The result of the November Revolution of 1918 was the establishment of the Weimar Republic in Germany. It was legally enshrined in the 1919 constitution, drafted by the Jew Hugo Price and adopted by the German Constituent Assembly, which met in Weimar. Most of the constituent assembly at that time was formed of 3 republican parties: the German Democratic, Social Democrats and the center.
The Weimar Constitution included the following important provisions:
- elections of the president of the republic were held once every seven years;
- parliamentary elections (Reichstag) - once every 4 years;
- the power of the central government expanded;
- guaranteed the observance of fundamental rights of citizens.
Thus, the constitution established a republic in the country that acted on the principles of federalism and parliamentary democracy. The provisions contained in this document were largely borrowed from the 1848 Constitution of Paulskirche.
Germany in the period from 1919 to 1933 at the place of adoption of the constitution was called the Weimar Republic. Its first president was the Social Democrat Friedrich Ebert, who was in power until his death, that is, until 1925. He was replaced by a candidate for the right - the former Field Marshal Hindenburg.
Already in the 1920s, distrust arose in a democratic state. This was due to the difficult conditions of the Versailles Peace Treaty, the needs of the post-war period, constant inflation, and an acute economic crisis. Inflation peaked on November 15, 1923, when the US dollar was worth 4.2 trillion marks. The Treasury didn’t even have time to print banknotes on both sides, and therefore simply added zeros were stamped on existing bills.
The Weimar Republic was going through hard times. As a result, society split into extreme left and extreme right groups, creating their own paramilitary organizations. In 1920, the Kappovsky putsch occurred in the country, as a result of which many politicians were killed. Secret Feme courts appeared, which sentenced people to death at the discretion of clandestine organizations. During the existence of the republic, the Cabinet of Ministers was replaced 21 times, and the Reichstag was re-elected 8 times.
The Weimar Republic depended on the foreign policy of foreign powers. France was particularly active in relation to Germany, which in a hundred years survived 4 German invasions. All her actions were aimed at weakening the republic, imposing as many restrictions and reparations on it as possible, and splitting the country. Great Britain did not want an excessive weakening of the Weimar Republic and the strengthening of France. The weak economy of Germany prevented the opening of the market and the sale of English goods.
Some political stability was achieved in 1924. The state of the economy has also improved. In 1925, as a result of Gustav Stresemann's foreign policy, the Lockarne Treaty was signed, bringing Germany and France closer together, and in 1926 the Weimar Republic joined the League of Nations.
In 1929, there was a global economic crisis, which had an extremely negative impact on the Weimar Republic and was the beginning of its fall. Economic life was paralyzed in the country, the number of unemployed reached 6 million. Right and left radicals enjoyed general poverty and unemployment. The cabinets needed the constant support of the Reich President, who was endowed with strong power by the constitution. Since 1930, the influence of the national socialist movement Adolf Hitler, which in 1932 became one of the largest parties, increased. In July 1932, in the Reichstag election of 601 seats, this party received 230 seats.
The Weimar Republic existed in Germany until 1933, until the establishment of the fascist dictatorship. Hitler became Reich Chancellor on January 30, 1933.