What was one cause of instability in the Weimar Republic?

Correct answer: Many parties produced by proportional representation

Correct answer: C. Under proportional representation, parties gained seats broadly according to the share of votes they received. This allowed several political parties to enter the Reichstag instead of leaving power with only two large parties. Since no party often won a clear majority, governments had to be formed through coalitions. Coalition partners could disagree about policies, withdraw support or cause a government to fall. This made parliamentary government appear unstable, even though the electoral system was designed to represent different opinions. A is wrong because the presence of many parties, not one-party rule, was the relevant problem. B is wrong because the Weimar Republic was a democracy, not an absolute monarchy. D is wrong because foreign colonies did not directly create this parliamentary difficulty. Memory cue: proportional representation means wider representation, but often more coalition bargaining.