Framing of Democratic Constitution


 
 
Concept Explanation
 

Framing of Democratic Constitution

Framing of Democratic Constitution: The defeat of Imperial Germany and the resigning of the emperor gave an opportunity to parliamentary parties to recast German polity. A National Assembly met at Weimar and established a democratic Constitution with a federal structure. Deputies were elected to the German Parliament or Reichstag, on the basis of equal and universal votes cast by all adults including women

The Weimar Constitution (1919) :

After the 1918 revolution, the Constitution of the German Empire was replaced by the Weimar Constitution drafted by lawyer and liberal politician Hugo Preuss. The constitutional process was overseen by the German National Assembly in the state of Weimar. Delegates disagreed over issues such as the national flag, religious education for youths, and the rights of the states (Länder). It maintained the bicameral parliament of previous constitutions, comprised of the Reichstag elected through a proportional representation system and a regionally representative Reichstrat. It also decreased the minimum age for universal suffrage from 25 to 20. The Constitution ushered in a decade of increased national confidence, liberal cultural life, and economic prosperity. A combination of the Great Depression, the severe peace conditions of the Treaty of Versailles, and a long succession of unstable governments led to the weakening of the Weimar Constitution. Fueled by discontent with the Weimar government, the Nazi Party came into power in the 1930s. After a series of unsuccessful cabinets, President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Adolf Hitler as Chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933. After a Dutch Communist set fire to the Reichstag building in February 1933, the Reichstag issued the Enabling Act on March 23, giving Hitler unrestricted legislative power. Hitler used this new power to form a centralized totalitarian government. Although three Reichstag elections were held under Hitler, voting was not anonymous, and candidates were limited to a single list of Nazis and “guest candidates.” Under the Nazi rule, Germany instigated World War II, which ended with Germany’s unconditional surrender on May 8, 1945.

On June 5, 1945, the victorious Allied Powers (United States, United Kingdom, USSR, and France) declared that they had “supreme authority with respect to Germany.” German officials with no independent political power were appointed to local and communal levels (councilors and mayors). As tension between the Soviet Union and Western powers intensified, the country was divided, with the Federal Republic of Germany in the west and the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in the east.

There are three inherent defects in the Weimar consitution:

  • It was based on proportional representation , which made achieving a majority by one party virtually impossible. only coalition government ruled.
  • Existence of Article 48 in the constitution , which gave the president the power to impose emergency suspended civil rights and ruled by decree.
  • Due to 20 different coalition government being formed in 14 years , people lost confidence in the democratic parliamentary system , as it offered no solutions to their problems.
  • Sample Questions
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    Question : 1

    Reichstag was __________ .

    Right Option : C
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