Reichstag
Parliament
Autocracy
System of government by one person with absolute power
Democracy
System of government by whole population or all eligible members of a state, usually through elected representatives
Kaiser Wilhelm II
The last German Emperor
November 1918
The German navy mutinied, and rebellion spread throughout the country. Germany was forced to drop out of WWI, and the last German emperor abdicates and flees the country
January 1919
Elections are held for a new Reichstag
February 1919
In the town of Weimar, a new government is agreed upon
11 August 1919
The elected President of the new Republic signs the new Constitution on this day
Friedrich Ebert
The elected President of the Weimar Republic
Military autocracy
Germany’s form of government before 1914
Parliamentary democracy
Germany’s form of government after 1919
11 November 1918
Armistice is signed