The Weimar Republic constitution: short and long term; political, economic
Proportional representation = A system that allocates parliamentary seats in proportion to the total number of votes.
President
Elected every 7 years
has the right to dissolve the Reichstag
The appointment of Chancellor
Held the position of Supreme commander of the armed forces
Had the legal power to over-through the government with the use of Article 48
Parliament held two houses
Reichsrat
Reichstag
Main representive and law making body
Consisted of deputies who where elected every four years on the system of Proportional Representation
Les important house consisted of representatives of all 17 Landers (states)
This house could only delay or initiate proposals and the Reichstag could always overrule them
Bill of Rights
Personal Liberty = right to free speech
Freedom from cenorhsip
Equality before the law of all Germans
Religious freedom
A Supreme Court was set up to settle disputes over different interpretations of law
Issues
The introduction of PR
The relationship between the President and the Reichstag, in particular, the emergency powers available to the President under Article 48
The fact that traditional institutions of Imperial Germany were still allowed to continue
Encouraged the formation of many new splinter groups
It was virtually impossible for one party to form a majority
the main problem was trying to get the main parties to form a coalition