Weimar Republic

The Weimar Republic is the name now used for the republic which governed Germany from 1918 to 1933.

German Reich Deutsches Reich
1918–1933
Top: Flag (1919-1933) Bottom: Co-official flag (1933) Coat of arms (1919-1928)
Motto: "Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit" "Unity and Justice and Freedom"
Anthem:  "Das Lied der Deutschen" "Song of the Germans" (1922-1945)
Weimar Republic in 1930
German States in 1925 (Free State of Prussia with its provinces shown in blue)
Capital	Berlin
Official languages	German
Common languages	Official: German Unofficial: Danish, French, Polish, Czech, Dutch, Sorbian, Low German, Frisian, Lithuanian, Yiddish
Religion	1925 census[1] 64.1% Protestant (Lutheran, Reformed, United) 32.4% Roman Catholic 0.9% Jewish 2.6% Other
Demonym(s)	German
Government	1919–30 Federal semi-presidential constitutional republic 1930–33 De facto authoritarian presidential republic
President
• 1919–25	Friedrich Ebert
• 1925–33	Paul von Hindenburg
Chancellor
• 1919 (first)	Philipp Scheidemann
• 1933 (last)	Adolf Hitler
Legislature	Bicameral
• State Council	Reichsrat
• Lower house	Reichstag
Historical era	Interwar period
• Established	9 November 1918
• Constitution	11 August 1919
• Admitted to the League of Nations	8 September 1926
• Government by decree begins	29 March 1930
• Hitler appointed Chancellor	30 January 1933
• Reichstag fire	27 February 1933
• Enabling Act	23 March 1933
Area
• Total	468,787 km2 (181,000 sq mi)
1925[2]	1,933 km2 (746 sq mi)
Population
• 1925[3]	62,411,000
Currency	1919–23 "Papiermark" (ℳ) 1923–33 Rentenmark 1924–33 Reichsmark (ℛℳ)
Preceded by Succeeded by German Empire Nazi Germany

Officially it was the German Reich (Deutsches Reich): (German: Weimarer Republik [ˈvaɪmaʁɐ ʁepuˈbliːk] (listen)).

It was also unofficially referred to as the German Republic (Deutsche Republik).

Origin

After the German Empire was defeated in World War I, Germany became a republic, but its official name was still "Deutsches Reich" (German Empire).

Historians today call it the Weimar Republic and refer to this period as the Weimar period, because the constitution was created in the city of Weimar.

Beginning

On November 9, 1918, the Republic was proclaimed by Philipp Scheidemann at the Reichstag building in Berlin and two hours later a socialist republic was proclaimed around the corner at the Berlin Castle by Karl Liebknecht.

The Emperor, or Kaiser, Wilhelm II, went into exile in the Netherlands. The new Republic was declared even before end of World War I on 11 November 1918.The fighting in World War I stopped on 11 November 1918 when the Armistice of Compiegne was signed.

Problems

The Weimar Republic had a lot of problems. The Treaty of Versailles made things very difficult for the economy. Inflation got completely out of hand. There were political problems because governments ruled only for a short time, not long enough to be able to make important decisions. There were a lot of radical right and left extremists, for example monarchists (people who wanted back the monarchy) and communists, who believed that all things, especially property, land and money, should be shared. Political parties had their own militias to fight each other.

One of the paramilitary organizations that arose after World War I was the German: Stahlhelm, Bund der Frontsoldaten meaning "Steel Helmet, League of Front Soldiers".^[4] They operated as the armed branch of the national conservative German National People's Party (DNVP). they were placed at party gatherings in the position of armed security guards (Saalschutz). In 1935 they became part of the Nazi Party.^[4]

Positives

The Weimar period is also known for its culture. Artists tried out modern ideas and used new things like film. The Bauhaus began in the 1920s.

End

The Weimar Republic came to an end on 23 March 1933, when Chancellor Adolf Hitler installed the Enabling Act, which established the Third Reich.