proportion as the number of seats it got in the Reichstag

• this meant that there were many small, extremist parties (like the Communists and Nazis) and no party ever really got more than 50% of the seats. This meant that the parties had to collaborate to form a coalition)

Who could vote in Germany with the Weimar constitution?

any adult over the age of 21

what was article 48 of the Weimar constitution?

it was an article that stated that in the case of an emergency, the president could make a decision and pass it without approval from the reichstag. It was never clear what constituted an emergency.

Who was president of the Weimar constitution until his death in 1925?

Friedrich Ebert