Syllabus Edition
First teaching 2024
First exams 2026
The Origins of the Weimar Republic, 1919 (Edexcel GCSE History)
Revision Note
Written by: Natasha Smith
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
The First World War & the Creation of Weimar Germany - Timeline &Summary
In 1918, Germany was under a dictatorship of the Kaiser - the German word for ‘King’. Kaiser Wilhelm II ruled Germany from 1888 and pushed the country to increase its economic and military power. He refused to give the people of Germany rights and freedoms. Most of the First World War had seen Germany stuck in trench warfare against the Allied forces of France, Britain and the USA. Germany launched their Spring Offensive in March 1918 and their military leaders were confident it would result in German victory. Despite its early successes, the gamble of the Spring Offensive did not deliver the necessary defeat of the Allies. The German people were at breaking point. The loss of family members and food shortages caused an eruption of strikes and demonstrations across the country. By November 1918, the situation was unrecoverable for the Kaiser. His abdication and exile to the Netherlands allowed a new state to emerge. Germany became known as the Weimar Republic. The Weimar Republic, under the chancellorship of Friedrich Ebert, pursued several policies. The first action of the Republic was to sign an armistice to end the First World War. The German public resented admitting defeat to the Allies. The subsequent treaty to formally end the war created mass anger against the Weimar government. The Weimar government introduced reforms that the German people had never experienced before. The government created universal suffrage and produced a new German Constitution. While the Weimar Constitution aimed to bring democracy to the people, it held many flaws. In particular, the choice to use proportional representation in elections created a weak coalition government. To pass necessary laws, it abused its emergency powers. The Weimar Constitution would later lead to negative public opinions and multiple opportunities for the system of government to be exploited. |
The Effects of the First World War on Germany
Between 1914 and 1918, two million German soldiers died and four million more were wounded
Hitler was one of these wounded soldiers. He was temporarily blinded by a mustard gas attack in October 1918
Germany’s debt trebled from 50 billion marks in 1914 to 150 billion marks in 1918
The German people were near starvation
The British Navy had blockaded German naval ports. No food from overseas could enter the country
As a result, Germany experienced a wave of civil unrest
In October 1918, the German navy mutinied in the ports of Kiel and Hamburg
Munich, the capital of the German state of Bavaria, experienced a general strike of workers on 7th November. They announced they were a separate communist state
In Hanover, soldiers joined workers and rioted on the streets
In Berlin, the capital of Germany, there were mass protests on the streets
Without the support of the capital city, the Kaiser had lost control of the whole country
The Abdication of the Kaiser
The Kaiser could no longer rule Germany
Many towns had set up councils of workers and soldiers. These were to replace the Kaiser’s official local authorities
On 9th November 1918, the Kaiser’s military advisers told him he must abdicate to stop the civil unrest
Max von Baden, who the Kaiser had appointed to be Chancellor on 3rd October, announced the Kaiser’s abdication without his consent or knowledge
The Kaiser was not in Berlin at the time. He was roughly 700km away at the Army’s headquarters in Spa
The next day (10th November), the Kaiser escaped from Germany by train and arrived in the Netherlands
The Allies placed pressure on the Netherlands to extradite the Kaiser to Germany
They wanted him to stand trial as a war criminal
Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands refused to allow the Allies to take the Kaiser out of the country
The Kaiser remained in the Netherlands until he died in 1941
The Creation of the Weimar Republic
The Social Democratic Party (SPD) aimed to bring Germany under control after the Kaiser abdicated
Phillip Scheidemann, a leading member of the SPD, heard that armed rioters wanted to establish a communist government in Berlin
He shouted out of a window of the Reichstag (Germany’s parliament) for the German people to remain calm and support a more moderate government
Max von Baden resigned as Chancellor of Germany and offered the position to Friedrich Ebert, the leader of the SPD. Ebert accepted the role
On 10th November, Ebert attempted to save Germany from communism
He worked with General Groener and the army to suppress the communist rioters
He dismissed the old Reichstag and created a Council of People’s Representatives
This consisted of six politicians who would govern Germany until elections could be held
Ebert’s measures succeeded in the short-term
The Council of People’s Representatives, along with the army, was able to regain control of Germany
Germany avoided becoming a communist state
Ebert’s methods would have long-term consequences
His use of force would continue throughout the early years of the Weimar Republic. This showed the Weimar government lacked genuine control over Germany
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Some students confuse the Council of People’s Representatives with the National Assembly. Try to remember that Ebert chose the Council of People’s Representatives, not the people of Germany. The National Assembly were formed as a result of elections in January 1919.
