Birth of the Weimar Republic

After the Kaiser left power Germany became a democratic republic. Exam tip: understand Weimar as republican rule.

After defeat in the war Kaiser Wilhelm II left power. Exam tip: remember the Kaiser's abdication.

The National Assembly met at Weimar so the republic got its name. Exam tip: remember the link between name and place.

The Weimar Constitution granted universal adult franchise, meaning that adult citizens had the right to vote and elect their representatives. This was an important democratic feature of the Weimar Republic. The right to collect feudal taxes belonged to the older feudal system, not to a democratic constitution. Exam tip: Remember the Weimar Republic for universal adult franchise and parliamentary democracy.

In the Weimar Republic, the German parliament was called the Reichstag. Its elected members debated laws and supervised the work of the government. Diet is a term used for legislatures in some other countries, so it is not correct here. Exam tip: link the Weimar German parliament with the Reichstag.

The Treaty of Versailles increased a feeling of humiliation among Germans. Exam tip: connect the treaty with Weimar's unpopularity.

The Treaty of Versailles came after the First World War. Exam tip: remember 1919 and Versailles together.

The war guilt clause blamed Germany for the war. Exam tip: see it as a cause of German humiliation.

Heavy war reparations were imposed on Germany. Exam tip: connect reparations with economic crisis.

Weimar leaders accepted the Treaty of Versailles so they were blamed. Exam tip: remember criticism of the republic through the treaty.

Defeat and the treaty increased crisis in Germany. Exam tip: remember the difficulties at its birth.

The events of 1918 ended the German monarchy. Exam tip: connect 1918 with the end of monarchy.

The Weimar Republic emerged in 1918–19 after Germany had been defeated in the First World War. Defeat, Kaiser Wilhelm II’s abdication, and political instability created major problems for the new republican government. Colonial expansion was not Germany’s wartime outcome; Germany also lost its colonies. Exam tip: remember the Weimar Republic as the post-First World War system formed after Germany’s defeat.

Opponents blamed Weimar leaders for defeat and the treaty. Exam tip: remember the term November criminals.

This term was used to insult Weimar leaders. Exam tip: understand it as a political blame.

Proportional representation gave seats to many parties. Exam tip: connect it with political instability.

Due to many parties it was hard to form a stable majority. Exam tip: connect coalition with instability.

Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution gave the President wide emergency powers, including the power to suspend civil rights and govern through decrees in an emergency. Article 25 concerned dissolving the Reichstag, so it is a close but incorrect option. Exam tip: associate Weimar emergency powers with Article 48.

Unstable coalitions and Article 48 weakened democracy. Exam tip: remember both reasons together.

Many parties made it difficult to form a stable government. Exam tip: connect electoral system with instability.