Elections & the National Assembly
The first nine months of the Weimar Republic were critical to increase people’s confidence in the new government
The civil servants under the Kaiser’s government continued their work. They collaborated with the army and the new workers' councils
Ebert continued his alliance with General Groener to keep the Weimar Government in power. In return, Ebert promised not to reform the army
Businesses kept their land and property. The state would not nationalise their businesses. This helped Germany’s economy recover and won the support of big business owners like Hugo Stinnes
Ebert promised more worker rights to gain the approval of trade unions. An example of this was guaranteeing an eight-hour working day
Ebert announced there would be elections to choose a National Assembly. The assembly would be responsible for writing the German Constitution
Under the Kaiser, Germany did not have a written Constitution. This was so the Kaiser could create and change laws as he pleased
The creation of a Constitution would signify the start of democracy. It would hold the new government and the German people accountable for following the rules
On 19th January 1919, Germany elected their new government
The SPD won 40% of the vote and the Centre Party gained 20% of the vote. These were both moderate parties
82% of enfranchised people voted
In February 1919, Friedrich Ebert was elected as Germany’s first president
From November 1918 to July 1919, the Republic had not consolidated their power
Extreme political parties did not support the new Republic. They continued to demonstrate and riot across Germany
The SPD had gained 40% of the vote but lacked a majority. They would have to rule in a coalition government with other parties
The Weimar Constitution - Structure
The National Assembly met in February 1919 to write the Constitution
They met in the town of Weimar because of the unrest in Berlin. This is where the term ‘Weimar Republic’ comes from
The Constitution took 6 months to complete. It was passed by 262 votes to 75
The Constitution outlined each elected official's power and responsibilities in the Weimar government.
Diagram of the Weimar Constitution
The Weimar Constitution - Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths and weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution
Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
The people gained more rights such as voting | An increase in elections weakened the public’s enthusiasm for voting. During the 1920s and 1930s, fewer people voted in elections |
Proportional representation ensured the Reichstag represented smaller parties. One seat was equivalent to 60,000 votes | The use of proportional representation meant no single party won a majority in the Reichstag. There were nine coalition governments between 1919 and 1923 alone. This meant policies lacked vision and took longer to pass |
The system was designed to stop someone from taking ultimate power. For example, the president chose the chancellor but the public elected the president every seven years | Article 48 meant the chancellor could ask the president to pass emergency laws without the support of the Reichstag. Ebert used the emergency article 63 times from 1923 to 1924. The abuse of the article continued into the 1930s |
The Reichstag and the Reichsrat worked together. The Länder (local governments) retained power over schools and the police. The Reichsrat could challenge laws unless two-thirds of the Reichstag voted against the Reichsrat’s intervention | The new Constitution did not subdue the extremist political parties. They continued to violently attack the Weimar Republic. The government relied on force to maintain power |
Worked Example
Give two things you can infer from Source A about the strength of the Weimer government by December 1918
4 marks
Source A: A photograph taken at the end of 1918 in Berlin. The building behind the soldiers shows damage caused by rioting
Answers:
i) What I can infer:
I can infer that the Weimar government continued to face opposition in Berlin by December 1918 (1)
Details in the source that tell me this:
The broken windows in the picture were caused by rioting (1)
ii) What I can infer:
I can also infer that the Weimar government relied on the army to keep control (1)
Details in the source that tell me this:
There are men in the picture who are holding guns. They appear to be patrolling the streets (1)
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Ensure the ‘Details in the source’ section is completed with what you can see in the source. Avoid using any of your own knowledge that you have on the subject that is not presented in the image or text you are given. You can use the provenance (the explanation above the source) to help you add detail to your inferences. You can see an example of this in the first inference of the worked example.
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